The Asterix comics first debuted in 1959 and has attracted readers from around the world with its amusing tales of the adventures of a plucky young Gaul named Asterix (along with his friend Obelix and their loyal dog Dogmatix), as he defends his village from the might of the Roman army. The series is known for its colourful cast of characters, but now Asterix is bowing out for a bit while a new, female Gaul named Adrenaline takes on those pesky Romans.
Given that the series has entertained readers for the past 50 years, it’s only natural that it should grow and change from time to time. There have been a number of fresh takes on the formula in the past, and we’ve seen it adapted into films, video games, and even a theme park. Now the series is looking to update itself with a plucky new female character called Adrenaline, who is the teenage daughter of the Gaul’s leader, king Vercingetorix.
As The Guardian reports, Adrenaline will cause no end of trouble for Asterix and Obelix as they attempt to keep the strong-willed girl safe from harm from the Roman legions. She will make her first appearance in the 38th installment in the series, which is released today, and is called Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter.
Speaking of the new character, illustrator Didier Conrad said: “We didn’t want to develop a character who would be based on her seductive side as we usually do with female characters in Asterix. Most of the time they are young attractive women who seduce Obelix and their role stops there.”
The story follows Asterix as he and Obelix try to protect Adrenaline, who’s being hunted by the Romans. Not only will our two heroes have to deal with the invaders of their lands, but they’ll also have to try and bridge the generational gap that stands between them and a rebellious teenager.
The story’s writer, Jean-Yves Ferri, spoke about how interesting it was creating dialogue that felt authentic for a teenager, but also fit the ancient period the story’s set in.
“In terms of the vocabulary it was quite amusing because I had to create a sort of teenage language for the time. We don’t have a lot of documentation about that. So the idea was to use certain expressions like teenagers do,” he said.
5 million prints of Asterix and the Chieftan’s Daughter have been produced, with 2 million of them remaining in the series’ homeland of France. The Asterix comics have sold over 370 million copies across the globe and have been translated into over 50 different languages since the series began.
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