Today, Independence Day Eve, marks the birth centenary of Rene Goscinny, who, with illustrator Albert Uderzo, created one of the world's most enduring comic series, Asterix, in 1959. We still read Asterix not just as great comic literature but also for its remarkably perceptive stories about power, and 'ordinary' people who refuse to surrender to it.
Every Asterix adventure - from the very first book, Asterix the Gaul (1961), to the last, Asterix in Lusitania (2025), written by Fabcaro and illustrated by Didier Conrad - begins with the best-known opening frame in comic book history with the map of Gaul and a magnifying glass hovering on one corner: 'The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely....'
