Asterix and the Actress
| Industry | Comic book publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Albert Uderzo |
| Products | Comic book |
Asterix and the Actress (, "Asterix et Latraviata") represents the 31st installment in the Asterix comic series, both penned and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.
Plot summary
On their birthday, Asterix and Obelix are unexpectedly visited by their mothers from Condatum, who bring them gifts—a Roman sword and helmet—and encourage their sons to consider marriage. Simultaneously, the fathers of Asterix and Obelix, proprietors of a "modernities" shop in Condatum, find themselves arrested after accepting these items from Tremensdelirius, a veteran legionary struggling with alcoholism. These artifacts originally belonged to Pompey, Caesar’s adversary, who demands their return.
To recover the sword and helmet, Pompey dispatches Latraviata, a talented actress disguised as Panacea (Obelix's beloved), accompanied by the Roman operative Fastandfurious to infiltrate the Gaulish village. Meanwhile, the authentic Panacea and her spouse Tragicomix learn of the fathers' detention and travel to the village. They witness Latraviata and Fastandfurious departing with Pompey’s possessions, revealing the ruse.
Asterix and Obelix give chase; during the pursuit, Fastandfurious suffers a menhir blow resulting in memory loss. The duo then liberates their fathers in Condatum, while Tragicomix captures Pompey and delivers him to Caesar. In recognition, Caesar presents Asterix with a statue of himself, which Asterix humorously awards to Latraviata for her performance—a clever nod to the inaugural César Award.
Notes
- This edition marks the debut of Asterix and Obelix's parents in the main storyline.
- The narrative contains a literary reference to Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot via a legionary’s comment in the English translation; the original French version uses a biblical allusion instead.
- Latraviata’s accolade parodies the French César Award, visually reminiscent of Romy Schneider, its first Best Actress winner.
- This story is notable for featuring Obelix striking Asterix for the first time.
- Dogmatix finds a partner and fathers puppies, emphasizing familial themes.
- The protagonists share a birthday here, differing from earlier versions due to retconning.
- Their fathers operate a souvenir shop named "Modernities & Collectibles."
- Cultural references include graffiti inspired by Monty Python's Life of Brian.
- The character Fastandfurious’s name arguably anticipates the later Fast & Furious film series despite chronological differences.
- Latraviata’s name alludes to Verdi’s opera La traviata.
- Asterix and the Actress was France’s top-selling comic in 2001, moving over 2.28 million copies.
- Albert Uderzo issued a special edition titled Astérix et Latraviata — L'album des crayonnés (2001), showcasing the album's creation process.
In other languages
- Catalan: Astèrix i Latraviata
- Croatian: Asterix i Latravijata
- Czech: Asterix a Latraviata
- Dutch: Asterix en Latraviata
- Finnish: Asterix ja Latraviata
- Galician: Astérix e Latraviata
- German: Asterix und Latraviata
- Greek: Ο Αστερίξ και η Λατραβιάτα
- Italian: Asterix e Latraviata
- Norwegian: Asterix og Latraviata
- Polish: Asteriks i Latraviata
- Portuguese: Astérix e Latraviata
- Serbian: Астерикс и Латравијата/Asteriks i Latravijata
- Spanish: Astérix y Latraviata
- Swedish: Asterix och Latraviata