The Mansions of the Gods
| Company type | Comic book / Graphic novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo |
| Products | Asterix comic book series |
The Mansions of the Gods represents the seventeenth installment in the Asterix comic book series, crafted by writer René Goscinny and artist Albert Uderzo, and first published in 1971. Initially serialized within Pilote magazine, it was subsequently released as a graphic novel featuring an English translation in 1973. The narrative revolves around Asterix and his fellow Gauls resisting Julius Caesar's scheme to transform their neighboring forest into a Roman residential area for the elite.
Plot summary
In an effort to extend Roman culture over the resilient Gauls, Julius Caesar commands the clearing of the forest surrounding their village to establish a Roman aristocratic settlement named the 'Mansions of the Gods'. The architect Squaronthehypotenus leads a workforce of slaves tasked with felling the trees. Utilizing Getafix's magical potion, Asterix and Obelix plant acorns that rapidly mature into full-grown oaks, thereby thwarting Squaronthehypotenus’s efforts.
Asterix then provides the slaves with magic potion to incite rebellion; however, rather than ceasing their labor, they demand improved working conditions, fair wages, and emancipation upon completing one building. Roman soldiers join in striking for comparable rights. Since slave liberation is contingent on finishing a structure, the Gauls permit construction to proceed. The freed slaves invest their earnings into launching a commercial enterprise.
The initial finished building accommodates Roman middle-class families selected through a lottery system. These Romans shop in the Gaulish village, turning it into a tourist destination marked by competitive pricing and gradual adoption of Roman customs. To counteract this influence, Asterix requests an apartment but is denied; subsequently, Obelix troubles the tenants until they return to Rome. Their former residence is assigned to Cacofonix the bard, whose disruptive singing drives away the remaining Romans.
In response, Squaronthehypotenus attempts to maintain the colony by quartering Roman soldiers and expelling Cacofonix, provoking the Gauls to demolish the settlement. The legionnaires retreat to their camp, while Squaronthehypotenus plans to construct pyramids in Egypt with "pleasant quiet tenants." The Gauls conclude with their traditional banquet as Getafix’s magic restores the forest over the ruins.
At the story’s end, Asterix asks Getafix if such threats can always be prevented; Getafix acknowledges they cannot but assures there is still ample time.
Notes
- After the French uprisings of May 1968, Goscinny increasingly incorporated contemporary French political themes into Asterix. In Mansions of the Gods, he critiques modern technocracy (represented by a young urban planner), the extensive "villes nouvelles" consisting of high-rise buildings, and particularly advertising.
- The dynamic between Squaronthehypotenus and the slaves mirrors present-day employer, trade unionist, and labor strike relationships.
- The Circus Maximus quizmaster caricatures French television personality Guy Lux.
- The character Flaturtha alludes to both the emerging 1970s flat Earth movement and the Numidian monarch Jugurtha.
Adaptations
In November 2014, The Mansions of the Gods was transformed into a 3D computer-animated film titled Asterix: The Land of the Gods. Produced in France by M6 Studio alongside Mikros Image, this adaptation retained much of the original graphic novel’s storyline but introduced several alterations:
- The family winning the lottery, who are pursued by Obelix in the book, instead experience homelessness twice and join forces with Asterix and Obelix against the Roman troops.
- Caesar offers rent-free housing to the Gauls as part of his strategy; they adopt Roman ways but fail to displace Roman inhabitants.
- Slaves mainly function as laborers constructing the colony before eventually becoming Roman soldiers.