Asterix and Son (1983)

Le Fils d'Astérix

The warrior midget puts it about.

Presenting a pretentious thematic undercurrent...

Notable Nomenclature...

• Bucolix: Village Dairy Farmer.
• Crismus Cactus: Prefect of Gaul.
• Aspisistra: His spy alias.
• Oderiferous: Scruple-free legionary.
• Aromatix: His spy alias.
• Fotegenix: Village guard.

Continuity; lack-thereof and other gaffes...

• Being left holding the baby brings on one of A&O's nose-to-nose rows (p7).
• Uderzo begins unfortunate joke-ruining practice of providing translations for Latin words and phrases (pp 8, 20, 21, 31, 37 ).
• Why does Aquarium Centurian volunteer this information to A&O after he has been bashed up? (p11).
• Lazy anachronistic Stonehenge joke repeated from Asterix in Spain.
• Brutus is given a fairly large role well beyond the usual 'anticipatory stabbing Caesar' joke (which crops up on p. 43). This version is certainly not Shakespeare's 'honourable man' (begins p. 13).
• Gaul-disguised-Roman-spy-in-village plot-development re-used from Asterix the Gaul (begins p 21). And again in drag (begins p 26).
• By now customary self-reference to adventure and impending banquet (p31).
• Why haven't the Romans tried this strategem before? Seems an effective potion-overcoming mode of attack (p37).
• Everyone's favourite Greek-descended-African-Queen returns from Asterix and Cleopatra along with attendant 'What a nose' jokes (begins p 43).
• This story sees the destruction of the Gaulish village and the consequent construction of 'Village Mark 2'.

Cleverness and contemporaneity...

• Story-framing device: Asterix intends to give 'Birds and Bees' talk to Obelix (p1). He will have a job of it (p44).
• Obelix uses back of copper pot as shaving mirror (p2).
• Whilst whole village council suspects Asterix of past lewd child-making activities, it is left to Impedimenta to put voice to suspicion (p4).
• Obelix quotes (then contemporary) 80s milk advert 'Gotta Lotta Bottle' (p5).
• Compendium Centurion has - counter to appearance - been something of a Lothario (p 10).
• The rattle-substitute legionary Odoriferous thinks in colloqialisms (p12).
• Baby has copied Obelix's unique method of opening doors (p13).
• Obelix's menhirs carry a sell-by date (p14).
• Bucolix talks in broad West-Country dialect (p15).
• Obelix invents the daily milk-round (p15).
• First sight of Obelix's house in Asterix (p 18).
• Worn-out Asterix rests up against comic-frame (p19).
• Roman guard tries it on with an ugly fat man in unconvincing drag (p26).
• Gossiping village wives take an ugly fat man in unconvincing drag for beneficiary of Asterix's alleged romantic liaison (p27).
• Impedimenta puts melee-fish to good and early use (p29).
• 'Aspidistra' creates WW1 and WW2 popular song medley (pp29-34).
• Impedimenta displays old-fashioned-values regarding 'Living in Sin' (p31).
• 'Aspidista' for some reason lacks the capacity of a wet nurse (p34).
• Since final banquet takes place on Cleopatras galley, Cacofonix has to make do with a mast in lieu of a tree (p44).
• Titular 'son' revealed as Ptomely XVI, future ruler of Egypt (p44).

Obelix has a tender side...

• More self-reference as the fat fool senses the readership witnessing his baby-tending embarrassment (p3).
• Restrained - by his standards - questioning of Asterix's labelling him as 'fat' (p9).
• Personally affronted when doors aren't built to fat-man-carrying-menhir dimensions (pp14-15).
• Asterix gets through to Obelix where it hurts (p 18).
• Turns beetroot when complemented by an ugly fat man in drag (p28).

Classic Pegleg...

The African lookout's Retort...

Good or what?

Best solo Uderzo 'village under crisis' story anticipates 1983 film 'Three Men and a Cradle' (not-bad French progenitor of Selleck/Guttenberg/Danson 'Don't babies urinate a lot?' puerile Hollywood hokum). Relatively free of overstretched continuity jokes - there is the return of Cleopatra; but it's brief and tied in to the narrative - and well paced story without Uderzo's usual 'deus-ex-machina' plot resolution. Subject matter gives the whole enterprise a mild sexual frisson unique in Asterix - helped on by the title's suggestion (particularly in the French version) that Asterix is the baby's father.