The new album, which highlights the history and culture of Portugal, is set for global release on the 23rd, including in the Portuguese market. It will be officially launched in Lisbon on October 27 at the El Corte Inglés cultural venue, with a presentation by comedian Hugo van der Ding.
The publisher Asa has stated that ‘Astérix na Lusitânia’ will have a print run of 80,000 copies, 2,000 of which were pre-sold by the end of September.
A worldwide print run of five million copies is planned for the 41st album of one of the most renowned comic book series, originally created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. The series is currently continued by authors Fabcaro, the pen name of Fabrice Caro (script), and Didier Conrad (illustration).
For the first time, the story—set during Roman times—places the two Gauls, Astérix and Obélix, in ancient Lusitania, featuring numerous references to the history and culture of Portugal.
On the cover, Astérix and Obélix are depicted ascending a street with traditional Portuguese paving, flanked by old houses painted in Mediterranean colors, against a backdrop of a river or sea with various vessels.
Last December, Éditions Albert René, the comic book rights holder, had already announced that in the 41st album, Astérix and Obélix would leave their indomitable Gaulish village for a journey.
“I searched for a destination where our friends had never been, but also a place I wanted to explore while writing,” scriptwriter FabCaro explained at the time, as cited by the publisher.
In March, when it was announced that the new adventure would take place in Lusitanian lands, the authors revealed to the international press that the story includes a character who already appeared in the 1971 comic ‘The Domain of the Gods’.
“All I can say is that an old Lusitanian slave we met in ‘The Domain of the Gods’ will come to ask our friends for help,” explained Fabcaro, noting that for this new story, he wanted “a sunny, luminous album set in a Mediterranean country reminiscent of vacations.”
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo introduced the world of Astérix on October 29, 1959, in the French magazine Pilote. Their partnership lasted until Goscinny’s death in 1977. Uderzo passed away in 2020.
The first volume, titled ‘Astérix the Gaul’, released in 1961, featured a small Gaul with a thick mustache whose great friend, Obélix, is a clumsy character with immense strength, known for carrying menhirs and his love for wild boar.
They are inhabitants of a village that always resists Roman military attacks led by Julius Caesar, thanks to a secret magic potion invented by the druid Panoramix.
According to Asa, 400 million copies of Astérix and Obélix albums have been sold worldwide.
‘Astérix na Lusitânia’ will be published simultaneously in 19 languages and dialects, with the official presentation scheduled for the 13th in Paris with both authors. The Lisbon launch will follow on the 27th.
