Before British readers could properly enjoy Asterix the Gaul and his sweet-natured friend Obelix they had to make do with Little Fred, the Ancient Brit with Bags of Grit, and his sidekick, Big Ed. The Asterix books have sold 500m copies worldwide, been translated into 150 languages and adapted into 100 films. “Not many people know about Goscinny’s Jewish heritage and it is a very interesting story,” said Rosenthal. His success came in France with creations including a gunslinger called Lucky Luke, a detective called Dick Dicks, and a taxi driver called Strapontin who will cheerfully go anywhere. Asterix was by far the biggest success, with its broad appeal to readers of all ages.

Source: The Guardian May 10, 2018 14:24 UTC