Asterix in Corsica

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Asterix on Corsica (French original title: Astérix en Corse ) is the 20th volume in the Asterix comic series , which was produced by the author René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo and was published in 1973 in the French magazine Pilote . The story is about the journey of the two heroes Asterix and Obelix to Corsica , where they fight together with the locals against the Roman occupation forces .

action

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Gergovia, the residents of the Gaulish village hold a festival to which many friends from outside are invited and thus various figures from earlier Asterix volumes appear (including Teefax, Kneipix and alcoholix). As a special surprise, the Gauls would like to offer their friends a fight with the local Roman garrison. On this occasion, the garrisons usually withdraw to maneuvers in the hinterland. Shortly before moving out of Babaorum, however, a centurion arrives there on the special order of Praetor Crassus Vampus with the exiled Corsican Osolemirnix to spend a night there. He demands that the garrison keep the exile for one night and for his part says goodbye to the maneuver after the garrison centurion has given the reason for the maneuver. After Asterix and Obelix found out that all Roman camps have been abandoned, they are happy that the Romans are still present in Babaorum. The guests can therefore be served magic drink and Baborum attacked. On this occasion they free Osolemirnix, who is freed from his chains by the garrison centurion, but does not want to leave the camp until after his siesta. He would like to return to his home country Corsica. Asterix and Obelix accompany him. The Romans on this island, with the exception of the overzealous Studicus, are mostly disillusioned and apathetic - as they have mostly been punished. Crassus Vampus plans to disappear with the tax revenue, but Asterix succeeds in the incredible achievement of reconciling the quarreling Corsican clan heads (at least temporarily) and to persuade them to fight the Romans - ultimately victorious. After returning to the village, the band ends with the traditional feast.

Remarks

In contrast to most of the other Asterix volumes, “Asterix in Corsica” does not begin with the map of Gaul and the main characters, but with a preface. Before that, there is a map of Corsica on which, in addition to the four historical cities, 46 fictional Roman camps with humorous names (e.g. Opossum, Hauteuchdrum or Iamaicarum) are listed - all located exclusively on the coast. This alludes to the well-known for Corsica, built on the coast, more or less well preserved, mostly Genoese towers surrounding the entire island .

Like other volumes in the Asterix series, “Asterix in Corsica” draws part of its humor from the clichéd, stereotypical representations of a people, in this case the Corsicans. In the band, they place great value on their afternoon rest ( siesta ) and the family honor, there have been entrenched clan disputes and blood revenge for centuries . Disputes and defamation are countered with jack knives that appear at every opportunity (in contrast to the otherwise common swords, invisible) . When it comes to nutrition, the typical free-range pigs, the sweet chestnut (actually a staple food of the Corsicans in the past) and Corsican cheese (see Casu Marzu ), which even detonates the pirates' ship with its gases, play an important role. There are also allusions to Napoleon , who came from Corsica, and several cameo appearances : Pierre Tchernia , who appeared as a screenwriter for several Asterix films, is embodied in the figure of the centurion Parvulus ; the French actor Raimu appears, as in the Tour de France , as host Kneipix .

Like the names of the Gauls, the names of the Corsicans end in -ix. The name of the leader of the Corsicans, Osolemirnix, is an allusion to the hit " O sole mio " by the Corsican-born musician Tino Rossi (1907-1983). In the French original it bears the name Ocaterinetabelatchitchix, which also goes back to a song by Rossi ("Ô Catarinetta bella, tchi-tchi"), which is largely unknown outside of France. The names of Corsican women do not end in -ine, but in Romansh with -a. The Romans have the usual fantasy names ending in -us.

The island of Corsica came during the First Punic War in 238 BC. Under Roman suzerainty. The city of Aleria , the seat of the praetor in the band , was founded in the 6th century BC as Alalia by Greeks from Phocea . It was later colonized by the Romans and expanded by Julius Caesar . The other cities listed on a map at the beginning of the volume (Mariana, Agylla and Portus Syracusanus) are also historically documented.

publication

The story first appeared in 1973 in issues 687-708 of Pilote magazine . In the same year the comic was released as an album by Dargaud in France and was published in Germany in the MV Comix magazine of Egmont Ehapa Verlag . In 1975 the story was released as an album in Germany. Asterix in Corsica has been translated into many more languages ​​including English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

See also

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