Como casi todo Asterix. Aunque este un poco flojito ( )

Gallien, år 50 før Kristus
Der er kommet nye romere til og de er bare glade for at være sluppet for belgierne, så selv Obelix måde at være sød og rar ved dem er en ren lise.
Majestix bliver fornærmet over at Cæsar selv har skrevet Taprest af alle Galliens folkeslag er belgierne. Majestix, Asterix og Obelix drager ud for at se om det passer. De træffer høvding Vanderkix og hans nummer to, Pumpernikkelix og resten af deres folk, Trappix, Maeterlingix, Endivix, osv. De ligger i indbyrdes kiveri, men tamper romere i fællesskab.
Majestix og Vanderkix vædder om hvem der er bedst og vil lade Julius Cæsar være dommer.
Obelix sænker ved et uheld sørøvernes skib tæt ved land, men ellers går alt planmæssigt og en masse romerlejre bliver lagt i grus.
En af dem giver dog Vanderkix ideen til friturestegte kartofler.
Romernes overkommandant, Wolfgangamadeus bliver overvældet af rapporter om en talløs gallersk styrke.
I senatet driller senator Semper Incontentus Julius Cæsar med at han ikke har styr på belgierne og Julius selv tager afsted. Hans tilstedeværelse annonceres af Dupont og Dupond.og Manneken Pis dukker også op. Asterix og Obelix opsøger Julius for at få ham som opmand, men det falder mildest talt ikke i god jord.
Sørøverne opsøger også Julius for at få erstatning, men det udløser også blot galde og flere uldne vitser.
Julius går i feltet mod belgierne og gallerne, men lider nederlag og erklærer at de er komplet lige skøre allesammen som en.

Ok album, men meget tyndt plot. ( )

Thanks Karen for lending me this.

The second ever Asterix story I ever had been this one and when my eldest found it at friends and showed me I had to read it again. And like those years ago, I thoroughly, thoroughly loved it. In fact, right now, I cannot think of one I like(d) more.

This is the 24th volume (1980) of the series and follows Chief Vitalstatistix, Asterix, Obelix and little Dogmatix as they enter Belgium in an effort to find out why Caesar has called the Belgians the bravest people on the world instead of our heroes (although in reading almost the whole lot, I would have thought the Normans were).

Anyway, off topic somewhat...so as they meet with the chiefs a wager is made and the two villages went on the rampage destroying all things Roman in their path in an effort to prove their bravado to Caesar himself, and when he comes to find out what the hell is going on he brings a force with him to crush the uprising once and for all...and the rest, well you can guess.

There's always hotties in the villages...where does she rank next to Geriatrix's wife?In this one the usual plethora of humourous names is lacking somewhat but there are some gems as usual; Wolfgangamadeus the Roman Legate, Saintlouisblus a Roman soldier, Melancholix, Alcoholix, and Potbellix Belgian warriors, and the chief's wife Bonanza.

FYI...

Halfway through this volume Goscinny died - the point in time in the actual book can be seen as the sky turns darker and there is rain for the remainder of the story.

There is reference to some of Belgium's famous meals - Brussels Sprouts, mussels, and of course French Fries (which were invented in this book).

Murray Mexted and his twin make an appearanceThompson and Thompson (of Tintin fame) appear. They are of course Belgian (and in fact the same font from Tintin is used when they speak).

The Manneken Pis also makes an appearance. ( )

Les Romains du camp retranché de Laudanum, revenus traumatisés d'une campagne en Belgique, apprennent aux villageois que Jules César lui-même décrit les Belges comme les plus braves de tous les peuples de la Gaule. Abraracourcix, outré, décide d'aller voir lui-même ce qu'il en est et de défendre la réputation des Gaulois. Astérix et Obélix l'escortent avec peu d'enthousiasme. Arrivés en Belgique, les Gaulois font la connaissance d'une tribu belge et décident d'organiser un concours arbitré par Jules César lui-même. Mais ce dernier a d'autres plans... ( )

Seven out of ten. CBR format. When Caesar calls the Belgian people the bravest he knows, the Gauls travel to confront the Belgians and prove who really is bravest. ( )