The Hindu Business Line : Asterix still a blockbuster, 50 years on

There are 50th birthday wishes pouring in from all over the world for this doughty Gaul, in the newspapers, on TV, in blogs, on Twitter, on Facebook and other forums online and offline, all testimony to the timelessness and universality of his (and his comrades’) appeal.

In India, sales have been “truly incredible”, says Mr Thomas Abraham, Managing Director, Hachette India. Each year, around one lakh units sell across 33 titles - around 3,000 copies per title. He estimates that around two million copies would have sold down the three or so decades Asterix comics have been available in the country.

Illustrator Albert Uderzo, who, along with late writer Rene Goscinny, created this hero and his cohorts, sold his stake in the Asterix publisher to publishing major Hachette Livre in December last year. Unlike Herge, the Belgian creator of another much-loved comic character Tintin, who did not want the series to continue after his death, Uderzo has handpicked three of his assistants to continue his legacy.

Around 30 years ago, American and British series such as Archie and Andy Capp were popular. So was Tintin, because the humour and stories were easier to understand, and the characters were real, says Mr Jai Subramanian, formerly of the Landmark chain of book, music and gifts store and now Director of retail consulting firm Shop4Solutions.

“Asterix is like (A.R.) Rahman’s music, you don’t fall in love with it the first time but begin to appreciate it after listening to it the second or third time,” he says. “The work was sheer genius, the drawing had amazing detail and the Gallic humour was outstanding,” he adds.

Comics they may be, but they are like a P.G. Wodehouse book that appeals to an older age group. If you started reading them at age 11, you would be able to appreciate them better by the time you are 15 years or so, and go on to enjoy them even at 60 and beyond, says Mr Subramaniam. “They can be read once every year. The comics are very collectible, very re-readable.”

A spokesperson at Landmark says most comic series are ageless, and readers cannot be slotted into any one age group. “At our store, we’ve always placed Asterix comics in a prominent corner; it’s a favourite haunt, and there is always somebody or the other browsing there,” she says.

Special offer

Though she declines to mention sales figures, she says that despite the entry of newer titles, Asterix continues to sell and is as popular as ever. The chain is now running a special offer (continued from its recently-concluded sale) whereby a set of all the 33 titles is available for Rs 9,999, as against the regular price of Rs 12,375. An Asterix comic sells for Rs 375, and the price of an omnibus (three titles in one) ranges between Rs 595 and Rs 660.

To commemorate the 50th birthday, Hachette India is launching in November a “collectible box” of all the comics in the series at a special price for the next one year. It will be priced at Rs 11,500 (down from Rs 12,700).

Worldwide, some of the activities to mark this occasion include stage shows, exhibitions and most importantly, the October 22 release (by illustrator Uderzo) of Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday – The Golden Book, a 56-page comic book with short stories describing the adventures of the many characters from the Asterix world as they secretly prepare for a birthday party. A hardback, it costs Rs 595 in India.