This is the first Asterix album not featuring the work of Goscinny or Underzo and I therefore approached it with trepidation; would it be any good? Would the new artist capture the style and likenesses well? Would the new writer be sympathetic to the history of 34 preceding volumes?

Short answer; yes to both.

Ferri conforms more closely to the Uderzo formula, with our heroes travelling abroad for an adventure that pokes gentle fun at national stereotypes and cultural touchstones, whilst thwarting a Roman plot and bringing back some of the traditional aspects of our characters, like their very short tempers, which fell by the way somewhat when Uderzo was writing. On the other hand, Uderzo's more outlandish, fantastical ideas are not entirely abandoned, either, with a (predictable) character showing up and turning out to be a tremendous addition to the story.

A really good first effort by the new team - I'm now looking forward happily to more from them.

Thanks to Awogfli's post this morning, I spent this morning catching up reading about the adventures of Asterix and his friends. This has been long overdue as I haven't read any of their stories in years.

I'm glad to report I still love them. It is true that the books are no longer written by the original authors but the two who have been entrusted with continuing the story of the rebellious village are doing a fabulous job.

While the older Asterix books aren't always to modern tastes, this album isn't as clever as the older versions. Maybe because it's not the original team (but that's impossible due to time).