Winning with Krone+ – Gauls and positive thinking? This won’t end well!

For the 40th adventure of Asterix and Obelix, who will celebrate their 65th anniversary in 2024, there is a new author: Fabrice Caro, better known as Fabcaro. For the anniversary book, together with illustrator Didier Conrad, he created an exciting and, above all, extremely entertaining story about the village of the militant Gauls.

The author, known in France for his absurd comics, created a masterpiece with his Asterix debut that would certainly have made the late creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo laugh. Fewer wild boars, more vegetables, sports, solving conflicts with words instead of waddle, that cannot end well…

Title in the style of Goscinny and Uderzo
The title itself follows the style of the two Asterix fathers, often featuring an object or person that symbolizes the theme: for example Asterix and the Copper Cauldron, The Great Ditch, The Arvern Shield, The Golden Sickle. “Here the iris stands as a symbol of good-naturedness and development,” Fabcaro said in the “Krone” interview.

Traditionally, the albums are alternately set in the village and on the road: in keeping with the anniversary, ‘The White Iris’ focuses on the villagers and the village itself, the balance of which is brought into balance by the arrival of Visusversus and his new school of thought from Rome, called “The White Iris.” “is really confused. It promotes positive thinking and is spreading to more and more cities, from Rome to Lutetia. Caesar hopes that this movement can give new impetus to the camps around the infamous village, keyword: motivation.

Villagers infected by positive thinking
But positive thinking is also very popular with the Gallic villagers – especially Gutemine, Majestix’s wife – when they come into contact with it. The chef even finds himself in a real marital crisis and, much to the amusement of the readers, is plagued by severe depression as Gutemine struggles with rural life. The bard Troubadix makes it clear how bad things will soon become for the village. When even his cat-whining music can’t entice the other villagers into a good fight, even Asterix is ​​at her wits’ end.

It is not surprising that he is the one who resists the influence of the white iris. “You can tell the others anything, they go along with everything. No matter what happens, they jump on it. He, on the other hand, resists,” says Fabcaro. A character trait that makes Asterix all the more popular in Austria; in mustached Gaul we always recognize a piece of our red-white-red national soul. Asterix is ​​right, because Visusversus clearly does not have the good of the Gauls at heart; the guru of modern times wants to impress Caesar by defeating the last village still resisting the Romans and making his school of thought known throughout the world.

For the author, working on Asterix is ​​a ‘knighthood’
All Asterix fans will certainly get their money’s worth with the anniversary volume. When reading the new album in advance, the “Krone” could see with his own eyes that there will not be a dry eye in the book. For the author it is a “real award”. How did he react when he got the job? “It was so surreal for me that I needed some time to process it. When I came out of the appointment, I ran wildly through the streets, like a child who had just received a wonderful Christmas present,” says the 48-year-old in an interview with “Krone”.

Why did he place positive thinking at the center of the plot of the anniversary book? It is difficult to avoid this topic, “even today, because you hear it everywhere as a philosophy of life, self-optimization, the search for a better life and so on,” says Fabcaro, pointing to the abundance of guides, self-optimization, help books and programs. “So this was an obvious choice. This was actually something that Goscinny and Uderzo did over and over again: “Find a topic that is current, but at the same time has always existed.” Since Seneca, people have been thinking about how to live a better life. The white iris and positive thinking are a topic that is “currently very topical, but also timeless” for the Asterix author.

Collaboration in the Internet Age
The collaboration between author and illustrator was challenging: Fabcaro lives happily and contentedly in a rural area in the south of France, while Didier Conrad lives in Austin, Texas. At first it was “quite surreal,” Fabcaro recalled in the interview. They had not known each other before, had an initial conversation via Zoom and discussed ideas. The author had already completed about 15 pages of material for the 40th volume. Communication then took place via email and video conferencing.

Fabcaro and Conrad only met in person for the first time in October to promote the new Asterix adventure. As a reader you can have all the more respect for the more than worthy story about the eternal village of the indomitable Gauls that the duo has delivered. Anyone who says that Asterix has no power after 64 years is advised: Read the new album “The White Iris” and shut up! Reading material for old and new fans of Asterix, Obelix and all villagers, who have successfully entertained young and old for decades.

Since the first appearance of the two indomitable Gauls in 1959, more than 393 million albums have been sold worldwide. The popular series has made successful comic history for 64 years. The 40th Asterix adventure “The White Iris” is now available in stores and online in the Egmont shop.

Win a very special collectible
By Teutates! Krone+ is celebrating its 40th album with a very special competition: author Fabcaro and scene designer Didier Conrad have signed and drawn copies of the new adventure for our readers! Win a package consisting of 1x art book + a signed hardcover part of the 40th album. There are more signed hardcover albums, but also deluxe editions of the 40th volume in DINA3 and fan packages with goodies! This will make the heart of every fan of the indomitable Gauls beat faster! Simply fill out the form below and get involved!