He is 62 years old but not worn out. The fortieth album of the comic book hero Asterix, called De Witte Iris, is released today. It doesn’t seem to bother readers that the series about the Invincible Gauls hasn’t been created by one of the original creators in years. Five million copies of the new album were released today. Of these, 185,000 are Dutch.
According to one tour, it is no longer accurately tracked how many comics are sold in the Netherlands. The Belgian standard publisher publishes almost all the major comic book series on the Dutch market, from Suske en Wiske, Lucky Luke, Tintin, The Bluecoats, Spirou, Thorgal to The Smurfs.
When asked about the publisher’s 10 best-selling comic book series, the list includes eight series that are more than half a century old. Seven of these belong to new authors.
golden period
Fabrice Caro, who made his debut as the writer of Asterix with De Witte Iris, says in an interview with NOS that it is “really impossible” for young writers to create such successful comic book series again. “When Asterix was created, there weren’t that many comic book series. “There was a lot more room for that.”
Because more comics are published each year today than in the 60s and 70s, Caro says it has become almost impossible to achieve the same sales figures as during the golden period of the so-called Ninth Art.
Asterix and Obelix fans explain why they want the latest album:
Another factor is that comics are less popular among young people who play more games or prefer reading Japanese manga comics to classic French and Franco-Belgian comics.
Didier Conrad, who has been drawing the adventures of Asterix since 2012, reacts somewhat angrily to this comment. He points out the sales figures and considers the manga a “mass product” that cannot be compared to a series like Asterix. “Handmade.”
According to him, Asterix remains popular due to its recognizability factor. “Everyone finds something of themselves in this. “At the same time, it stays current with existing elements,” he notes, referencing the TGV bullet train in “De Witte Iris” or Obelix’s jester-like experience with his Paris scooter.
Conrad, 64, made his debut in the comic strip “De Onnaambaren” in the early 1980s. At that time, he could only dream of the sales figures he achieves today with Asterix. Conrad says of the “huge gap” between classic comic book series and the rest: “That’s still true for 85 percent of the series currently running. And nothing comes close to Asterix.”
While writing the first Asterix story was a hugely relaxing task for Caro, he feels the pressure mount as it gets published. “It’s going to be an exciting time now that people are opening the album. What do they think about this? “I’m so nervous about this right now.”
Conrad also realizes that taking over a franchise like Asterix is never easy, even after six albums. “This still remains a challenge. It takes about four pages to navigate each book.”
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
