Asterix and the Golden Sickle (1960)
Asterix and the Golden Sickle Review
Asterix and the Golden Sickle is the second volume of the Asterix comic strip series that was written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It was published in 1960 and it is another classic.
The druid needs a new sickle, so Asterix and Obelix set out to Lutetia (now Paris) to find one. There, they encounter a criminal underworld of sickle traffickers. Unlike the first entry in this series, this is where the tone and the characters are much more firmly established, basically constituting what would quickly become canon for this property. Nowhere is that more evident than in the overall scale that is much bigger than in its predecessor for better and for worse. Gone was the situational humor and coziness of the original in favor of more action and spectacle.
While I did find the story’s pacing to be rather rushed at times, that larger scale led to numerous fun adventures. The highlight was the forest section where they fought off wolves and bandits. Just getting to see this world explored was wonderful and Lutetia as a city was beautiful and intricately detailed. The illustrations are actually better this time around with more vivid colors and stronger backgrounds while the dialogue remains witty, especially in characters’ naming.
The humor is lovely. It is extensively focused on physical gags, but the vast majority worked and the fights were wildly entertaining. Of the characters, it is Obelix who is the standout in this story with a role extended to a co-starring status. His foolishness and childishness made for such a hilarious dynamic between his much wiser friend. Metallurgix is another standout, especially in character animation as he looks like a fun mixture of the two.
