Asterix and the White Iris (2023)
Asterix and the White Iris Review
Asterix and the White Iris is the 40th volume of the Asterix comic strip series that was written and illustrated by Fabcaro and Didier Conrad. It’s one of the best modern entries in the series.
Caesar sends his chief medical officer Isivertuus to the Gaulish village to conquer them with kindness, positivity and good vibes. Needless to say, this is one story that felt so timeless (and in one area timely, but more on that later) that it was strange that they haven’t done something like this before. This was a great proof that there is more juice in this series and I was so content with this charming book.
I have always preferred my Asterix stories set in the village instead of anywhere else. I am in the minority there, but this particular comic is so strong that it proves my point about this confined, more comedic approach. Isivertuus is an instantly iconic one-off character, one that was so annoying, but in the best way possible. His interactions with the villagers were very amusing.
Asterix and Obelix themselves were unfortunately sidelined here, which is a typical issue for most of these modern entries. But Impedimenta got her moments to shine and Caesar is quite memorable here. We also get to see Vitalstatistix at his most emotional and romantic, and whenever the series focuses on his marriage, it’s wonderful.
Fabcaro is the new addition to this volume as the writer and I have to say that he did a lovely job with it. As I’ve said above, the story is quite timeless in its wonderful humor and characterization, but it’s also very timely in its dissing of the entire self-help trend that is among my biggest pet peeves today. Through the character of Isivertuus, the comic makes fun of this concept and how foolish people who believe it are. Fabcaro is ingenious for realizing how perfectly this concept fits this series.
Didier Conrad’s illustration work here was just fine. It’s far from his best, but it was serviceable. I also did not care for the final third of the story that was a bit rushed and they simply did not conclude it properly. But the rest of it was wonderful. It’s almost as great as ‘Missing Scroll’.
