Asterix 40: The White Iris
German, 2023, Albert Uderzo, René Goscinny
Asterix fans get a new complete edition
5/9/2024
Translation: machine translated
Any self-respecting Asterix fan wants to have all the volumes on their bookshelf. And preferably in a beautiful edition. There is now a new complete edition for this: the "Asterix Edition Omnibus". Each volume contains three adventures.
Egmont Ehapa is the publisher that has been bringing the adventures of Asterix to fans in German-speaking countries since the first volume, "Asterix the Gaul". In 2024, the Gaulish hero celebrates his 65th birthday. As befits comic book heroes, however, he has not aged since his first appearance. A new adventure is published every year and there are now 40, the most recent being "The White Iris".
You can of course buy a single thin book each time. Or you can go straight for the new complete edition. In an "Edition Omnibus", three stories are always summarised in a hardcover book with a linen spine and gold embossing. According to the publisher, the current plan is to publish a new anthology every six months. This means it will take around eight years until you have a complete edition on your bookshelf. Even with the current 40 volumes, it would take over six years, but more new adventures will be added in the meantime.
According to the published media release, however, the perseverance should be worth it. Each Asterix adventure in the complete edition comes with around 15 pages of bonus material such as editorial notes, early sketches by illustrator Albert Uderzo and background information on how author René Goscinny conceived the characters and stories. In the version translated into German, comic expert and Asterix connoisseur Horst Berner was responsible for the bonus material. It is even more extensive than in the previous complete edition volumes.
Source: Egmont
Successor for previous blue complete edition
It's not as if Asterix fans have had to live without a complete edition. Blue leatherette-bound volumes have been published since 2000. This was discontinued with issue 15 in March 2024. Contrary to the imprint, this volume also contains the adventure "The White Iris".
Fiction
Asterix Complete Edition 15
German, 2024, Jean-Yves Ferri, Klaus Jöken, Didier Conrad, Rene Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
If you have all 15 volumes on your shelf, consider yourself lucky. And you even have something of value there. At least certain volumes of the old complete edition, which are now out of print, command very high prices. Volume 8 is practically impossible to get for less than 100 francs: The price has already more than doubled compared to the publisher's price. Eurobuch.de also has a very nice price curve if you want to keep an eye on the price increases
For volume 9, eBay seller "billiger_wenzel" is currently asking 306 francs. Issues 13 and 14 are also rare, so if you're planning to complete a collection of the blue volumes that you've started, think carefully about whether you can and want to make the investment. Or you may have time to look at flea markets or second-hand bookshops. My passion for collecting has cooled considerably in view of these prices. So I'll stick with volumes 1 to 7, which I have on my bookshelf. Or I'll start all over again with the new complete edition.
What about your enthusiasm for Asterix? Is the new complete edition a case for you? Let me and the Community know in a comment.
Header image: © 2024 Egmont Comic Collection/ ASTERIX®- OBELIX®- IDEFIX® / © 2024 LES ÉDITIONS ALBERT RENE / GOSCINNY-UDERZO
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.