I have had the privilege to see some pages from the new Asterix album on a private forum. You won't have to look all that hard to get a sample, anyway. It's very hard, considering Asterix's importance to European comics and even to the European publishing industry, to keep that stuff a secret. But I've got a good eyeful of it.
How can I put this? Yes, it is true that attaching Goscinny's mortal remains to a generator right now would solve the world's energy problem in no time. It's as far removed from his original vision for the series as it could possibly get.
In fact, it's so far removed from Goscinny's original vision that I'm actually getting more interested in the book than I've been for a long, long time. Either Uderzo's gone nuts, or he's just made the most daring move in his long career. We'll see in 10 hours, when the shops open tomorrow.
