Asterix v38 is titled “Asterix and Vercingetorix’s Daughter” (Kinda)

On Wednesday, April 10, a press conference held at Parc Asterix announced the title of the 38th volume in the 60 year old series:

“La Fille de Vercingetorix.”

I’m not sure if that’s the entire title or if we’re supposed to prepend “Asterix and” in front of it, though.

As of this writing, the English language Asterix.com website has not yet been updated, so I’m not entirely sure. (You can always read the French.)

Once again, it’s Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad handling the creative duties.

It will hit store shelves worldwide on October 24, 2019.

I have a theory about this book. It’s purely speculation and guesswork and most likely nonsense, but I can support it with precedence. This is the internet. If you want to start a good rumor, that’s how you do it.

First, let’s set up the case. Let’s discuss this title, this new character, and the “Asterix” timeline.

A Title Lost in Translation

First, let’s talk about that title.

Translated literally, it’s “The Daughter of Vercingetorix.” There’s a slide in the presentation that shows many of the translations of the title across the world. They’re all pretty close.

Except in English.

Nobody in America knows who Vercingetorix is, besides me and 10 other people, probably. If “Asterix” was already big here, maybe we wouldn’t have this problem.

Because of that, the book gets the confusing title of “Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter.” No, we’re not talking about Vitalstatistix, who is the Chieftain mentioned in the title of volume 11, “Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield“. Spoiler for that book: In it, we learn that the shield Vitalstatistix always stands on is Vercingetorix’s.

For this book, the “Chieftain” in the title is Vercingetorix, himself.

Who Is Vercingetorix? Glad you asked, because I answered that question last year already. Click the link at the beginning of this paragraph for all the fun details. Short story: He’s the great leader of the Gauls who fell last to Caesar. After that battle, only Asterix’s Village remained independent, mostly because of the Magic Potion (and their indomitable Gallic spirit, naturally).

I’m not going to get worked up about the title. It doesn’t matter, in the end. It’s a marketing thing. You’d turn off people with an unfamiliar and unpronounceable name. They probably did the right thing in keeping it simpler.

It does feel dumbed down, but I’ll try not to let it go to my head that I know more.

Vercingetorix has a daughter?!?

They’re not telling us much about her yet. They have to leave something for the book, after all.

In the press announcement, it’s said she’s a teenager with all the usual teenage behavioral issues. I’m sure she has emotional issues, too, as her father’s either been locked up in Rome for years, or already dead by Roman hands.

This wouldn’t be the first time Asterix and his Village have had to deal with a new teenaged visitor. Go back to “Asterix and the Normans” (volume 9) for the time Asterix dealt with Justforkix, the nephew of Chief Vitalstatistix, who had grown soft living in the big city of Lutetia (Paris). (This story was also incorporated into “Asterix and the Vikings,” the animated movie.)

I don’t know what angle they’re going to take with this story. I’ve looked into Vercingetorix’s family life and — there’s not much there. “Vercingetorix” is a title, not a name. It means “Great Warrior King” or “King of Great Warriors,” basically. The “-rix” part at the end of the “king” part.

Nobody knows what his real name is or if he had a family. It’s not like there’s a lot of computerized record of birth certificates from that era to research or anything.

He very easily could have had a daughter before his surrender, and a teenager would fit in that timeline easily.

The Asterix/Roman History Timeline

Vercingetorix surrendered to Caesar in 52 BC. The Asterix books take place starting in 50 B.C., but we know that the time frame shifts when convenient. A couple of real battles are referenced in the series, from which you could estimate a timeline.

For example, the Battle of Thapsus in North Africa was a big part of the ending of one of my favorites, volume 10, “Asterix the Legionary.” That took place in April 6, 46 B.C.

There’s one direct reference in the series to what year a book is set in. In volume 14, “Asterix in Spain,” a caption box tells us the story begins on March 17, 45 B.C.

Vercingetorix reportedly died between those two volumes in 46 B.C. They strangled him in prison after marching him around in public for the amusement of the Romans during one of Caesar’s great triumphs. He was 36 years old.

Caesar, himself, was assassinated two years later on March 15, 44 B.C.

Since Caesar is a recurring character in the Asterix series, we know the stories all take place between 50 B.C. and 44 B.C.

If you want to be one of those horrific continuity nerds, the next volume story would have to take place between March 45 B.C. and March 44 B.C.

But the text of the official announcement indicates this story takes place two years after Vercingetorix’s defeat, which places this book in 50 B.C.

So, then, this book is a prequel to many other Asterix volumes. That may be the nerdiest/geekiest thing I’ve ever written.

But, that means something bigger: If that’s the right timeline, then Vercingetorix’s daughter isn’t an orphan yet. Her father is still alive at this point, though it likely wasn’t well known.

One quick tangent before I get to my “Crazy Theory”:

The Story of Vercingetorix’s Daughter

She was probably about ten years old when her father sacrificed himself. Likely, she was back at the top of the hill in Alesia inside the fortified walls they had there.

She would have been near starvation, as that siege lasted a long time and the Romans had cut off the supply lines.

At one point, the Gauls sent their woman and children out to the Romans, hoping the Romans would take them captive and feed them, at least. This would also allow the Gauls’ rations to last longer. Caesar did not agree to it and turned them around.

Needless to say, this is the kind of stuff that might mess up your mind as a teenager. Your father is directly responsible for your near death a few years ago. He ended a war by giving himself up. He’s likely dead. It’s just you and your now single mother.

More likely, this “real world” kind of stuff will be skipped almost entirely or glossed over. This is still a funny book series, after all.

But we could still skip over most of that and still create an emotional, funny, and historically interesting scenario.

That brings us to my crazy theory.

My Crazy Theory

The following is all guess work, and likely won’t come true. It would raise some interesting questions, so it’ll likely be avoided. It does, however, fit the known timeline of the series and relies on the precedence of earlier Asterix adventures. What a clever twist that would be.

It’s the kind they might not announce up front, but save for a big surprise for readers when the book comes out.

Everyone loves a Mystery Box, right?

We’ve seen Asterix come and go through Rome before. He once stole Caesar’s laurels from under Caesar’s ample nose. He trained with gladiators, fought in the Coliseum, won, and came back in one piece. He competed in a chariot race up and down Italy, in Caesar’s very backyard. He trained with Roman soldiers in Condatum, fought with them in Africa, and got out alive. He completed the last of “The Twelve Tasks of Asterix” in Rome. (That is not an official book, but Goscinny and Uderzo did work on that movie, so let’s go with it here…)

If Asterix can come and go to Rome as he pleases, beat up a bunch of Gladiators and save anyone he ever wants to, why didn’t he ever save Vercingetorix?

Why not save Gaul’s greatest hero?

If, as the press release mentions, this story is set in 50 B.C., then Vercingetorix is still alive.

We know Asterix has a weak spot for kids. He traveled to Spain to return one that he rescued from Roman soldiers, after all.

What if the real plot of the book is Asterix agreeing to Vercingetorix’s daughter’s desperate attempt to save her father before Caesar’s next Triumph?

The outline we’ve been told for this story is that the daughter arrives at the Village looking for help from Asterix because Caesar sent his troops after her. Obviously, the Village isn’t going to let her go with the Romans. Thus, the conflict.

But what if there’s more to it than that? What if they’re only giving us half the story?

Vercingetorix’s death is practically a martyrdom in France, so perhaps it’s a bit of history the creators wouldn’t want to interfere with. It’s part of the very basis of the Asterix story. Maybe, even, Vercingetorix’s greatest contribution to Gaul is as that martyr.

So what if he is reunited with his daughter and goes on to live a quiet and peaceful life somewhere else, letting the rest of the world think him dead so as to maintain the hero they wanted and needed to have? Vercingetorix, saved from the Romans by Asterix and reunited with his daughter, once again sacrifices his chance at retribution against Caesar to live out the remainder of his life with his only family somewhere secretly?

Wait, no, that’s a little too deep. Let’s keep it simple:

Picture the great warrior and commander Vercingetorix with Magic Potion against Caesar. He could rally tens of thousands of the remaining Gauls and march on Rome and defeat Caesar! Volume 39 could be the ultimate clash of Asterix, Vercingetorix, and the Gaulish hordes against the mighty Roman empire. The fight would be over in minutes. The Magic Potion would destroy the entire Roman Empire hundreds of years ahead of schedule.

And then —

— yeah, this has gone too far already, hasn’t it?

OK, so what if Hachette hired someone to do a “What If Asterix Saved Vercingetorix?” book? Those Marvel “What If?” books told some crazy stories with wild endings. This seems perfect for that.

And what happened to Vercingetorix’s daughter’s mother in all this? Wait, let me guess — her mother is Cleopatra! Who didn’t love Cleopatra and her wonderful nose?

OK, now I know I’ve gone too far….

More Likely Than That, Is This:

This isn’t really Vercingetorix’s daughter. The press release on the Asterix web site translates to this:

If the indomitable Gauls thought to recover from their previous adventure in the tranquility of their beautiful Armorique, it’s missed! Escorted by two Arvernes chiefs, a mysterious teenager has just arrived at the village. Caesar and his legionnaires are looking for him, and for good reason: in the Village, it is rumored that the father of this evening visitor would be none other than … the great Vercingetorix himself, defeated two years earlier in Alesia!

Asterix.com

“Rumored”? That’s a big opening to drive a plot through, isn’t it?

Whatever direction they go with this book, I’m looking forward to it. I hope it leans heavily into history, too. I’m a geek like that.

For Further Viewing

BleedingCool.com has videos from the title announcement last week. Here are images from the slides and presentation. Even if I don’t understand most of the words in the video, it’s just fun to see the images up on a big screen and see people so happy to talk comics in a professional setting.