The Four Color Media Monitor

France 24 announced a new Asterix story has been published, set in ancient Portugal, which I can't recall was ever used as a setting before on the Iberian peninsula, unlike Spain, which was:

"Asterix in Lusitania" is the 41st instalment in the legendary French comic book series, taking him to the far reaches of the Roman Empire, 66 years after his creation by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. [...]

For the Portuguese adventure, "we added something very very specific to the Portuguese people -- 'saudade' -- this somewhat fatalistic melancholy," Fabcaro told AFP. [...]

Asterix "has a 'comforting' aspect for readers," said Fabcaro. "Our parents read it and made us read it. We do the same with our children. There is an ongoing attachment."

He added that the comic has "incredible" educational value.

"A 10-year-old child who doesn't understand a joke or an allusion, it's not a big deal. They will understand it at 15, 20, or 40 years old. There are several levels of interpretation."

That's surely why to date, it's never made the biggest waves in the USA, because the PC crowd stateside can't appreciate the educational value as to what the European continent could be like in remote times, nor what jokes could be made in allusion to modern times. Let's not forget the time Papercutz gave telling signs they could omit certain story details that didn't jibe with their woke positions of today. So while in Europe, classic strips like these still enjoy popularity with local audiences, stateside, it's unfortunately minimal, no thanks to all the PC propaganda that's governed how foreign products can be marketed.

Labels: comic strips, Europe and Asia, history