The Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud
by Goscinny & Tabary (Cinebook, 2008)
[first published as “Les complots d’Iznogoud”, Dargaud Editeur Paris, 1967]
Six pun-filled tales from ancient Baghdad as the wicked protagonist Iznogoud (think Dick Dastardly) is repeatedly thwarted in his nefarious plans to depose the caliph. Goscinny’s imagination is clearly in evidence but the stories lack the scope of his writing for Asterix.
The Daltons Redeem Themselves
by Morris & Goscinny, trans. Erica Jeffrey (Cinebook Ltd, 2012) [from Les Dalton se rachétent, Dargaud Editeur Paris, 1971]
For Asterix junkies who’ve been in withdrawal since René Goscinny’s death in 1977, a retrospective fix now exists in the translation of his collaborations with artist Morris on the American wild west Lucky Luke series: different characters but the same potent humour.
Asterix and the Picts
by Jean-Yves Ferri & Didier Conrad; trans. Anthea Bell (Orion, 2013)
With Albert Uderzo’s retirement after fifty-four years of drawing Asterix, the illustration of this new adventure (to a rather endearing Scotland) is… perfect; nigh on indistinguishable, by Toutatis! The writing, however, continues to lag behind that of co-creator René Goscinny (died 1977).