At the Belgian Comics Art Museum From 1 June until 3 September 2017

ASTERIX IN BELGIUM

A playful exhibition about the northern Gauls

One fine day, at the height of their career, Goscinny and Uderzo decided to tell the story of

Asterix’ adventures among the Belgians, after already putting him through some laugh-out-

loud moments on his travels half-way across Europe. Without ever taking a mocking tone,

the two authors take ever such a cheeky pleasure in exploring the customs and traditions of

this country, for which they feel great affection. After all, they both started their career in

Belgium some 25 years earlier (1951).

Julius Caesar’s famous quote in ‘The Gallic Wars’, which features in the frontispiece of this

album: “Of all the Gauls, the Belgians are the bravest enemies I have ever faced.” , forms

the crux of the story. Of course, this statement really irritates the life out of the inhabitants

of a little Gallic village in Armorica, populated by indomitable Gauls. To pay homage to this

‘historical’ work of art, in which Nervians and Menapians end up battling side by side, and in

which we witness the birth of Brussels and courier services, waterzooi and French fries, the

Comics Art Museum has designed a particularly playful exhibition that gives everyone the

opportunity to gauge the extent of their Belgian-ness…

The Belgian Comic Strip Center - Museum Brussels Rue des Sables 20 - 1000 Brussels (Belgium)

Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. Tel.: + 32 (0)2 219 19 80 – www.comicscenter.net - visit@comicscenter.net

Press info: Willem De Graeve: willem.degraeve@comicscenter.net - +32 (0)2 210 04 33

Press images: www.comicscenter.net/en/press, login: comics + password: smurfs

ASTERIX IN BELGIUM

A playful exhibition about the northern Gauls.

An exhibition organised by the Belgian Comics Art Museum.

With the assistance of the publishing house Albert-René

With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region, Visit Brussels, Thalys, Léonidas and Parc Astérix.

Curator: Mélanie Andrieu

Texts: Mélanie Andrieu - Jean Auquier Iconography : Mélanie Andrieu and the Publishing House Albert-René

Production : Les filles du bout du couloir Scenography: Jean Serneels

Translations: Philotrans

Proofreading: Marie-Aude Piavaux and Tine Anthoni Graphics: Pierre Saysouk

Enlargements: Sadocolor Audiovisuals: Manuel Fernandez Vazquez

Technical Installations: Jean Serneels and Belgian Comics Art Museum staff Communication: Willem De Graeve, Valérie Constant

The Belgian Comics Art Museum expresses its sincere thanks to the Éditions Albert René team for their assistance and commitment, particularly Baptiste Cazaux, Dionen Clauteaux, Perrine Dubois, and Régis Brebent, as well as Nathanaël Arnould (INA), Carine Picaud (BNF), and everyone who has contributed to this exhibition.

www.comicscenter.net

www.asterix.com

Press info: Willem De Graeve: willem.degraeve@comicscenter.net - +32 (0)2 210 04 33

Press images: www.comicscenter.net/en/press, login: comics + password: smurfs

The exhibition texts (© Mélanie Andrieu and Jean Auquier 2017)

0. Introduction Given that the subject matter of the exhibition focuses more on the content rather than on

the format of the story, the Comics Art Museum has decided to design an exhibition that

mainly centres around facsimiles of the original artwork by Albert Uderzo rather than on the

artwork itself. Most of the original drawings from this album were donated to the French

National Library by the artist himself. Nevertheless, after having viewed the selection of

facsimiles exhibited here, the visitors will definitely come to the conclusion that the virtuosity

of the graphic artist was a perfect match for the genius of the scriptwriter.

- In 1976, Goscinny intimated that “I like to

parody things; to observe things as they happen,

and then take a step back to see the funny side

of the situation. By taking that step back, all logic

becomes distorted and turns into parody.” The

exhibition is a perfect example of that. By seeing

the funny side of a handful of Belgian symbols

that sometimes have more to do with mythology

than with actual reality, the two authors are not

actually making fun of them. On the contrary, they affectionately pay tribute to the

inhabitants of a country that is very dear to them. In Brussels people would say: “Can we

laugh at it ?”

Mélanie Andrieu and Jean Auquier

1. René Goscinny

With Asterix and his gang of Gauls as you could only imagine them in your dreams, and

Lucky Luke and Iznogoud, Goscinny has given his heart and soul to his comic scriptwriting.

However, his artistic genius has also been fully expressed in his novels and film-making.

Over a period of less than 30 years, he has created a body of work like no other. Having sold

five hundred million comic books, he is one of the most widely read authors throughout the

whole world. All different genres combined.

René Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926. He grew up in

Argentina where he first came to realise that he had a

passion for drawing. At the age of 20, he left home to go

and take New York by storm. That is where it first hit him

that life as an immigrant is not at all cushy. However, he was

soon joined by Morris, the Belgian artist who created Lucky

Luke. It was Jijé (Joseph Gillain), the nurturing father of

European comic strip art, who put them in touch with each

other (1950). At the latter’s house, he was introduced to yet

another Belgian celebrity of the world of comic strip art:

Georges Troisfontaines. He managed the Brussels-based

agency World Press that supplied cartoons to the

newspapers. This tycoon suggested that René come and see him in Brussels. Upon arrival at

World Press’ modest offices, Goscinny received a warm welcome from Liège-born Jean-

Michel Charlier, who suggested to him to give up drawing in favour of scriptwriting. He also

persuaded the boss to recruit this extremely gifted American. There was yet one more

encounter to come; one that would change his life forever.

In the tiny Paris subsidiary of World Press, he finally met Albert Uderzo. The two of them

joined forces, and together they created the character of Jehan Pistolet (1952) for the daily

newspaper La Libre Belgique. The character’s name Pistolet is derived from the crunchy

bread rolls, which the Belgians so like to tuck into on Sunday mornings. Later they also

created Luc Junior. At the time, comic artists were living an extremely hectic pace of life, so

they decided it was high time to get organised. Between Paris and Brussels, meetings were

held, and they were putting down the foundations for a trade union. Troisfontaines found

out, and the latter promptly sacked the presumed leader, René Goscinny (1956). Uderzo and

Charlier promptly slammed the door behind them in solidarity.

The weekly magazine Tintin then asked Goscinny to join them, and he worked at the

magazine as the ‘all-terrain’ scriptwriter. The list of his collaborations and his creations is

impressive: Attanasio (‘Spaghetti’), Berck (‘Strapontin’), Tibet (‘Alphonse’), Maréchal

(‘Prudence Petitpas’ [Littlestep]), etc. Goscinny was certainly meticulous by nature. Panel by

panel, everything was carefully planned and organised. After all, a person can still have fun

without being hare-brained! Uderzo then joined him at the Tintin magazine, and together

they created the adventures of Oumpah-Pah and Double Scalp, also known as the very

clumsy Marquis Hubert de la Pâte Feuilletée [Marquis Hubert of Flaky Pastry].

In Paris, the date of 29 October 1959 signalled a major event, that of the birth of a new

weekly magazine for youngsters, Pilote. Goscinny, Charlier and Uderzo were soon at the

helm of this magazine. In this busy publishing adventure, which led him to create much

more than just Asterix, Goscinny had the opportunity to develop a whole string of new

talents that would later result in some of the most memorable moments in French comic

strip art. Comic strip art slowly but surely matured into an original, adult and credible art

form. It is also thanks to Goscinny that scriptwriters and illustrators now have equal status.

He wrote ‘Dingodossiers’ (1965) for Gotlib, who saw him as a spiritual father, and for Tabary,

he wrote ‘Valentin le Vagabond’. With the latter illustrator, this time for the new comic

magazine Record (1962), he again pulled out a rabbit out of his hat in the form of the

adventures of the Grand Vizier Iznogoud [vizier; high-ranking political advisor or minister to

the Sultan – Iznogoud; pronounced ‘He is no good’, but with a French accent], who dreams

of becoming a caliph and to take the place of the existing caliph, ruling Baghdad and his

kingdom of One Thousand and One Nights.

René Goscinny suffered a heart attack during an endurance test, and passed away on 5

November 1977. His death threw his profession into disarray; a profession, which jointly with

him, had gained major acclaim… with its millions of readers who will be forever sad to have

lost him. At 51 years of age, the one who said ‘Me, I am the other one’, gave life to 387

Gauls and Romans, 654 cowboys and Indians, 309 princesses and geniuses. Genius? Did I

hear you right? Did you say genius?

2. Albert Uderzo The very first illustration drawn by Albert Uderzo (1927) was passed around his nursery

school in Clichy-sous-Bois. Later, his drawings found themselves being passed around

publishing houses, and much later still, his comic books ended up travelling to the four

corners of the world.

At the tender age of 14, armed with immense promising talent

and a will of steel, this son of an Italian immigrant who came to

France, published a first illustration in the magazine Junior.

During the war he was posted to the countryside – and lived in

the outreaches of a region formerly referred to as Armorica

(Brittany) – and it was in the ‘OK’ magazine in 1946 that his

career as a comic artist finally took off. There he created a real

dynasty of knights: Arys Buck, Prince Rollin and Belloy

l’Invulnérable. Just two years later, he was taken on by France-

Dimanche as a reporter-illustrator.

Yvan Cheron then spotted him and invited him to Brussels. Albert Uderzo felt as if he was

going to America. In the Belgian capital, Georges Troisfontaines and Yvan Cheron, who were

then in charge of World Press and International Press, put the crème of the crème of

illustrators to work. That is where Uderzo met Jean-Michel Charlier, who was an airman and

a story-teller from Liège. With the latter as scriptwriter, Uderzo relaunched the adventures of

the Knight Belloy in the daily newspaper La Wallonie.

One winter evening in 1951 was the start of the all-decisive chapter of his life. René

Goscinny, the young man in charge of the Parisian subsidiary of World Press, came knocking

on his door. He had come to collect an urgent drawing. From that moment onwards, their

friendship was sealed and their fate became forever intertwined. They jointly created Jehan

Pistolet and then Luc Junior for La Libre Belgique. And when Goscinny became the ‘all-

terrain’ scriptwriter for the weekly comic magazine Tintin, they came up with the character of

Oumpah-Pah (1958). The series was made up from an amalgam of ingredients that would

later make Asterix into such a huge success: rounded drawings, a dynamic storyline and

precision were put at the service of exciting adventures, full of wit and illustrator’s

inventions, in a twisted historic context (here the 18th century wars of lace, between the

French and the English).

With the birth of the weekly comic magazine Pilote (1959), Goscinny and Uderzo finally

achieved glory. As France at the time of General De Gaulle was deeply entangled in events in

Algeria, the country was in dire need of a spot of idealism! The work of Albert Uderzo served

as the channel for this renewed French image. Drawing in a realistic style, jointly with Jean-

Michel Charlier, he breathed life into the adventures of two fighter pilots, Tanguy and

Laverdure. Cold war, industrial espionage, two knights in the sky… No fear!

In the same first issue of Pilote, Goscinny and Uderzo laid the foundations for the last of

French myths. With Asterix the Gaul, depicted as a braggart, moaning and feisty character, it

is France that is resisting! So, what is the only fear of this handful of loud Gauls? That the

sky may come down upon them. It should never have happened. It did happen, however, in

1977 with the unexpected demise of Goscinny. After considering giving up everything upon

completion of ‘Asterix in Belgium’, Albert Uderzo instead decided to establish the publishing

house Albert-René and to pursue this work of true partnership. Once upon a time there was

a genius and a virtuoso.

3. Asterix was born in Bobigny

On 29 October 1959, the first issue of the weekly magazine ‘Pilote’ went on sale at

newsagents’ kiosks. Radio Luxembourg launched the paper with great hype, and it turned

out to be a major event at the time. François Clauteaux, who, for a long time, had been

dreaming about a French comic magazine with French comic strips for French youngsters,

was the driving force behind the entire operation… Of course, we were very grateful to

America for everything it had given us, and we would even have been very proud to

welcome John Wayne to our offices, but it was high time for us to stand on our own two

feet. Having to do a lot of multi-tasking, Goscinny, Uderzo, and Jean-Michel Charlier, the

Liège-based scriptwriter, were the real heart and soul of this new magazine that now needed

to be filled with material!

- Uderzo later said: “François Clauteaux was a brave man. Without him, we would

never have been able to introduce a character like Asterix. All the publishing houses would

have refused it because it did not exactly fit the image of the archetypal comic strip hero of

that time.”

Asterix the Gaul really meant big business for ‘Pilote’, and even more so for Goscinny

and Uderzo. The legendary Asterix was born one afternoon in the middle of August of

1959 at Uderzo’s council house in Bobigny: according to Uderzo: “René told me: - Tell me

about all the great periods in history. So, I started with the Paleolithic period, but he stopped

me in my tracks when I got to the Gallic period. René immediately thought of Vercingetorix

to find other names ending in -ix. From Obelix to Cacofonix, the idea had infinite potential.”

Contrary to what happened in history, this set of indomitable Gauls did successfully do battle

against the Roman legions.

Asterix is depicted as short and stocky, with a messy blond moustache, wearing a

helmet equipped with movable wings firmly fixed upon his head; a rather nervy character.

He immediately gained a companion, fat and jovial, and also greedy and clumsy… Obelix,

the carrier of monoliths, whose main feature is that he had fallen into a cauldron of magic

potion concocted by the druid Getafix when he was just a small child. He is strong beyond

belief. Both Asterix and Obelix lived among a very colourful and loud population of villagers,

and as such they caused a revolution in the comic strip world, and in the humour and in the

way the 20th century French perceived their distant past. And even if you laugh at the

situations caused by the various confrontations with the Roman occupiers, there is also a lot

a self-mockery.

4. Mighty Julius among the Belgians!

Julius Caesar (Julius Caius Caesar) played a major part in Asterix’ adventures,

and particularly in this album.

In 52 BC, Caesar completed his Bellum Gallicum or ‘Gallic Wars’. The purpose of

these war notes, which he wrote during the various military campaigns he waged, was to

reinforce his standing as a commander and his prestige among the Senate of Rome. This

source, the only one available from that period, therefore does cast major doubt as to its

objectivity! The courage of his enemies is only really magnified to highlight his own personal

victories and glory.

In the first volume of his Gallic Wars, Caesar states that, in his opinion, the Belgians

are the bravest of all the Gauls. “Gaul is divided into three parts: one is inhabited by the

Belgians, the other part by the Aquitainians, and the third by a people who, in their

language, refer to themselves as Celts, and whom we refer to as Gauls (…) The Belgians

are the bravest of these three peoples (“Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae")

(…) because they are the furthest removed from the Roman province and from the

refinements of civilisation.”

It is upon reading these ‘Commentaries’, which were a vital source of information to

him, that René Goscinny found the inspiration for this album about the Belgians. Caesar’s

statement made Vitalstatistix see red, and the latter firmly intended to show who were the

bravest… This formed the basis for the script of the 24th coalbum!

On 5 November 1977, René Goscinny passed away without ever seeing the last pages

of illustrations. Uderzo has fond memories of this album, homage to Belgium, a country

which the authors knew so well. This last joint creation was published in 1979. The

sadness of the little rabbit at the final banquet (“rabbit” was René’s nick-name for his wife

Gilberte) symbolises the sadness felt by Goscinny’s friends. From that point onwards, Albert

Uderzo continued the adventures of this Gallic hero on his own, and established the

publishing house Éditions Albert René with Gilberte Goscinny.

5. Belgian Gaul; Country of Countless Tribes

When Gaul was divided into three provinces, Julius

Caesar used the term Belgae to describe the peoples living

between the Seine and the Rhine, and the term Gallia

Belgica (Belgic Gaul) to define this territory.

In his Gallic Wars, Caesar talked about the

multiplicity of the Belgian tribes. He referred to the

Germanic tribes (the Condrusi, the Eburones, etc.), the

tribes living in Belgium (the Bellovaci, the Ambiani, the

Suessiones, the Atrebates, etc.), and finally the regions

inhabited by the Morini, the Menapians, the Nervians, the

Atuatuques and the Remi. In truth, most of them were living in what we currently refer to as

northern France, the southern part of the Netherlands, and the German Rhine valley. Only

three or four Belgian tribes were living in what we now refer to as Belgian territory, which

certainly included the Nervians, the Menapians and the Eburones.

The Belgians were excellent soldiers, and were well-versed in the art of warfare and

battle tactics. They primarily lived in large farmsteads. The agricultural practices of Belgic

Gaul were described by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. In the latter he praised their

technique of harvesting and the diversity of their crops. Wheat and barley were used to

produce bread and barley beer. Menapian ham, salted or smoked, was famous and was

exported as far as Rome. The Gauls were also famous for weaving checked and lined fabrics.

In the 19th century, the national movement that was sweeping across Europe also

gained a foothold in Belgium. Most schoolbooks started including Caesar’s quote about the

Belgian people again, to recount the birth of a nation and to celebrate the bravery of its

Gallic ancestors.

Uderzo and Goscinny played around with this view of history, paid scant attention to

ensuring historical accuracy, and mixed up facts and anachronisms with aspects that were

totally made up.

6. Belgians in Asterix albums? Jovial and No Airs or Graces!

In the Adventure of Asterix, the Belgians usually stand out because of their good

humour and language. They are cheerful and impertinent, and they proudly live up to their

reputation of being bon viveurs.

The first Belgian to make an appearance is in Asterix and the Goths, at the annual

meeting of the Gaul druids in the forest of the Carnutes. Panoramix meets his Belgian druid

friend Valueaddedtax (76 in “Belgian language”), who is short and fat, talks in a typical

regional accent, and comes up with various surprising potions, such as the one that forces a

Roman to bray like a donkey! In Asterix and the Banquet, Asterix and Obelix travel to the

territory of the Belgians, to Cambrai, a town that is a producer of bêtises (a French boiled

sweet of which the name means nonsense) and where they sing Le P’tit Quinquin, that is so

well known to the people of Lille. In Asterix and the Laurel Wreath, an entire stand is

reserved for the Belgians at the slave market in Rome. In Asterix the Legionary, the Belgian

named Gastronomix, who is always keen to tell a joke, is a volunteer in Caesar’s army.

Whilst looking for a pub, he has no hesitation in interrupting Caesar, who is the full throes of

working out his battle tactics: another memorable scene!

In Asterix in Belgium, the Belgians are

depicted as strong and brave warriors, who force the

Romans to go and have a rest in Armorica, the land

of the indomitable Asterix, Obelix and their cohort.

One of the camp legionaries is constantly coming up

with the usual ‘Belgian jokes’, which makes

reference to the French poking fun at the Belgians.

On their part, the Belgians poke fun at the Gauls,

who are referred to as ‘Celtillons’. The term, which

was coined especially for the occasion, is a pun on the word of ‘fransquillon’ used in the 19th

century by Flemish nationalists to describe people speaking posh French to achieve social

advancement. The words used by Beefix (‘Gaulish Gallantry, ‘pot luck’) clearly highlight the

difference between the open and friendly hospitality of the Belgians and the good manners

of the French.

The Belgian names generally end in –ix/–ax and in van de/-en. The Nervian chief

Beefix, who is very proud of Caesar’s appreciation, represents the Walloons, who resemble

the Gauls in physical appearance. The Menapian chief, Brawnix, represents the taller

Flemings, whose physique is more Germanic. Finally, the name of Botanix, a Belgian farmer,

makes reference to the name of a famous road in Brussels, once home to the famous

Botanical Gardens.

7. In the album, Eddy Merckx whizzes by

The album features several Belgian heroes and celebrities.

Two messengers appear on the scene, who both look like Thomson and

Thompson, the famous detectives from the Adventures of Tintin. They are both wearing

Gallic clothing and a torc : a rigid collar of gold worn around the neck, which is typical dress

for Gaul warriors and noblemen. They announce the arrival of Caesar in their own language.

This little hidden message to Hergé may be a reference to the Tintin and the Picaros album,

which dates back to 1976 and contains a character disguised as Asterix at a carnival.

The messenger who goes to alert the neighbouring tribes is a caricature of Eddy

Merckx, the cycling champion from Brussels, and winner of five Tour de France. He appears

in the guise of a courier, and shows himself to be exceptionally fast.

Bonanza, the wife of the chief Beefix, is a caricature of the Belgian actress and singer

Annie Cordy, who, at the end of the 60s, was extremely popular in France.

The Belgian singer Jacques Brel (1929-1978), who sang about his Belgian-ness in

songs like Bruxelles or Marieke, is evoked in the album through the lyrics of his most famous

song, i.e. Le Plat Pays.

Manikin, the son of Botanix, is suspected of drinking a little too much barley beer…

This is a clever reference to the statue of Manneken Pis, which is the most famous

fountain in Brussels, created in 1619 by the sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy. Standing 55 cm

high, this ‘young man’ received his first suit in 1698, and that was the start of a longstanding

tradition (more than 900 today!) in which Obelix’ one in 2005 and Asterix’ in 2017.

Finally, Pierre Tchernia, the French journalist and producer, and also a great friend

of the two authors, with whom he finally produces the first Asterix feature films, turns up no

less than five times in the Asterix adventures. In the album Asterix in Belgium, he is

portrayed as a legionary.

8. When Accents Enrich Language

Belgium is a country of three languages; people speak French in Wallonia, Flemish (or

Dutch) in Flanders, and a minority also speak German in the region of Eupen. Brussels is

bilingual (primarily French-speaking).

The French-speaking elite have for a long time shown contempt for their Flemish-

speaking compatriots, and the linguistic tensions and demands that have multiplied over the

course of the 20th century continue to cause concern at political level, even if all of this is not

always based on fact. This linguistic rivalry is touched upon in the album at the time of the

banquet.

Uderzo and Goscinny love Belgian slang. Throughout the album, the dialogue of the

Belgians reflects their local accent and expressions as compared to the standard French as

spoken in France.

What the French refer to as ‘speaking Belgian’ is in fact ‘speaking the Brussels

dialect’. The latter has become famous with Parisians due to the play Le mariage de

mademoiselle Beulemans by Fonson and Wicheler. This was written in Brussels in 1910, and

it went around the world and contributed to the Belgians becoming known for this way of

speaking. The Brussels dialect is similar to colloquial Flemish with a mix of French. In the

album, this particular way of speaking is used by emphasising linguistic features borrowed

from Dutch, such as the mixing of the informal ‘tu’ [you] and the formal ‘vous’ [you], as well

as the frequent use of the demonstrative pronoun ‘ça’ [that].

A few examples of Belgian slang and typical French expressions in the

comic book

Note of the curators: It is practically impossible to translate this section, focusing on

local accents and the mixture of French and Flemish, to non-French speakers. Most of the

humour is unfortunately lost in translation. We have chosen not to include this section in

English, because the translation wouldn’t do justice to the fine language play of the album.

9. With only oppidums as hills…

The way the Belgian landscape and the low sky is depicted matches Jacques

Brel’s description in his famous song Le plat pays, the lyrics of which are subjected to great

wit on the part of the authors. Two thirds of the country actually consist of flat open country

and low plateaux.

The birth of Brussels is mentioned in the book when Asterix questions the little

boy, who replies: ‘Not yet, only a little economic community’. The origins of Brussels remains

obscure. There is only one manuscript from the 7th century that mentions a village, by the

name of Brosella, that is set in the marshes of the Senne. In 978, the dynasty of the dukes

of Brabant decides to build a castrum and to organise the capital. The city only actually

starts to really develop from the 11th century.

Cauliflowa spends her time making lace. The lace-making tradition in Europe goes

back to the Renaissance era. Brussels became a renowned lace-making centre from the 17th

century onwards due to its manufacture of fine and elegant lace. In the 18th century, lace

from Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges was highly sought-after throughout the whole of Europe.

The final banquet in the Belgian village is directly inspired by the painting by Pieter

Brueghel the Elder from 1568 The Wedding Banquet or The Peasant Wedding. This

great Flemish painter, who lived in Brussels, excelled in painting scenes featuring crowds of

people and depicting farming life and village fairs. Pieter Brueghel created the painting in his

later life, and this is currently preserved by the Vienna Museum of Art and History.

The authors also refer to the works by Victor Hugo, such as Expiation, an excerpt

from the volume of poetry Châtiments, and they do this very wittily and with great

humour. The famous verses are paraphrased and the final battle is a parody of the battle of

Waterloo in 1815, as recounted by the poet.

In September 1830, the Belgians, who still lived under the rule of Holland, dreamed

of political unity. After days of revolution in Paris, insurrection erupted in Belgium and finally

resulted in Belgian independence being proclaimed on 4 October 1830. The chief’s reply

‘After weeks beneath the conqueror’s yoke’ refers to the lyrics of the Belgian national

anthem, La Brabançonne (‘After centuries of slavery…’), amended by Charles Rogier in

1860.

Finally, the Belgian chief’s statement ‘Bellovaci, Suessiones, etc.’ makes reference to

the poem by Antoine Clesse: ‘Flemings, Walloons, … Those are only first names; Belgian

is our surname.”

10. In Search of the Country of Gourmets

In the album, the meals served are everyday examples of good Belgian fare, and of

the popular tradition of the sandwich, to be filled with an immense variety of ingredients.

Chips are a real institution in Belgium! Even if Parmentier did not import potatoes

into France until the 18th century, the Belgians featuring in the albums already have quite a

number of recipes in mind! During the ‘top druid of the year competition’, Septantesix comes

up with a potion to make people resistant to pain, and that enables them to ‘remove chips

from boiling oil by hand’. Beefix also questions Bonanza about chips. It is claimed that the

first mussels and chips were served at the fair ground in Liège in 1875.

During the era of Antiquity, beer, or barley beer, became popular throughout

Western Europe. During the Middle Ages, numerous monasteries excelled at brewing beer

and selling it commercially. Belgium currently boasts more than 450 different beers,

classified into five categories. These include very old speciality beers from Brussels, by the

name of lambic beers: gueuze, faro, kriek, and other flavoured beers.

The local Brassica (Brussels sprouts), proudly served up by Cauliflowa, are also an

example of one of Belgium’s gastronomic dishes. This new hybrid cabbage is said to have

been created by the people from Saint-Gilles around the mid-17th century. This crop has

earned them the nick-name of ‘Kuulkappers’ (cabbage cutters).

The name of waterzooi, which Goscinny amusingly links to Waterloo, means ‘boiling

water’ in Dutch. It refers to a stew-like dish that originates from Ghent, based on chicken,

fish, and vegetables, the stock of which is thickened with cream or butter to make the sauce.

11. Asterix or a Vision of Europe

Asterix and his friends regularly go travelling, which gives the authors plenty of

opportunity to caricaturise cultural stereotypes, always with a great sense of humour and

sensitivity. The reader will easily notice this, for example, in the customs and traditions of

the country, its geography and language, or in the physical appearance, the behaviour, the

clothing or perhaps the names of the characters.

Gaul

True to the image of Asterix, the Gauls are presented as ingenious, fun, friendly, but

they may also be overly touchy, rude or irritable. The series also features several local

characteristics. Paris (Lutetia) is portrayed as the city of the arts, of love, fashion and night-

life. Auvergne (Arverne) is the region of spa health treatments, blue cheese and the grating

accent of old men. Provence matches the Marseille as described by Marcel Pagnol, a

famous French film director. As such, Massilia is the city of excess, bouillabaisse and

petanque. The authors poke fun at its accent. The Corsicans and their island are

stereotyped to the extreme. Corsicans are proud, overly touchy, stoic, and are prone to

siestas and ancestral feuds. The mountainous island is covered in oaks, sweet chestnut trees

and shrubland, wild boar, cheese, and dry stone houses. The other regions of Gaul are

portrayed in a more anecdotal way. Armorica (modern Brittany) is the region of standing

stones. Nicae (Nice) is famous for its ‘Gaullish Riviera’, its beaches, tourists and its ‘salade

nicaesoice’. Burdigala (Bordeaux) is described with its ‘place des Quinconces’ and its wine.

In Basque country, populated by mountain people, the speciality is Basque chicken. Other

towns are often mentioned because of their culinary specialities: Tolosa (Toulouse) for its

sausage, Aginum (Agen) for its prunes, Camaracum (Cambrai) for its bêtises, or

Durocortorum (Reims) for its sparkling wine in amphora.

The Other Countries of Modern-day Europe

The Goths (Germanic) are cruel warriors living outside of the Roman world.

Expressing themselves in Gothic writing, they love torture and dream of conquests. Bald-

headed and dressed in animal skins, they wear horned helmets with a spearhead and arm

themselves with battle axes.

The Britons (from the United Kingdom) grow large moustaches, drink barley beer

and eat boiled meat with mint sauce. Other peculiarities, they take a break during the battle

at the time of hot water, they do not fight at the weekend, and their language is back to

front! They are elegant and wear tweed trousers, they are polite and impassive. (Great)

Britain, country of fog and rain, is also the country of golf and beautiful lawns, double-decker

chariots and rugby.

The Normans, the imaginary ancestors of the Vikings (who appeared a few

centuries later), men of the North, are proud and terrifying. These sailor warriors aboard

their longships fear nothing and have dreadful gods (Odin, Thor). They drink their national

drink in the skulls of their vanquished enemies and eat veal cutlets in a cream sauce.

Helvetia is described as the country of banks and safes (said to be burglar-proof),

mountains and cheese fondue. The country is neutral and supports the underdog. The

Helvete wears green breeches, and a small hat with a feather, and also equips himself with

a bow and arrow. Some Helvetes even specialise in yodeling. The Helvetes are sometimes

slow, and are obsessive about cleanliness and accuracy. Their speciality is cuckoos and

watchmaking!

Hispania is a hot country, and it is famous for its festivals based around druid

processions, its tourism tradition, the flamenco, gypsies, bullfighting, and cooking in oil! The

Iberians are proud and dignified, they drink barley beer, and their sentences are

punctuated with the interjection ‘olé’! They wear typical dress (black trousers, a red top, and

a small golden-coloured waistcoat), they carry large swords and wear helmets decorated

with bull horns, the country’s national animal.

BELGIAN COMICS ART MUSEUM

An accomplished attraction located in the heart of Brussels, the Comics Art Museum has been honouring the creators and heroes of the 9th Art for more than 25 years. The regularly renewed permanent exhibitions and a diversified programme of temporary exhibitions enable visitors to discover the countless aspects of comics art. Tintin and the Smurfs lead the way towards further adventures, an encounter with a world where creativity has no limits. Enhanced by an exceptional Art Nouveau home designed by Victor Horta, the Comics Art Museum is just as much a tribute to the pioneers as a glimpse of contemporary comics art.

(Photo © Daniel Fouss/ Belgian Comics Art Museum)

Comics Art Museum Rue des Sables, 20

1000 Brussels (Belgium) Tel: +32 22 19 19 80

www.comicscenter.net visit@comicscenter.net

Open every day

from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.