Asterix and the Great Crossing: Album #22

I think I had this Asterix comic book, but with another title which is "Asterix Conquers America" but I lost it, that's why I bought it again. As the rest of Uderzo & Goscinny's masterpieces, this adventure has the same fun loaded atmosphere but being taken by our friends to the New World ! ! ! Yes, just a small trip to catch some fresh fish, ended up in Asterix, Obelix & Dogmatix discovering America :D, much to the amazement of Asterix with the new people there, Obelix was so disappointed that he didn't find any boars, just alot of "Gobblers". They also meet some passing by "Vikings" trying to discover a new land ! ! ! ... Great adventure with lots lots of fun as always :D :D :D ...

In Gaul, Getafix needs fish, it's vital for the magic potion they use to fend off the Romans. Unhygenix the fishmonger hates fresh fish, so Obelix and Asterix go exploring on Geriatrix's boat for some. Where will they go? "The Great Crossing" (1975) is the 22nd Asterix comic, for Dogmatix it's number 18, and it sees Oumpah Pah (a character from a comic by the same guys) make a guest appearance. I really like this one. It's funny, drawn well. Everything to like about Asterix is here.

I won't write a plot summary here, as many people have already done that, but I will say that this is probably one of the best Asterix adventures out there. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, and the artwork is beautiful. If you are new to the series, or are already a fan and haven't read this particular adventure, I highly recommend it. I have read it about a dozen times myself.

First published in French in 1975 as La Grande Traversée, it was first published in English in 1976.Asterix and Obelix volunteer to go fishing, as Getafix needs fresh fish, which Unhigienix, the fishmonger, as usual, cannot provide.Stormy weather blows them to a strange destination where they meet up with a strange people who they cannot quite identify (of course we have the benefit of hindsight and know that this is America and these people are Native Americans.) Before the end of the voyage they also get to run into Vikings (A slightly different breed it seems, to those we met in `Asterix and the Normans'). As usual our friends voyage to interesting places and upside down. In the Asterix albums we have met parodies of figures such as Boadicea, The Beatles, Napoleon, Laurence Olivier and 007. In this one we get to meet up with a spoof of Harold Wilson, British Prime minister when this book was published. Of course the theme of food also comes up quite a lot. It seems the authors of the Asterix albums had quite an obsession with food!

The Great Crossing is definitely my favorite episode, the image of Asterix as the Statue of Liberty is just amazing. If you've never read Asterix, this is maybe the episode to start with.