The 41st volume is here: “Asterix in Lusitania” takes the iconic Gauls to Portugal. Publishers hope for sales success.
Asterix and Obelix are heading to Portugal this year: The new volume of the comic series has been published – and is starting with impressive sales figures. “Asterix in Lusitanien”, the 41st volume, is being printed in an initial edition of 1.8 million copies in Germany alone.
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In this country, the comic eagerly awaited by fans is published by the Berlin publisher Egmont-Ehapa. In Germany he is also responsible for the Disney classic “Funny Paperback” and other magazines from Duckburg.
“The White Iris”: Most successful band in Germany
According to “Tagesschau”, its predecessor “The White Iris”, which was published two years ago, is one of the most successful editions in the history of German-language Asterix magazines. He made a significant contribution to the fact that the German comic titles united under the umbrella of the Danish media group Egmont in Berlin achieved sales of just over 60 million euros in 2023 – an increase of around six percent.
Since new Asterix volumes only appear every two years, 2024 remained a year without a publication. Accordingly, sales at the Berlin-based Egmont-Verlag fell by twelve percent, according to “Tagesschau”. With the start of sales of “Asterix in Lusitania” we are now hoping for a significant increase in sales.
Biggest selling item for publishers
The Paris publisher Hachette, which holds the rights to the Asterix series, also has great expectations for the new edition. Isabelle Magnac, head of the Hachette Illustré division, told the “Tagesschau”: “This will be the biggest sales item this year, even of the last two years, since Asterix only appears every two years. Even beyond the numbers, our teams are very attached to these mythical comic characters.”
Asterix and Obelix, the indomitable Gauls, were created in 1959 by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Since then, 400 million copies have been sold worldwide, around a third of them in German-speaking countries.
This is what “Asterix in Lusitania” is about
In Olisipo (Lisbon), the independent garum producer Schãoprozes is thrown into a Roman dungeon. He is threatened with death in the circus because he is said to have poisoned Caesar with his garum – a false accusation. Asterix, Obelix and Idefix therefore make their way to the Roman province of Lusitania, today’s Portugal, to prove Schãoprozes’ innocence. As usual, they humorously satirize the region’s local traditions.