A New Relationship
The Adventures of Asterix characters first came to life thanks to the imaginations of cartoonist Albert Uderzo (1927–2020) and scriptwriter René Goscinny (1926–1977). Together, they created an imaginary world both ancient and timeless, with their stories of Gaulish warriors and magic potions first appearing in the comic magazine Pilote in 1959.
Working Together
When the idea first arose to collaborate on a stationery series, we could immediately see the potential and the appeal to our audience. As our CEO, Graham Conway, pointed out, both the Paperblanks and Asterix brands are iconic in Germany and France, so bringing these two properties together in such a special way made both creative and commercial sense. Our challenge was to set our collaboration apart from other comic book notebooks and find a way that felt both true to Asterix and to Paperblanks.
Developing the First Release
When the time came to begin designing concepts, our talented Graphics team jumped at the chance to get creative with their nostalgia. They incorporated colour, humour and a sense of action and movement in developing these first releases.
The Future
This is such a fun and fresh new series, one born of mutual respect and excitement over the possibilities of what could be created together. We hope The Adventures of Asterix season one is the first of many collaborations with Les Éditions Albert René as our partnerships within the Hachette family continue to grow.