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Asterix and the Secret Weapon - Albert Uderzo
by Jake Speed
The year is 50 B.C. and Gaul is now entirely occupied by the invincible and mighty Roman Empire. Well, not quite entirely. One small village of indomitable (and completely mad) Gauls still defiantly - even nonchalantly - holds out against the bemused invaders and life is certainly never easy or dull for the unfortunate Roman legionaries ... who garrison the surrounding fortified military camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium. Asterix and the Secret Weapon is the twenty-ninth volume in the famous French comic book series for young and old alike. Children will love the art and slapstick humour and adults will love the art too but get more of the sly jokes and cultural references. This was published in 1991 and written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Uderzo had always done the art for the Asterix books but only started writing them too after 1977 when his Asterix colleague René Goscinny died. While the art (of course) was still up to scratch, the actual stories themselves were definitely not as strong without the clever writing of Goscinny and so the later series was very much a mixed bag with three or four outright duds. Asterix and the Secret Weapon is not bad at all though and an enjoyable later entry that supplies some good comic situations and plenty of strife for the little village we know so well. Not a classic but a solid middle ranking entry in the series. I think the fact the story is relatively self-contained and takes place mostly in the Gaul village and surrounding forest is a plus here for me anyway because I always enjoy these types of Asterix stories (in the way that I love Tintin books when the characters are simply at home in Marlinspike Hall). Asterix often works really well when we focus on the village and internal bickering and it's always nice to see the Romans come up with some new masterplan - as they do in this story.
Feminist politics descend on our favourite dysfunctional Gaul village here when Cacofonix the Bard has his students taken away from class after the wives decide he isn't teaching the children correctly and that his school has a bad reputation. Cacofonix is rather piqued by this as he has been led to believe that only druids and bards are qualified to teach children in the village. The women though take umbrage at this and - especially - his suggestion that women can't be bards. They decide they will find a female bard to replace him. "Not only do they thump me at the drop of a lyre, they're bringing in a foreign female to replace me!" The crestfallen bard leaves the village in a strop and is replaced by a woman bard from Lutetia named Bravura (possibly drawn to look like Edith Cresson). "Is this the village of loonies?" asks Bravura when she arrives. Bravura's singing or music isn't much better than his though and after general ridicule from the sexist men in the village she decides to shake things up and implore the wives to stand up to their husbands and assert their rights. They need to wear the breeches for once. The men are horrified of course and before long Impedimenta is the new chief and the men have all gone to live in the forest in protest. It's not so bad there though with roast boar all round. Meanwhile, Julius Caesar is presented with yet another plan to take over the village of indomitable magic potion enhanced Gauls. His special agent for the task - Manlius Claphamomnibus (a pun on the expression "the man on the Clapham omnibus") - proposes a new secret weapon. The weapon? A crack troop of curvy statuesque female legionaries. The noble and gallant Gauls could not possibly fight women could they? Will the Roman plan work? It's up to Asterix and Bravura to save the day.
This is a decent later entry that is well structured and contains some clever ideas. It is though unavoidably derivative of several previous Asterix volumes and seems to pilfer several ideas from the short stories in Asterix and the Class Act in particular and a few other books. Obelix goes back to school (Bravura orders him to because she thinks he's a sexist oaf!) just as he did in Class Act. The female legionaries are very Amazonian and striking in some of the panels but they do remind you very much of a chapter from Class Act called "Asterix As You've Never Seen Him Before". The panel in particular by Uderzo of the female legionaries moving through the forest in silhouette is fantastic. Once again too here the dreadful musical ability of Cacofonix summons rain and scares animals into a stampede - just as it did in Land of Black Gold. I did love the sight of him in his forest tree hut (he always has a wonderful home high in the trees) trying to sing and drawing only an angry bolt of lightning that crackles and dazzles in the night for his trouble. One can though perhaps forgive Uderzo by this stage for the lack of originality as the Asterix well had been visited many, many times now 1991 and there is only so much sparkling water to drink. Asterix and the Secret Weapon could never be top table Asterix as the best days of the comic strips were clearly in the past but it offers sufficient fun and invention I think to be a must have for any Asterix fan worth his salt.
Even the venerable druid Getafix proves himself to be less than enlightened to funny effect. After a stirring speech in which he opines that we are entering a new age where women must be regarded as equals, Asterix asks him if this means there could be female druids now. "Oh, come Asterix. Be serious!" Humour is gleaned from Bravura being just as terrible at Cacofonix when it comes to music. She has a skin covered drum to accompany herself on a vocal performance and the drum only makes one sound. Bong! I love the moonlit panels here where her odes wake everyone up. As ever Uderzo's depiction of the Gaul village with the little huts and cosy fire lit interiors with shadows on walls are superb. The action does move away from the village and nearby Roman camps on occasion though. Great panels of the female legionaries arriving by ship and also another encounter with the comically inept pirates on the highs seas. It's the Romans this time who do the sinking though rather than Asterix and Obelix. The pirates are actually caricatures of the pirates in a French comic series called "Barbe Rouge" (Redbeard) and in terms of fame quickly surpassed their inspiration. Despite the recycling of jokes and situations from previous volumes and a general sense of deja vu, Asterix and the Secret Weapon is good on the whole and definitely one of the later books in the series that isn't a waste of time. This runs to about 50 pages overall and at the time of writing is available to buy for around £6.
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Point Blanc: The Graphic Novel - Anthony Horowitz
by broxi3781
This book takes off shortly after the first Alex Rider story - Stormbreaker ends. Alex is bored and resents not being able to talk about his great adventure, but is certain his spy days are over for good. Still he can't resist a bit of excitement and ends up following a man who has been selling drugs to children at Alex's school. One ... thing leads to another and Alex is soon behind bars. Not to worry, MI6 are soon there to bail him out - but their assistance comes at a price. The reluctant hero is soon off on another adventure, once again against his will.
This time Alex is being sent to Point Blanc, and exclusive finishing school for troubled young boys from the worlds richest and most powerful families. MI6 has become suspicious when two powerful men with sons in the academy die under mysterious circumstances. The school is run by an absolutely insane looking mad scientist from South Africa; Dr. Grief, and his musclebound assistant; Mrs Stellenbosch. As Alex really does not want to go - he plays the resentful surly teenager perfectly. But right from the start - things are not right and Alex is drugged by the assistant. Things go from bad to worse at the school, where all of the boys but one, James Sprintz, behave as Stepford Children. But James is bruised and battered and soon completely transformed into another robotically well behaved child. Will Alex be transformed too? Or will he discover the secret of Point Blanc?
This book was purchased for my oldest son, who was nearly 7 at the time. He was delighted with the book and I saw very little of him for the rest of the afternoon and evening as he pured through this book, finishing it in two sittings separated only by dinner. Although he can and has read this on his own several times, he has also asked me to read it to him at story time. We both still enjoy sharing a book before bed, and I usually end up reading from one of graphic novels or comics at the moment , as those are his favourites.
I have limited my plot description to the first part of the story as I really hate reading spoilers myself, and will have to keep any further description vague to avoid spoiling the story. There is plenty of action and excitement though. It is a fast moving story. My son's favourite part is a chase scene involving snowmobiles , a snowboard, and machine guns. He also enjoyed the misbehaviour of the boys early on, and the rude comments they made about Mrs Stellenbosch.
The graphics are quite good. I would not call the pictures works of art, as I would some graphic novels, but they are enjoyable, if a bit comic book style. Alex in particular is well drawn, and the expressions perfect. The villains are very obvious, as they are drawn to look monstrous and evil, but this is typical with comic book type illustrations, and of course the name "Dr. Grief" is pure comic book villainy. My son really enjoyed the pictures, and they do help him to get into a story.
Although this is written for children or teenagers, I did enjoy this myself. In particular there is quite a twist at the end which had me racing for my son's room and book 3 to try to figure out. My son has all three published Alex Rider graphic novels and is eagerly awaiting the 4th. It was due for release in August, and he will often tell me how many months before the next book comes out. Judging by the level of anticipation he has for the next title, the number of times this has been read, and the amount of fun he has had,I am rating this book as high as possible with a full 5 stars. He may get lucky and get the book sooner - Amazon is now showing a release date in early June, but I haven't mentioned it in case there are delays or I need to wait on a voucher.
This is an excellent book for boys - just the type of story that would get many children fired up about reading. I do think a fair number of girls would enjoy it as well - I certainly would have as a child. I do think it is best suited for children and teenagers - perhaps ages 7- 14, but it isn't a bad book for adults. A new copy costs £6.02, but used copies are readily available at only £2.81 including postage costs. At this price, it has been a real bargain as it has been read over and over again, and certainly contributed to my sons growing love of books.
I would note that there is a scene in which Alex helps himself to a hotel mini bar, and some parents may disapprove of a potential role model drinking. There is also mention that Alex's friend James smokes. If this is an issue for you, you may prefer to avoid this book. For myself, I don't really mind these things in books. I feel children will come across them in real life, and I think when they crop up in stories it provides an easy way to discuss these topics, but I can understand where other parents might object. I do feel more relaxed about these subjects because of the fact that we always end up reading the books together too, so my son can easily voice any thoughts or concerns raised by the story.
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Alex Rider Adventures Graphic Novels: Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel - Anthony Horowitz
by broxi3781
My son read a graphic novel a few months ago called 'Silverfin', a Young James Bond book. This was his first graphic novel and he was very impressed, declaring it the best book ever. Although there are five books in Charlie Higson's Young Bond series, 'Silverfin' is the only one which was published in the graphic novel format as well. ... This left me scrambling to find a new series for him, hopefully something that would catch his interest in the way Silverfin did. Amazon showed this book under the Young Bond Books, and, although the other books are more expensive, I picked this one up for under £3.00, but at the moment there are no copies under £5.00 available.
I wasn't too sure what to expect with this book, and I really did not expect it to match the James Bond books in any way ( In addition to the graphic novel - we have the whole Young Bond set and the Enemy set by Charlie Higgins as well). But my son wanted graphic novels for Christmas, and I felt I had to try something. I ended up giving him this one before Christmas to see if he liked and bought the other two as presents. As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and my son was delighted. He does say 'Silverfin' is still the very best book ever, but that this is very nearly as good.
For those of you who have seen the movie "Stormbreaker", this book follows the exact same storyline. The story has not been chopped up and there is nothing missing - as sometimes happens in the interest of space when books are converted to the graphic format. For those who have not, I will include a very brief summary: Alex Rider is an orphan, his parents having died when he was an infant. He has been raised by his Uncle Ian and an American woman who has been employed as housekeeper/ nanny since he was quite young. Alex longs for my time with Ian, but it seems Ian is always busy at the bank where Alex believes he works. The story opens with scenes of Ian in a shootout without thugs - while Alex discusses his family life at school and then gets a call from Ian - who is meant to be coming home. Ian never comes home though and Alex's entire life is quickly thrown into complete turmoil.
After Ian's death, Alex realises things are not what they seem, and he quickly finds himself in danger. He is then kidnapped by MI6 and forced to become an agent against his will. He is then pitted against the evil American billionaire Darius Sayle. Darius is a true comic book villain - he is all bad with no depth or redeeming qualities. He had been sent to Britain as a child to be educated after his mother won the lottery and failed to fit in among his posh new schoolmates. As revenge for being bullied as child - Darius has a brutal plan to make the entire nation pay for his childhood humiliation. Only young Alex stands in his way.
The artwork in this book is quite good. There is a full range of colours, and good attention to detail. It is very much, comic book style. The good guys look attractive and the bad guys are generally not attractive - they look wicked. Darius does have a beautiful but icily cruel looking assistant, but you can tell the heroes from the villains at first glance. The pictures do illustrate the story very well, so that you could get a general idea of the storyline without really reading, and a child who is struggling to read a t a higher level can easily guess at unfamiliar words by using the illustrations. I personally find this a wonderful tool in learning to read.
MY SON'S OPINION:
Since this is a child's book, it is really the child's opinion that counts. My son received this book shortly before turning 7. When he first started reading I noticed him walking in the hallway book in front of him, reading as he walked. I asked his opinion and received "Mmmgghb" in reply. I will take this a compliment on the book - he was not willing to interrupt his reading to reply. He proceeded to the loo and came out a few minutes later, book still in hand, returned to his room and was not seen again until the book was finished.
After the book was complete, I was able to get a more detailed reply from him. He does still like James Bond the best of all, but this book comes in a very close second. Considering just how much he loves James Bond - that is very high praise indeed. He has since read the following two books in this series, and is eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth in August. I was impressed by the fact that when January ended and February began he immediately counted up the months remaining stating " Five more months until the new Alex Rider book comes out". There are of course many Alex Rider books released in ordinary paperback editions, but he really does want to wait for the graphic editions.
My son especially loved the fight scenes in this book - the very part I found to unrealistic - as well as all the gadgets. He also especially liked the parts where Alex shows off his skill in martial arts, as my son is involved in karate as well. I do think my son ( only a yellow belt now) hopes he will be capable of such moves by the time he reaches black belt as Alex has, but they are a bit like "Kill Bill" if you ask me. I think these are features that will appeal to most boys. This book has plenty of action and excitement and is ideal for boys who may get bored easily with a slower moving story. At age 7, my son is outgrowing his beloved collection of picture books, but he does still find that illustrations really add to the overall experience for him. By discovering graphic novels he is able to keep his love of books alive until he is ready for more adult novels, although he did make an exception for the Charlie Higgins books and read those in ordinary hardback editions. This is a book that he really taken quite a lot of enjoyment from, and it has filled many a rainy day.
MY OPINION:
I Loved the Young Bond books almost as much as my son did, but I do not feel this book is really suitable for most adults. It isn't bad, I've read it to my son twice in addition to him having read it himself a few times - but it really does not cross over into the adult market in the way the Charlie Higgins books do. Personally, I found the shoot outs and action scenes too unrealistic, and I found the idea of MI6 snatching up young children and forcing them to train with special forces and take up a role as an agent as way too far fetched. I find the idea of such a young boy out maneuvering special forces equally unlikely. But - I did not buy this book for myself, and I am most certainly not in the target audience, teenage and preteen boys. My son did not have any problem with these aspects of the story - and in fact I think he liked a child being more clever than the adults. I would not recommend this for the average adult reader, but I wholeheartedly recommend this for boys ages 6-14, as well as more adventure loving girls in the same age group. If your child enjoyed the movie, then this book is a good bet. I also recommend it for fans of Young James Bond, or any type of action and adventure reader.
Although I am not particularly interested in the story myself. I am delighted with my purchase. I am very happy that this book helps keep reading a fun and exciting subject for my son. True, it is not great literature, but a child who learns to read well through any type of books will always have the ability to seek out great literature as they grow older. This book makes reading fun, and it also makes it easy by providing clues in the form of illustrations for unfamiliar words. I have always believed that a child who truly loves books will overcome most obstacles to learn to read. I will continue to offer my son as many graphic novels as I can afford as another source of reading material to encourage him, and I do wish these were widely available in schools and libraries as well. With everything we spend on education - maybe it is time we started spending on really good books for schools and libraries!
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