Well we've already mentioned Tintin in our #Booky100Keepers list so it would be incredibly unfair not to mention Asterix.

Again, these were books that were hotly sought after at school. The stories of the diminutive but powerful gaul Asterix and his menhir-lugging bestie Obelix are still a huge draw even today, under the new creative ownership of Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, who inherited Asterix from Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo and continue to produce all new stories with uncanny accuracy and due homage paid to the original creators.

It's difficult to explain why these are so great. Kids love them because kids spend a lot of time in school learning all about the Romans, so anything that pokes a bit of gentle fun at the all-conquering Roman Empire is an instant draw.

Then there are the many in-jokes, pop culture references and just downright hilarious puns and japes that are woven expertly into every story. Even back as far as 2017 in "The Chariot Race" the mysterious masked charioteer for the Romans is called...Coronavirus. Yep, go check, it's all true.

C loved these from the moment I introduced them to her, and goes back to the books quite frequently. She did point out something weird about them though. She actually found that in nearly every story, poor Asterix ends up almost playing second fiddle to every other character in the story, almost like he's too pint sized to be taken seriously, and ends up being shouldered aside. This wasn't something I ever noticed myself, but in stories where the creators are juggling with so many different plot threads and characters, perhaps she has a point. That's no criticism though, these are fantastic stories and we've included links to original reviews below...

Original Review Links: 

Asterix and Cleopatra (Book 6) by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo & Translated by Anthea Bell (Asterix Publishing)

Asterix and the Secret Weapon by Albert Uderzo (Orion Paperbacks)

ReadItDaddy's Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 8th December 2017 - "Asterix and the Chariot Race" by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad (Orion Children's Books)

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 22nd April 2016 - "Asterix and the Missing Scroll" by Jan-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad (Orion Children's Books)

Asterix - A Whole World to Colour In (Orion Children's Books)

Our Picture Book of the Week this week once again takes up the reins with one of our favourite comic characters of all time. The mighty Asterix (and Obelix of course!)

A huge, huge part of my childhood and now part of Charlotte's too, the Asterix books are always very well received...

France's mightiest hero, and his loyal sidekick - how can we possibly resist Asterix and Obelix. I've slowly been introducing Charlotte to the amazing adventures of the awesome Gaul warrior. But here's a story with a difference. Can Asterix and Obelix have met their trickiest foe yet?

A wandering bard comes to their humble village. A female bard with enough sass and cheek to inveigle her way into the tribe with very little effort. She takes a shine to Asterix but he's not sure she can be trusted. But can she be the key to defeating Caeser's latest secret weapon?

I always used to think the Asterix books were really full-on and busy, with hugely complex layouts packed into every page spread. The stories are meaty though, and for kids who are looking to get into longer and more involving stories, Asterix books are truly awesome (and hilarious too!).

Bit of a shocker part way through this story when Asterix does something that you really really would not expect to see our gallant hero doing (I skipped rapidly past that bit when reading to Charlotte - even in the context of the story).

We've previously enjoyed Asterix and Cleopatra and with 33 more books to check out, we'll definitely be going back to the library for more.

Charlotte's best bit: Caeser's secret army of...aww we won't spoil it for you but wowsers, that's some army!

Daddy's Favourite bit: I actually think Obelix is the real star of this particular story, subtly stealing just about every scene effortlessly. You'll see what you mean when you read it.

(Borrowed for review from our wonderful Abingdon Library)

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Asterix and Cleopatra By Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Tintin in America by Georges Remi Herge

Is there a 'correct' time to introduce your child to comics? I've slowly been introducing them to Charlotte for a few years now - initially the attraction of bold and colourful comic spreads has now evolved into Charlotte wanting to tuck herself away with kid-friendly comics and graphic novels to absorb them in more depth and detail.

A while back I introduced her to the Tintin books, a huge childhood love of mine (actually I still love them to bits) and thought it was about time I showed her the other great childhood comic hero I adored - Asterix (and of course his mighty sidekick Obelix).

What better way than with Book 6 - where Asterix and Obelix meet Cleopatra, spectacularly clashing with the Roman Empire's attempts to secede Egypt with the dastardly evil (and huge-nostriled) Caesar waiting in the wings.

It's so easy to see why Asterix books are timeless, and still so well-loved by children of all ages. Charlotte couldn't get enough of the high adventure and though comic nerds will probably berate me for starting off mid-way through the Asterix books (now republished, re-inked and re-coloured beautifully), we couldn't resist the lure of Cleopatra's nose (and her fabulous hair!)

The book gave me a chance to fill in a bit of Asterix's back story, the mythical strength potion that helped Asterix's Gallic tribe resist Roman invasion, and the fantastic adventures she has yet to read. It made me extremely happy to see her so wrapped up in this, and wondering when we were going to investigate the rest of Asterix's adventures (cannot wait till we read Asterix in Britain).

As we've often said on this blog, the French have been light-years ahead of us when it comes to producing fantastic children's comics and heroes.

So returning to the question at the top of the review. When IS the best time to introduce your child to comics? Right now, start today and by all means start with one of the most important comic series ever produced - the mighty Asterix!

Charlotte's best bit: Some impromptu impropriety with the Sphinx. So THAT'S how it happened!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Rediscovering Asterix through Charlotte's eyes has been brilliant, I think it's about time we started a collection!