Asterix on Netflix

It’s the ‘80s, and I’m a little kid, head over heels for Marvel superheroes. Bright colors and bigger-than-life characters, drawn in that bold, kinetic Marvel Way. Pure artistry. But then—bam—a buddy hands me a couple of Tintin and Asterix books. Hardcover comics. Yeah, hardcover. The layouts were so slick that they looked like storyboards for a Kubrick film. The panels were so clean and rich in color that they made the stuff on pulp paper here look like cheap dime-store knockoffs. My kiddie brain? Absolutely fried.

Back then, Asterix was my guy. A Gaul with a magic potion giving the middle finger to Julius Caesar? Come on, what’s not to love? Sure, I grew up and got more into Tintin’s globe-trotting mysteries, but Asterix had this raw, adventurous charm—like The Hobbit with a splash of Monty Python. And now Netflix wants to bring that world to life in a shiny new CGI series? Yeah, I’m pumped. But let’s be real: I’m also very nervous.

Netflix promises big things: a series helmed by Alain Chabat, the guy behind Mission Cléopâtre, one of the best Asterixfilms. They’re adapting Asterix and the Big Fight, where Rome’s gunning for our favorite Gaulish village, and their secret weapon—magic potion—is suddenly out of play. Classic high-stakes hijinks. Dominique Bazay, Netflix’s animation boss and lifelong Asterix fangirl, is hyped to bring these characters to a new generation. She grew up on Asterix and Obelix just like me, so there’s hope she’ll do it justice.

The preview looks slick, but we’ve seen shiny trailers flop before. So here I am, equal parts excited and terrified. Netflix, for the love of Dogmatix, don’t screw this up. Asterix deserves better than a half-baked cash grab. Make it legendary!