Asterix the Gaul to outlive his creator
AFP
PARIS (AFP) - Asterix, the pint-sized Gallic warrior and comic-book hero, is to outlive his creator under a deal with the 81-year-old illustrator Albert Uderzo announced by his publisher on Friday.
Uderzo, who has created the Asterix books single-handed since the death of co-author Rene Goscinny in 1977, has given his consent for the publisher Albert-Rene to keep the character alive after his death.
"Albert Uderzo confirms that he has signed over the authorisation," the publisher said.
Uderzo and Goscinny met in Brussels in the 1950s, releasing their first full album -- Asterix the Gaul -- in 1961.
Today his Roman-bashing antics have been translated into 107 languages, with more than 300 million books sold.
The Asterix stories have also been turned into two successful films and an Asterix theme park was opened in 1989 north of Paris.
Uderzo is currently working on a new Asterix album, set for release in October, to mark the 50th anniversary of the character's creation in the journal Pilote, in 1959.
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Image of Albert Uderzo, by Stephane de Sakutin.