Italy? Only Romans, right? But that's not quite true, as ancient Italy is also populated by a tribe called the Italics who are doing their level best to maintain their independence in the face of Caesar's efforts to unify the country. Reason enough for Gallic heroes Asterix and Obelix to embark on a whirlwind tour...

The inhabitants of a tiny village somewhere on the coast of Brittany are basically all crazy. They love to beat each other up with stinky fish, devour entire boars and gag their bards. And they all hate the Roman occupiers. A magic potion gives them supernatural powers. The most famous Gauls are Asterix and Obelix, who were created by graphic artist Albert Uderzo.

For almost six decades, Asterix and Obelix have embarked on numerous adventures in far-away countries with their little dog Dogmatix, including the Americas and the Middle East. Their baggage mainly consists of a lot of courage and a small bottle of magic potion. Obelix can do without it, as he once fell into the liquid as a child. The first Asterix edition was published in French in 1961.

When wild Gauls encounter the Romans, you'd better get out of the way. Of course, Obelix would love nothing more than to battle an entire garrison all by himself. While the adventures of the death-defying and oppressed Gauls are highly popular in European countries, they never really became as successful in the US.

Originally, Uderzo's long-term partner, René Goscinny, was the author of the witty texts. Following his death in 1977, Uderzo wrote them himself and founded his own publishing house. The first Asterix volume written by Uderzo, "Asterix and the Great Divide," was published in 1980. He continued writing the stories until, finally, a new team took over who also authored the two latest volumes.

Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad succeeded in reviving the tales of the Gauls, which had become a bit worn. While retaining Uderzo's drawings and keeping up Goscinny's sense of humor, they have added some contemporary stylistic aspects. Here, Uderzo, Goscinny's daughter Anne, Ferri and Conrad (from left to right) present the volume "Asterix and the Missing Scroll" in 2015.

Uderzo and Goscinny also created other characters, including Ompa-pa the Redskin - which would be considered inappropriate today. The story about the warrior with the big heart was not successful and, since they were becoming increasingly busy with the Asterix stories, the duo gave up Ompa-pa after five volumes. However, he made a cameo appearance in "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix."

After staff members of the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" - among them four illustrators - were brutally assassinated by Islamist terrorists in January 2015, Uderzo paid homage to his dead colleagues with this drawing. The gesture was particularly moving since these figures usually bring laughter instead of tears.