Asterix the Gladiator by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

I thought I wanted to read the whole Asterix series, like I did with Tintin a few years ago: it could be a fun way to wander through other people's childhoods, to engage with famous popular works that I wasn't familiar with. But I'm starting to wonder if Asterix is more review-resistant than Tintin, so much its own comedy universe that I have nothing to say.

I did read an omnibus of the first three Asterix books two years back, and had my usual grumble that smaller-format omnibuses might be OK for young readers with eager eyes, but it's not the best way to present works created in album format. Large-size omnibuses would be just fine, but I think those are massively out of fashion - or maybe economically infeasible.

I've now read the fourth book, Asterix the Gladiator, which is the third in a row where the main plot is set in motion by one of the Gauls getting kidnapped. That is still an odd thing to be so central, though this time it's at least a different character: the humorously incompetent bard Cacofonix rather than the kindly druid Getafix. It's even more of a random plot McGuffin this time: the local Roman Prefect (Odius Asparagus, ha ha ha) is heading to Rome, which means he needs a fancy gift for Caesar. He wants "an invincible Gaul," which presents obvious issues - they're invincible - but Cacofonix is mostly harmless and easily nabbed.

The actually invincible Gauls discover the loss, and are offended: Cacofonix may be a horrible bard who only makes unpleasant music, but he's their horrible bard who only makes unpleasant music, so he must be rescued. And so, inevitably, Asterix and Obelix set off Romewards to rescue him.

They take a merchant ship that is soon afterward attacked by pirates, which attack they foil handily. This also has the additional benefit of showing the merchant captain that his original plan to enslave these Gauls would have been a very bad idea, so he delivers them intact and happy to the capital.

There, the two rubes are impressed by the width of the roads, humorously slightly misunderstand some things, and are caught up in some hugger-mugger about attempts to capture them to fight in the Colosseum. There's a big Games coming up, at which the useless Cacofonix will be thrown to the lions amid other acts, and our heroes eventually do get into gladiator training, which they engage in spiritedly but not in line with expectations.

Eventually, the Games come, and It Is Funny. There's a funny chariot race, some funny fights, etc. The Gauls are indominable, unstoppable, and slightly misunderstand nearly everything - in the end, Caesar lets them go back home with their bard.

It's all amusing, but essentially weightless. The narrative knows the Gauls will always succeed in every last thing, there will be no moments of tension, and their slight misunderstandings will be funny. It's not quite digging the reader in the ribs every page, but it's close, like a friend who raises his eyebrows after every supposedly "funny" line, begging for a laugh. Albert  Uderzo's art is solidly amusing, too: his people a bit cartoony without going full rubber-hose.

But there's not a lot of there there. No tension, thin plot, bland worldbuilding - this is a sitcom in comics format, and one made for younger readers to boot. It's definitely fun, and reading one Asterix book is recommended - but, so far, I'm not seeing that additional books add anything new or different, just an opportunity to see the same thing all over again.