Review by Peter Duncan
A new adventure of Asterix and Obelix, previously unseen in English, is an exciting prospect. More so when you discover it is by the original creators, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
The Golden Menhir, due to be published in hardback by Sphere on 27th August, is just that, an Asterix story, published in France in 1967 and untranslated into English – until today.
The book is something of an oddity, originally created to accompany the third in a series of “read along” vinyl records, it was the first to contain an original story, the previous two being adaptations of Asterix the Gaul and Asterix and the Golden Sickle.
The Golden Menhir was published at an important time for the Asterix strip. The popularity of the little Gaul was growing. 1967 marked the first time the print-run of a new album went over 1,000,000 and the first cartoon film, Asterix the Gaul, had been released. New ideas and opportunities to leverage the popularity of the strip were being sought. Audio adventures on vinyl were something that were being tried at the time: in America, for example, albums of old-time radio shows were becoming available and, in the UK, Thunderbirds records with the soundtrack of TV episodes were on sale. Asterix must have seemed like the obvious choice for a French series.
The Golden Menhir was the first new Asterix story to be published in book format outside of the standard series of comic albums. It was the only vinyl recording of an original adventure. The fourth and final entry in the series adapted the Asterix film, The Twelve Tasks of Asterix.
The recording was quickly forgotten, even in France, and it was not until 2021 that it was republished in the standard album format, accompanied by a new recording of the audio drama, that could be downloaded from the official Asterix website.
The artwork was scanned from an original copy of the booklet and rescaled, repaired and recoloured, a process overseen by Udzero; sadly, his final contribution to Asterix before his death.
It’s that version of the book that has been prepared for publication in English. Translator, Adriana Hunter, has been faced with a singular challenge. The book tells the story of Asterix and Obelix as they accompany ‘Cacofonix’, their village’s tone-deaf bard, in his quest to win the Golden Menhir at a song contest, doubtless a reference to Eurovision.
Along the way, they encounter many references to French pop classics. Cacofonix’s own song for the contest, for example, “Menhir Montant” is a parody of a 1938 French classic, “Ménilmontant”, which I suspect few English language readers will know. The translation must replace those jokes, with references to songs that will mean something to an English-speaking audience, in this case, Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind”.
In that regard, it’s something of a triumph; there are some great gags in there, but I wonder if the lack of the audio element means that they don’t land quite as well in the English language edition as they might.
Overall, The Golden Menhir, published at the same size as other Asterix albums, is a fascinating glimpse into the golden age of Asterix. Udzero’s art looks wonderful when each image is expanded across a full page. Goscinny’s dialogue, with the addition of some great replacement gags from Adrianna Hunter, has some great moments, but it’s hard to forget that it’s a script, that it was written to be listened to while being read and with so many musical jokes that becomes more obvious.
The book does not quite have the magic of the rest of the Asterix series. Goscinny and Uderzo were at their best when making comics, this isn’t a comic
August 2026 marks the centenary of René Goscinny’s birth, making the publication of this lost story a fitting tribute. I enjoyed reading it, but I’m something of an Asterix completist. The Golden Menhir may not be for everyone; it suffers from the lack of audio elements and does not quite stand up on its own. If you’re already a fan of the books, you’ll enjoy seeing this, but it isn’t for a casual reader.
Peter Duncan
• The Golden Menhir by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo | Published by Sphere on the 27th August 2026 | Available in Hardback and eBook | ISBN: 978–1408734933 (Hardback) | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | UK Bookshop.org Affiliate Link
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Peter Duncan is editor of Sector 13, Belfast’s 2000AD fanzine and Splank! – an anthology of strips inspired by the Odhams titles, Wham!, Smash! and Pow! He’s also writer of Cthulhu Kids. Full details of his comics activities can be found at www.boxofrainmag.co.uk
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Great review, thank you. I’ve already ordered it. I’d have bought it anyway. I remember reading the 12 tasks as a kid from our library, that’s the one I still don’t have….
Personally, instead of introducing prospective comic readers to superhero work, I think we should be pushing Goscinny and Uderzo Asterix. Genius