Out of all the books we’ve read so far, “Asterix in Britain” is probably the most historically inaccurate. Also, it’s a very good display of ancient Roman politics at its best, where the Roman Empire wouldn’t rule the provinces directly and instead rely on friendly chieftains and kings to rule in their stead. Granted, this is an Asterix book and these are the Romans we’re talking about, so at the end of the day good will always triumph over evil, but it’s actually kind of refreshing to see the soldiers who have been the brunt of so many jokes finally get a bit of chance to be competent.
“Asterix and the Big Fight” is probably one of the most interesting of the Asterix books because the whole plot revolves around the Gauls making a series of boneheaded decisions (looking at you Obelix) while the Romans actually prove themselves to be capable bad guys and actually have a solid plan in place.
It’s a race against time and brain damage to see if the tiny village of heroic Gauls will be able to save their way of life from the encroaching Roman political machine.
Fortunately for the Romans, Obelix has chosen this exact moment to accidentally clobber Getafix over the head with a rock and cause him to lose his memory and how to make the potion. While the Romans understand that getting to Getafix to stop him from making the magic potion that gives the drinker super strength is vital to their plans, it’s easier said than done. The plan is to enlist the help of a Gaulish collaborator and lover of Rome named Cassius Ceramix to fight on their behalf and challenge the heroic Vitalstatistix to a one on one duel. Of course, in this day and age the Romans are involved, with the roman centurion Nebulus Nimbus–a man who SEEMS TO HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CONTROL THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE–and his second in command: the sinister and scheming Felonius Caucus, scheme to use the Gaulish traditions to their advantage. “Asterix and the Big Fight” dials back the travels to exotic locations for a bit to focus on local Gaulish politics, which amounts to the two chiefs from each village duking it out for the right to rule.