India, Aug. 21 -- I read my first Asterix when I was in Class 3.

I had been taken to visit an aunt. I dreaded these visits, because most of the relatives we went visiting were much older. (Almost everyone was much older; I was, after all, seven years old.)

This aunt had a son of about 10, so it wasn't as bad.

Unfortunately, on that day, my cousin wasn't home.

Tired of fidgeting while the adults discussed the ailments and scandals of the extended family, I finally went scouting among his books, and found a copy of Asterix and the Big Fight (1966) that he had borrowed from a local library. The first page had a map with the words "The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely.".

The next page introduced ...