Vanves (France) (AFP)

Asterix's 39th album, which comes out on October 21, "Asterix and the Griffon", is a trip to the East for the Gauls who set out to meet a little-known people of Antiquity, the Sarmatians.

After the death of screenwriter René Goscinny in 1977, the series was continued by designer Albert Uderzo, who himself entrusted it in 2011 to screenwriter Jean-Yves Ferri and designer Didier Conrad.

The Sarmatians, a nomadic people, lived in a region that stretched from present-day Ukraine to the foothills of the Caucasus and the steppes of Central Asia.

And in this Asterix album their totem is the griffin, half eagle, half lion.

Historically, "we don't know much about them (...) Herodotus, Livy had spoken of the Sarmatians. They were Barbarians, but a somewhat mythical people," he added.

The designs borrow from a certain Russian, Kazakh or Mongolian tradition, and their names all end in -ine (for example: Cékankondine).

The scenario revolves around the confrontation between a Roman army which sets out on an expedition to capture the famous griffin, on the orders of Julius Caesar, and these elusive Sarmatians, with whom the Gauls sympathize.

- Houellebecq en Terinconus -

Among the curiosities: a Roman geographer, Terinconus, who before leaving for this exploration, inquired about "the map and the territory".

He borrows his features from the writer Michel Houellebecq.

Screenwriter Jean-Yves Ferri poses during the presentation of Asterix's 39th album, October 11, 2021 in Vanves, near Paris Alain JOCARD AFP

"The country does not really exist: it is rather an atmosphere of tale, with Gauls who lose their bearings", according to Jean-Yves Ferri.

The album also has an ecological tone.

"The Romans represent a little the attitude we will say Western towards nature, the way of serving themselves. While the Sarmatians are presented as respectful of their nature, animals in particular. And the Gauls are a little between the two, "detailed the screenwriter.

The two authors live very far from each other, the screenwriter in the Toulouse region, and the designer in Texas (United States).

The Albert René editions produced two million copies of this album in French, and a total of five million in 17 languages.

The formula still works very well in bookstores, with releases approaching Christmas every two years, which make it one of the favorite gifts of the French.

The success has never wavered either in other countries, in particular in Germany, Spain or Italy.

The Gallic village with figures of Obelix and Asterix in the Parc Asterix in Plailly near Paris on June 2, 2021 STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN AFP / Archives

Asked about the possibility of seeing Asterix drawn or reinterpreted, like other mythical comic book characters such as Lucky Luke or Corto Maltese, by a multitude of authors, the publisher replied that Asterix would continue as is.

"These tributes are quite symptomatic of series which are running out of steam (...) I do not believe that this is the case with Asterix", estimated the general manager of the editions Albert René, Céleste Surugue.

This story is the last that Uderzo was able to see born.

"He could only really know the beginnings of the screenplay and the first sketches," said his daughter Sylvie Uderzo in a message read by Goscinny's daughter, Anne.

© 2021 AFP