US publisher commissions new translation of Asterix comic book series

Created by comic-strip artist Alberto Uderzo and writer Rene Goscinny in 1959, Asterix books have been translated into 111 languages, sold some 380 million collections worldwide and spawned multiple films. Photo: Handout

Americans have long adored things from France, like its bread, cheese and wine. But they've been stubbornly resistant to one of France's biggest imports: Asterix.

The bite-sized, brawling hero of a series of treasured comic books is as invisible in America as the Eurovision Song Contest is big in Europe. One US publisher hopes to change that.