WHO IS “BERIC THE BRITON”?
A fair question if you are interested in 1960s British comics. Some months back I mentioned that Asterix The Gaul,created and written by Rene Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo, had seen no real success in British weekly comics though I vaguely recalled the character had appeared in one.
Well,I finally have the answer from some of my old notes. Asterix le Gaulois began in Pilote number 1 -29th October,1959. Eventually the parts were compiled into album format. It has been claimed to be one of the most popular comic strips of all time.
Sadly,like Lucky Luke,I have never been able to get into the series,though I can appreciate Uderzo’s work [please,please,please don’t ask me what I think of the animated or live-action films!!].
The date that ‘Asterix’ made it into British comics was 18th September,1965,and in Ranger no.1,published by Fleetway. But the strip was rather oddly retitled:”Britons Never,Never,Never Shall Be Slaves!” –long-winded or what?! But to kids who probably had never heard of the little chap from across the Channel,the character name change would mean nothing.“Asterix The Gaul” was now none other than “Beric The Bold” while his henchman became Chief Caradoc!
The strip ran in Ranger from 1965-1966 but carried over into 1967 when Ranger merged with the title LOOK & LEARN.Despite looking,I have found no examples of Beric but I’d be interested in seeing some,not to mention seeing how they crammed that title onto the page!
Though some gags didn’t quite come off,a problem with any translation,when the Asterix books eventually appeared they became hits. In fact,along with Blueberry and Tin Tin,Asterix has been reprinted in English several times since the 1960s –but as a Gaul and not a Briton.
So,there’s your answer as to whom “Beric” is.
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