Asterix joins a chariot race in 37th comic edition

Asterix is back. The pint-sized Gaul is returning for his 37th comic adventure. This time battling his way across Italy in a chariot race.

Scrptwriter Jean Yves Ferri said: "We had Italy in mind and then I had the idea of a chariot race, a sort of rally from ancient times, a trip across the peninsula leading you from city to city."

The last three Asterix editions have been written by Jean-Yves Ferri and drawn by Didier Conrad, sticking closely to the original format pioneered by Rene Goscinny in the 1960s.

With the Asterix movies proving a box office hit, the books are attracting a new younger generation of followers. Something reflected in the print run for the new story -- with five million copies planned.