Asterix und das Atomkraftwerk was first created in Austria in 1978 by cutting up existing Asterix comic books, rearranging selected panels and adding a new narrative into the speech bubbles. The story of the successful resistance of the Gaulish village that was declared a site for a nuclear power plant resonated with the anti-nuclear movement. Pirated copies were circulation in various German towns even before the first German edition was stopped through legal action by the copyright owners of the Asterix brand. Well over 20 German-language print versions have been identified. The volume was translated and adapted to Dutch, French and various dialects Spanish, incl. Basque. Laka Foundation publishes two studies and compiled an exhibition on the comic.
The exhibition can be seen from 1-30 September at the International Institute for Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam.
The first publication is a 92-page study from Dirk HR Spennemann: Asterix und das Atomkraftwerk. Bibliographic Forensics of a German Underground Comic. The report is available only digital for a small fee: Euro 5,00. Please contact Laka by mail for details.
The second publication is a detailed description of the history of the Dutch edition of the comic: De Avonturen van Asterix en de kerncentrale (The Adventures of Asterix and the nuclear power station). The Dutch report is available for 5,00 euro for the digital version and 10 euro for a (full colour) hard copy. Please contact Laka by mail for details.
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