Alix

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Alix, right, and Enak, left.

Alix is a French-Belgian comic series created by Jacques Martin in 1948. It may be considered the serious, historically accurate counterpart to the more famous Asterix, which it actually predates. It is a classic example of the ligne claire school popularized by Hergé.

The title character is a young Gaul from the 1st century BCE who, after being captured and enslaved, is adopted by a rich Roman and becomes a Roman citizen himself. He goes through various adventures that take him all over The Roman Republic and beyond--at one point, all the way to Han Dynasty China--and becomes a friend of Gaius Julius Caesar. His sidekick is a teenage Egyptian boy, Enak, and his nemesis is a scheming Greek named Arbaces.

Tropes used in Alix include:
  • Anachronism Stew: One story has a bunch of philosophers somehow discover that atoms can be used to cause untold destruction. This is said over an image of a mushroom cloud. Then there's the villain's lair with glass windows and the steam-driven propeller ship...
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Greece
  • Ancient Rome
  • Appease the Volcano God: In "Les Proies du Volcan", Alix and Enak come across a primitive island people who practice human sacrifices to a volcano god.
  • Arch Enemy: Arbaces.
  • Big Badass Wolf: In "Les Légions perdues", Alix saves a wolf's life. This wolf then repays the kindness by coming to his assistance on several occasions.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Many an adventure ends on a bittersweet note.
  • Chaste Hero: Alix sometimes finds himself with women throwing themselves at him (and sometimes seems interested), but he always finds reasons not to pursue. (However, later albums get more ambiguous; "La chute d'Icare" never makes it clear whether or not Alix did get it on with Julia, Shallow Love Interest Of The Album.)
  • Clear My Name: A blond-haired murderer passes himself off as Alix in one story, and of course everyone thinks he did it.
  • Creator Cameo: Not the creator himself, but in "L'Enfant grec" a supporting character named Numa Sadulus was inspired by a friend of the creator named Numa Sadoul.
  • Distress Ball: Often picked up by Enak, whom Alix then has to rescue.
  • Dream Sequence: Alix has a few, sometimes with prophetic elements.
  • Evil Twin: Kinda. Arbaces has an identical brother, who is slightly less of an asshole to Alix, but they're still enemies.
  • Give Me a Sword: Spoken verbatim by Alix as he is surrounded by Spartan soldiers in "Le Dernier Spartiate".

"If you are worth more than the Romans, let me go. If you are worth as much as the Romans, give me a sword. But if you are worth less than the Romans, then KILL ME!"

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