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Alix

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".
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"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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