A Wide World of Comics - W9

This week I read Asterix and Cleopatra. I really enjoyed reading this because I used to read Asterix comics when I was young because they were in the school library. I was just as entertained by the dialogue and the artwork as I was when I was young. It's interesting to be reading some Asterix comics again because I notice how many words I did not understand the meaning of as a kid, and yet I was still so engaged  in the story as a child. Like what was mentioned in class, Asterix was not really a comic specifically for kids, and in fact, there are quite a few things that kids will not understand, yet it was still made very accessible to kids. Themes of history, slavery, and punishment were addressed in this comic in a jesting way and it was made comical (and maybe a little offensive) for all audiences.
The difference of the comic book format of Asterix and Cleopatra, and the more novel/picture book format of Asterix Conquers America is interesting because there is a stark contrast between how the narratives are communicated. I think part of what makes Asterix and Cleopatra so engaging is because the essence of the characters are shown in each panel in their body language and angry speech bubbles that fill whole panels. The novel/picture book format does not provide as much of these aspects, but instead, is more descriptive, and the illustrations are not as sequential. The Asterix comics can be categorized for pretty much all audiences because it deals with different regions and cultures in every story which both kids and adults can find entertainment in.