Mohn Media Prints The New Asterix Adventure
Mohn Media produced a substantial portion of the first edition of “Asterix in Lusitania” in Gütersloh.
Whenever Asterix and Obelix set off on a new adventure, fans around the world eagerly follow – and Mohn Media is once again right in the middle of the action. A significant share of the first edition of the new volume “Asterix in Lusitania” was printed late this summer at the Gütersloh-based company, part of Bertelsmann Marketing Services, and bound in nearby Marienfeld. Europe’s leading offset printer thus continues its two-decade success story as production partner of the iconic comic book series.
‘A bright and sunny book’
In Volume 41 of the legendary series, the two Gauls travel to the far southwest of the Roman Empire – to Lusitania, known today as Portugal and parts of Spain. Author Fabrice Caro (Fabcaro) explained at the Paris launch event that he had envisioned “a bright and sunny book – one that smells of holidays.” It was a wish the Mohn Media team was happy to fulfill. The new adventure was produced right in the middle of the summer holidays, as Dirk Kemmerer, CEO of Bertelsmann Marketing Services and Managing Director of Mohn Media, noted with a wink: “When a client asks for a bright and sunny product, that’s exactly what we deliver – in the highest quality, precisely on schedule, and, of course, under the strictest confidentiality.” According to Kemmerer, the team in Gütersloh had just 14 working days to complete the entire production. Thanks to the experience and professionalism of everyone involved, the result was once again a perfect landing under intense time pressure.
Nearly 1.5 million copies in five languages
The production figures speak for themselves: In calendar weeks 35 and 36, Mohn Media printed nearly 1.5 million copies in five language editions at its Gütersloh site, with its subsidiary Probind in Marienfeld handling the binding – a logistical and technical tour de force. In total, the first edition comprises around five million copies in 19 languages, available in stores and online since October 23.
Since the debut of the indomitable Gauls in 1959, 400 million Asterix books have been sold worldwide in 120 languages and dialects – roughly one-third of them in German. Over the past 20 years, Mohn Media has produced a substantial share of this total in Gütersloh. By producing the new Asterix adventure, the company once again demonstrates its excellence as one of Europe’s leading print and media service providers – proving that world-famous heroes like Asterix and Obelix are in the very best hands in Gütersloh.
