Albert Uderzo was born on April 25, 1927 in Fismes, France as Alberto Aleondro Uderzo. In 1940, when he was just 13, he worked for Paris Publishing Society where he learned the basics for his profession - designing text and letters and editing photos. During World War II he worked on a farm and later as a furniture maker with his father. His drawing skills were put aside until 1945 when he entered a comic strip competition and later worked on a cartoon film titled Clic Clac. In the mean time he moved to Paris and worked on the magazine O.K. where he created several comics such as Arys Buck and Belloy. It was then that he met Rene Goscinny and the two worked on new comic book characters like… Ompah-pah, Jehan Pistolet and Luc Junior. In 1959 they started a magazine called Pilote aimed at older children. It was the first issue that introduced the character Asterix and it was a big hit. By 1967 the comic became so popular that they decided to devote all their time to the series. Albert Uderzo was the illustator of all thirty Asterix adventures and the writer of the last eight adventures.John Parker, a journalist and former Fleet Street editor, has undertaken many investigative projects in his writing career with topics ranging from the Mafia to Northern Ireland. His numerous books include several military bestsellers including THE GURKHAS, DEATH OF A HERO and SBS: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE.