Publisher: Manteau
De Smurfen: 100 Smurfmopjes om zelf te lezen – Comic Book Review
The Smurfs (De Smurfen or Les Schtroumpfs) saw the light in 1958, thanks to the creativity of Peyo (Pierre Culliford). After more than fifty years The Smurfs are still going at it, be it in illustrated adventures or the recent live-action/CGI movies that date back from 2011 & 2013. These little blue creatures are not afraid to go on an adventure, especially if they’re able to save those in need. That being said, the Smurfs are back in a slightly different adventure or at least 100 different tiny gags, for younger readers. Share a laugh or two thanks to the (mis)fortunes of these adorable little blue guys.
Note: This review may contain snippets of the Smurfs native language, but don’t Smurf too much about it! (Don’t worry – we won’t.)
As there is no real story, there is not that much to talk about story wise. The album just consists out of 100 small one paged comical situations. All of these small gags will consist out of 3-4 panels, which is quite different from the normal adventures the Smurfs embark upon. Instead of saving people, animals or other Smurfs one at a time, you’ll see funny situations in which an innocent Smurf is always being tricked or the victim of a funny situation.
Each of the Smurfs is named after their corresponding personality. For example, the lazy Smurf is called Lazy, whilst the strongman of the tiny blue people is called Hefty. The writers of the short jokes did their best to emphasize the gags by using the right Smurf for the right situation. If a Smurf gets hit on the head, you can put your money on it, it was the doing of Hefty. If an explosive prank was played on another Smurf, it was sure to be Jokey who was behind the mischief. This system makes it even easier for a younger audience to comprehend the humor.
It’s clear that most of these gags have been kept quite simple and/or predictable to please a younger audience. Nonetheless, many of the portrayed misfortunes will also crack a small smile on faces of older fans of the blue critters.
Text has been kept to a minimum, making the illustrations speak for themselves. The panels are filled with content that stays true to the original storytelling albums and are truly pleasant to the eye. All of the Smurfs show enough ‘body language’ to contribute to the joke at hand, making it a decent whole.
For a younger audience the comic book is quite ideal for reading a few gags before bedtime and keeping the rest for the following evenings. It is also clear this must have been the intention of Manteau all along, as the album has a ribbon in order to neatly keep track of where your reading session ended. The ribbon can also be used to close to book neat and tidy.
One tidbit feels quite useless and it’s a random illustration that is placed with every single one of the gags, that does not really contribute to the joke at all. In a way this feels like a small fun illustrated extra but on the other hand it looks more like page filling.
Conclusion
De Smurfen: 100 Smurfenmopjes om zelf te lezen is a fun asset for younger readers, as well as parents who would love to share a laugh with their children. That being said, as a Smurfs fan, some of the gags are quite appealing for older readers as well. Perhaps great if you’re looking for a guilty pleasure.
No Comments