The Purple Smurfs

Les Schtroumpfs / The Smurfs #1

by Peyo (Illustrator), Yvan Delporte (writer)

When a strange fly bites one of the Smurfs, a full-on epidemic develops in the Smurf Village! After being bit, a Smurf turns purple and his vocabulary is reduced to one single word: “gnap!” The purple Smurf runs around the Smurf Village biting other Smurfs on the tail, causing them to turn purple and act crazy too! Soon enough, there are more purple Smurfs than blue Smurfs in the village. It’s up to Papa Smurf to find a cure and save the Smurf Village before all of the Smurfs lose their minds for good!

Genres: Comics, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo, was a Belgian comics artist, perhaps best known for the creation of The Smurfs comic strip.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Smurfs are here!


This is the first volume of “The Smurfs” comic book series (at least in the American edition). Originally appearing in 1958 as supportive characters in the Franco-Belgian comic book “Johan and Peewit” also created by Peyo.

In this collected American edition are printed three different stories: “The Purple Smurfs” (giving title to the book), “The Flying Smurf” and “The Smurf and his neighbors”.


Creative Team:

Creator, Writer & Illustrator: Peyo


FRANCO-BELGIAN COMICS

The collaboration between France and Belgium in the genre of comic strips & comic books is monumental, figuring many of the most iconic examples of the genre, not only Asterix, but also The Smurfs, Tin Tin, Lucky Luke, Le Petit Spirou, and many, many, MANY others…

…generating their own inner genre named, obviously, Franco-Belgian comics, considered along with United States & Great Britain comics and Japanese manga, as one of the three most influential and relevant examples of the comic book field.

(I plan to read in the future other titles of this genre, therefore, in the first volume of each title, it will be normal to find this same general introduction.)


SMURF IS THE WORD!

I was a kid when Hanna-Barbera adapted this comic book series what became a world social phenomenon and certainly I became huge fan of the cartoon. I remember that in a local magazine store (that doesn’t exist anymore), they had a truly astonishing diorama with mushroom houses and the 100 smurfs figures! (at least in mi kid’s mind truly believes that there were 100 smurfs there (but I can assure you that there were a LOT bunch of smurf figures in the diorama)). I never got tired to watching the diorama each week when I visited the magazine store then.

In Latin American (included my country, Costa Rica) they were known as “Pitufos”, so it’s kinda odd to me to say them “Smurfs” but since I read this in English, I am doing the review in the same language.

The Purple Smurfs (5 stars)

This is the first Smurf story in several international editions (I’m not sure if this was the first solo story of Smurfs after appearing as supportive characters in Johan and Peewit but certainly is quite common to find in international editions, this one as the first story (I have a Spanish edition with this one as the first one).

Lazy Smurf is sent by Papa Smurf to the forest and there, he meets a “Bzz fly” that bit him and he became ill turning from the regular blue into purple and acting violent and only saying “Gnap”. The now Purple Smurf is able to bite other smurfs and turning them purple too. Papa Smurf knows about this illness but he doesn’t remember how to cure it, and the trial-and-error process helps to propagate the illness into the whole Smurf village population. (I won’t spoil how they got cured).

This story is polemic in its original edition since the Smurfs didn’t become purple but black (therefore, there were racist implications (but I honestly don’t think that Peyo would do it with that intention) (in my Spanish edition, they were black), but due in the Hanna-Barbera adapted story, the purple was used instead of black, and I guess that became as the new accepted form and in this American edition it’s used purple too (notice that in Despicable Me 2 the minions turned purple too when they were violent too).

The Flying Smurf (5 stars)

A non-defined Smurf got the dream of flying and he tries with all the imaginable ways using aerodynamic principles but even magic is an option! This is a lof of fun, and certainly it’s quite recommended.

The Smurf and his neighbors (3 stars)

Another non-defined Smurf is having trouble to sleep in the village and he decided to get into the forest to live into the wild but soon enough he realizes that it’s not that good idea.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I do indeed think that Peyo's Les Schtroumpfs noirs, his three featured tales about the eponymous little blue Smurfs (and the first of an entire series of comic books on the latter) is entertaining enough and also mildly interesting, diverting and at times even socio-critically sarcastic, the rather constant and massive use of the word smurf whenever the little gnome-like blue entities are conversing (and in the French original, smurf is of course schtroumpf and actually seems to be phonetically linked and in my opinion likely very much deliberately made by Peyo to resemble the German noun for sock or stocking, to resemble Strumpf), while definitely entertaining and even rather fun to a certain extent, this does tend to become more than a bit tedious and repetitive (with its totally and massive overuse), it being much too much of the proverbial good thing so to speak (not to mention that because I am also and perhaps even primarily using and reading Les Schtroumpfs noirs for French language practice and review, the fact that in nearly EVERY sentence uttered by the Smurfs, they are somehow smurfing something or someone, they are using schtroumpf in some manner, that can be, that actually is more than a trifle confusing on a linguistic and language learning level, not so much that it is being done of course, but that it happens constantly and with no break, with no end in sight either).

And yes, even with regard to the main movers and shakers of Peyo's collection of three illustrated comic book tales, even the Smurfs themselves, I do tend to consider them rather wearing and annoyingly frustrating in larger dosages, as they appear more as types, as character trait manifestations (Jokey Smurf, Happy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Grumpy Smurf etc.) and not so much as beings, as entities with actual and nuanced personalities (except for perhaps Papa Smurf perhaps, which is kind of problematic in and of itself, as we seem to be presented with a village in Les Schtroumpfs noirs where some kind of benevolent and more nuanced personality trait wise, but still for all intents and purposes DICTATORIAL leader reigns supreme, and the rest of the village inhabitants, the other Smurfs, they all appear as basically Papa Smurf's uncritical minions, who as cardboard like manifestations without developed personalities are generally and simply meticulously following Papa Smurf's directions, regulations, his personal rule, in other words, everyone in the village is goose stepping to Papa Smurf's tune and keep saying yes, yes, yes, kind of Stalinistic collectivism or Nazi-like and as such for me majorly creepy and problematic).

But strangely and frustratingly enough, with Les Schtroumps noirs, it has NOT been the to and for me so annoying general and constant lack of characterisation of the Smurfs, the fact that they appear and act, function as rather one dimensional entities with usually only ONE main character trait to distinguish them form one another (and are often under the DIRECT control of the main village elder, of Papa Smurf, who really does function and appear as a type of absolutely powerful authority, an absolute monarch of sorts) that has been a continuous bone of contention for some, and in fact for many potential readers. No indeed, the main issue with Peyo's Les Schtroumpfs noirs seems to have always been the fact that in the first story (the episode that has given this book of three Smurf stories its title, its name), the plot centres on the Smurfs being bitten by a type of dangerously toxic fly and turning into biting zombie-like black Smurfs (until the entire village is almost wiped out and only a deus ex machina explosion saves the day). And it is not really and all that much the fact that the Smurfs turn in zombies (but really, when one thinks of what the Smurfs are like in and of themselves, with their one-sidedness and lack of nuance character and personality wise, them turning into zombies or potential zombies is not that much of a difference after all) but rather that they turn into black coloured zombies which has been and still is often condemned and seen as somehow racist (so much so that Les Schtroumpfs noirs has only recently been translated into and released in English, and only after the colour to which the Smurfs turn had been rendered purple and the title of the book changed to The Purple Smurfs).

Now I am as a reader ALWAYS very sensitive to issues of race and potential racial stereotyping in the books I read, but sorry, in my humble opinion, there is NOTHING racist or even potentially racist with regard to the blue Smurfs turning black when they are bitten by that fly (and them then turning the other Smurfs into black zombies once they are infected, a vicious circle). I mean, black as a colour (or as a lack of pigment as some claim) is simply that and I think we need to guard against making everything that is potentially negative with regard to black as a colour in culture, lore, in reading materials into some kind of racially bigoted problem. I mean, the infected Smurfs turn black and turn into zombies, but Peyo has not tuned them into some type of exotic different type of negative looking Smurf, as aside from the colour difference, the infected Smurfs still all totally look like Smurfs (they have turned into black coloured zombies because they have been infected by an insect bite and are now passing this on, a pandemic perhaps, but not in any manner or fashion a pandemic due to race or culture, but a pandemic due to an infected fly wreaking havoc).

And well, if one wants to see racial bigotry in a story that portrays problematic issues such as disease and such (and in my opinion, with the first story of Les Schtroumpfs noirs, that fly bite is or should first and foremost be seen as a disease of sorts), usually, if one looks hard enough and twists the content, the themes enough, one can and will probably find this. But how does this type of thinking in any way combat racism? It does not, and in fact, it tends to actually have the opposite effect, as just like with the little boy who kept calling "wolf" if one constantly, if we constantly strive to see racism everywhere and in everything we read, even when and if there is none and no racial stereotyping was ever intended, people do start becoming tired of the this unrelenting negative pontificating and will more than likely with frustration start to ignore the claims, and even when and if there are legitimate problems with actual racism, ethnic stereotyping and such within books (and especially so in and with books for children). Yes, the story of the blue Smurfs turning into black zombie like Smurfs is a tad disconcerting and creepy, but it is creepy because the Smurfs are ill from something contagious turn into zombies (or rather, that they turn violent, scary and a bit more zombie like than before, with their already limited and rather "yes, Sir" "yes, Papa Smurf" personalities), but the story is NOT disconcerting or at least it should not be disconcerting because the blue Smurfs turn into black Smurfs (and in fact, that in the "santised" English translation, that in The Purple Smurfs, the ONLY difference is basically that in the illustrations, the blue Smurfs now turn not black but a dark purple, that there has not been ANY changes within the text itself, this I strongly believe clearly shows that there absolutely is NOT really ANY racially insensitive content present in the text, in the narrative and that quite frankly, the dark purple of the "santised" Smurfs is still pretty similar colour wise to the colour of the Black Smurfs in Yvan Delporte's original illustrations anyhow).

Also and finally, my own two star ranking for Peyo's Les Schtroumpfs noirs (actually, more realistically, two and a half stars) thus has NOTHING at all to do with the fact that the Smurfs turn black in the first, in the title story. My main and personal reasons for only mildly liking but absolutely not ever loving this collection of stories are as already mentioned above for one the tendency of the Smurfs to constantly be presented as conversing using the word smurf (basically because it just becomes a bit too repetitively tedious and that from a language learning point of departure this constant smurfing really does tend to render the presented narrative at times frustrating and often rather confusing) and for two, and indeed much more importantly, that the Smurfs as characters, as creatures are all rather majorly typecast, non-nunanced beings who really not only simply seem to exist but not actually live, but that they also are utterly under the direct control and thumb of Papa Smurf, of perhaps a benevolent but yes still very much an in all ways dictatorial and "my way or the highway" authority figure.

And of course, if you are German (or are familiar with German comedians), you might well know or at least be aware of Otto Waalkes' brilliant parody of Vader Abraham's Das Lied der Schlümpfe (The Song of the Smurfs in English), totally hilarious, but most definitely majorly off colour, rather sexually perverted at that and not really appropriate for younger children (but oh my, how I laughed myself silly when I listened to it the first time, especially the part about the Smurfs being blue and small of stature because they work in a nuclear power plant). So if you are at all interested and enjoy good or rather horribly good parodies, this song actually seems to be readily available online (there are a multitude of videos available for listening and viewing). But I do have to offer the necessary caveat that Otto Waalkes is definitely not for everyone, that some do find him offensive and not funny at all.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short collection contains a few stories. The highlight is the title story, "The Purple Smurfs." It's basically a zombie story for kids as smurfs spread the purple infection by biting another smurf. The story itself is done in a lighthearted way, but there is a sense of dread that I think kids can handle as the number of survivors dwindles. The other stories are OK. The art is slick and attractive.

One thing that I was thinking about while reading this is the use of the word "smurf" to replace other words. At first, I felt it was a little irritating, like a joke that overstayed its welcome. However, as a language teacher, I started wondering if my students could figure out which words the word "smurf" replaced, and I started to think of it as a kind of cloze test. That made me more interested in this book in the end.

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je tako slatko. Vratilo me u djetinjstvo.

Posebno me oduševila priča Leteći Štrumpf na koju ranije nisam naišla.

Pohvala izdavaču Udruga CRŠ za ova nova izdanja i štrumpfastičan prijevod.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Edition = December 1999 = 68 0196 3 = >16th Printing
->18 Sch / 15 J&P / 3 Pou Tomes on the 4th Plate

There was zero chance that I was going to get a "Purple Smurfs" edition- I won't let States racism be foisted upon my shelves! I'M not uncomfortable with my relationship with black people like our publishers project on the unknowing public.

But knowing such things means I had to get a Canadian library tortured copy with stains on the pages (but at least it was super cheap).

ANYWAY, the three stories are very fun to read and look at but not above *** for adult reading.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most children of the '80s, I loved the Smurfs cartoon series. The Smurfs have returned in a new CGI animated feature and reprinting of the comics that launched the series in effort to introduce the characters to a new audience. (Or, more likely, to get the now adult fans of the original Smurfs to buy blue plastic stuff in fits of nostalgia.)

The book was OK--even if Papa Smurf was kind of a jerk in this one. I will say that I am surprised by how closely Hanna-Barbera adhered to the source material.

[Nameless Creature · Rating 5 out of 5]

I smurfed it.

[Phil J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came hoping for the authentic, unaltered version of the cartoon. I found out that the Peyo's original intent was exactly what the cartoon turned out to be: a series of gags involving one-dimensional characters and the word "smurf."

I liked the cartoon growing up, so this wasn't really much of a problem to me. If you'd told me that this comic was adapted from the cartoon, I might have believed you. The main difference is that the cartoon characters were more developed than the ones in this comic.

I support the decision to change the black smurfs in the original to purple smurfs in the American edition. There was clearly no intended or even unconscious racism in Peyo's original comic, but some phrases are just going to sound different to American ears. It's an easier read with "purple" instead of "black."

The thing that impacted this the most was the publisher's (Papercutz) decision to print the book in a standard American comic size rather than the larger European album size that is standard for books like Tintin and Asterix. The result is that the font and pictures are shrunken, and all the jokes and reactions feel smaller. What with the overuse of the word "smurf," you really need the physical aspect of the characters to deliver the meaning, and they just don't do it as well in little panels.

It was cute, but nothing more.

[Kimberley doruyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

i remember this as a cartoon and since i was kinda young it scared me and i kept looking for the evil little things under my bed.

[Yannick Caers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eerste strip van de Smurfen met 3 verhaaltjes. Heel fijn om te lezen. Eindelijk ken ik nu de achtergrond waarom Gargamel een Smurf wil vangen!

[Sylvester Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zombie Smurfs! Do I need to say anything more?

The television adaptation of this storyline was always my favorite as a kid back in the 80's. Years later, as a middle schooler in the 90's, I even got in an argument with a summer camp counselor when he introduced the scenario of being chased by killer Smurfs during an outdoor team-building activity... because I insisted that the killer Smurfs must be purple.

I had no idea that this storyline was of the original Smurfs stories in the comics. I question the claim made in the afterward that it's never been translated into English; I owned a Smurfs paperback as a child in the 80s, and I could swear that this story was included.

5 starts. It's good kids' stuff, but it's nothing earth-shattering for adults.

[Desi Puspitasari · Rating 3 out of 5]

GNAP GNAP!
Kalau seekor Smurf sampai tergigit lalat Bzz, maka mereka akan keliyengan, lalu gluk .. gluk ..., dan kemudian tubuh mereka berubah menjadi hitam. GNAP GNAP! #ganas. penularan bisa terjadi saat seekor Smurf Hitam menggigit ekor Smurf yang lain.

Cerita lain: Smurf Terbang dan Si Penculik Smurf. Intinya: mereka bodoh -sangat! Laugh! Dan Gargamel ada seorang manusia yang sangat berhasrat menculik Smurf demi ramuan rahasia (campuran Smurf akan bisa membuat benda apapun menjadi emas)

[Samyuktha Gopinath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pretty cool. It is a comic. It is an awesome book.

[Pedro Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premier tome de la réédition des histoires des Schtroumpfs créées par Peyo. Le livre comprend leur première aventure en tant que personnages principaux, de 1959, « Les Schtroumpfs noirs », après être apparus dans « La Flûte des Schtroumpfs » dans la série Johan et Pirlouit un an plus tôt. Le volume comprend également « Le Schtroumpf Volant » de 1963 et l'introduction de Gargamel et Azraël dans « Le Voleur de Schtroumpfs » de 1959. Une dose de nostalgie en plein cœur.

[David Haggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smurfing Smurf-tastic!

One of the Bonus Borrows through Hoopla.

[Sniv · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai relu le premier, leur naissance. Que j’aime ce village et ce langage !

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Тип зомби история със Смърфове 😁😁😁
Забавна и пълна с екшън история за една муха, която превръща Смърфовете в лилави лоши създания.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little book. I didn't see any socialist messages. Perhaps Peyo's views will be more overt in the next book

[Holly]

1, 4 L'ouef et les Schtroumpfs, 6 Le Cosmoschtroumpf, 8 Histoires de Schtroumpfs, 9 Schtroumpf Vert et Vert Schtroumpf, 12 Le bebe schtroumpf, 13 Les petits schtroumpfs,

[Joceleny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about two friends.
I like this book because it is about two friends at school.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book contains three short comics. The first story summary is found in the book blurb above. Cute story about a smurf being bitten by a BZZ fly which then infects the bitten smurf. The bitten smurf turns purple and jumps around yelling "GNAP!" Evidently they become contagious because the infection spreads as the bitten smurf begins to bite other smurfs. Papa Smurf attempts to find a cure, but not before nearly the entire village of smurfs have been bitten. After capturing the BZZ fly Papa Smurf is able to find a cure. As the purple smurfs close in on the village the few smurfs left attempt to fight off the purple smurfs. Unbeknownst to the others, a purple smurf paints himself blue to trick the others. As the battle ensues he begins biting the cured smurfs and healthy smurfs alike. In one swift explosion luckily all the smurfs are saved! And so ends the terror of the purple smurf!!

The second story follows one smurf in particular in his desire to fly. He is determined and tries many an idea to accomplish his goals. He wrecks havoc with the other smurfs in his quest but does eventually achieve small moments of flight. In the end he discovers a way to fly, but is unable to come back down to the ground. Realizing his dilemma he is fed bricks by his fellow smurfs. Yes bricks. This not only makes him heavy, but it effectively brings him back to the ground. The problem now being he is too heavy from eating too many bricks!! The story ends with his desire to sail....yet he finds he is too heavy for this dream!!

The final comic in the book is a cautionary tale of be careful what you wish for. One smurf is disgruntled with his neighbors as he is unable to get a good nights rest. He sets off to the forest to find peace and quiet away from his noisy fellow smurfs. He finds a nice tree stump in which to make his home. A couple nights pass and slowly but surely he finds himself unable to sleep in what he thought was peace. A dangerous storm comes up one night and he decides to head back to the village because the storm is frightful. Upon returning to the village he finds lightening has struck his home and he is very lucky indeed to have not been home. When the smurfs learn of his desire to return home Papa Smurf consoles the unhappy smurf telling him they will rebuild his home. The smurf is ecstatic and requests a new location away from his noisy neighbors. As irony would have it, the new home is built between Handy Smurf and Harmony Smurf.....loud banging on one side and beautiful music on the other....

I grew up watching the Smurfs and have always enjoyed them. This little book is perfect for moments of nostalgia as I think of my childhood. I hope to stumble upon more of these books in the future!! I've learned a few new phrases from this little book such as "smurf-tastic", "Shut your smurf!" and "Smurf-reka". I admit my favorite is "Shut your smurf!"

In case you were wondering...."smurf-reka" came with a footnote on the definition....an interjection expressing joy in a discovery, usually uttered while taking a bath. I did not read of this phrase while a smurf was in the bath tub, but that little addition to the definition is a little disturbing.....

[Helmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War Schtroumpf
Es war eine harte Zeit, als die schwarzen Schlümpfe uns fast überrannten. Wie alles anfing? Die Mücke Bzz stach einen von uns, und infizierte ihn mit einem Virus, der ihn verrückt werden und nur noch daran denken ließ, andere Schlümpfe zu beißen. Nur eine kleine Minderheit von uns blieb übrig, um mit den schwarzen Schlümpfen fertig zu werden. Aber am Ende gings doch gut aus, denn es gilt die alte Weisheit: Tout est schtroumpf qui finit schtroumpf!

Und er fliegt doch!
Ein Schlumpf wäre viel besser dran, wenn er fliegen könnte. Nun gibt es diverse Methoden, das Fliegen zu üben - doch Scheitern ist an der Tagesordnung. Da hat der Brillenschlumpf schon recht: On doit schtroumpfer ce que le Grand Schtroumpf schtroumpfe! Dann klappts auch vielleicht mal mit dem Fliegen. Besonders witzig: Die Sprungfedern unter den Füßen. Houba, Marsupilaschtroumpf!

Nach dem Schtroumpf-volant nur der Schtroumpf-voleur
Der böse Zauberer Gargamel braucht eine wichtige Ingredienz für seinen "Stein der Weisen"-Trank, der Metalle in Gold verwandelt: Einen Schlumpf. Doch die Dorfgemeinschaft der Schlümpfe wird es natürlich nicht zulassen, den gefangenen Schlumpf seinem Schicksal zu überlassen, oder?

Ich finde es faszinierend, wie schnell man die Schlümpfe und ihre Sprache liebgewinnt. Als Kind sammelte ich natürlich die Gummifiguren, inklusive Pilzhaus und einem Aufklappbuch mit Gargamels Burg. Nun, drei Jahrzehnte später, entdecke ich die comics dazu, und stelle fest, dass diese auch Erwachsene bestens unterhalten können - immer noch schmunzele ich leise über die kleinen blauen Dinger.

Wie man sieht, reicht ein Wort aus, um eine Geschichte zu erzählen, die ganzen Spezialwörter kann man sich sparen. Vielleicht sollte ich in Zukunft meine Rezensionen auch en Schtroumpf schreiben.

[David Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little nostalgic read for me. As a kid, I loved the cartoon and had a respectable number of the Smurf PVC figures, so when I discovered that Papercutz has been reprinting the original comics, I thought I'd pick up the first volume and have a nice little walk down memory lane. Coming at these stories as an adult, however, some things that I noticed beyond the "cute" factor: Papa Smurf is kind of an ass in these early stories, demanding that the other Smurfs in the village do his bidding at every turn, without question; the purple Smurfs may have been my earliest (altho unknown at the time) experience with zombies - the fact that the regular Smurfs aren't infected until they are bitten and then they in turn become "evil" purple Smurfs is definitely a reflection of the modern idea of the zombie; holy crap they use the word "smurf" a lot in the dialogue in these stories, almost to the point of being obnoxious. I actually found that I still enjoyed the stories, so I'm sure I'll be picking up some more of the volumes as I find them.

[Nnedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this little book absolutely Smurfy. :-). I'm a huge Smurf fan. The Purple Smurf is an episode that has stayed with me since I saw it as a kid. When I look back, I realize that this was my first exposure to zombies (and the idea of the end of society)! I was talking to someone recently and she even said Night of the Living Dead was a rip-off of this story, ha ha. Really, it's an interesting little story and I'm glad I have it in graphic novel form as well. Oh and at the end, the book talks about how the original version was "The Black Smurf". Glad they knew to change the color.

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and funny story!

[Simon Omnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Après une mémorable apparition dans la série "Johan et Pirlouit" avec "La flûte à six Schtroumpfs", c'est enfin dans leur propre série d'albums que l'on découvre le quotidien de ses lutins dans leur "Pays Maudit", ou "pays des Schtroumpfs" comme il finira par s'appeler. Un monde plus verdoyant et chaleureux que dans "Johan et Pirlouit". Avec une forêt, des torrents, une cascade, de la salsepareille et aussi des humains. Notamment le méchant sorcier Gargamel dont on découvre la première apparition avec "Le Voleur de Schtroumpfs". Une histoire qui a été placée dans le livre, et cela je ne comprends pas, après celle du "Schtroumpf Volant" où l'on parle du chat Azraël et de Gargamel. Ce qui peut confondre les néophytes de la série et leur donner la sensation d'avoir manqué des informations qui auraient dû leur être mises de l'avant depuis plusieurs pages.

Malgré cela, c'est dans cette atmosphère de collaboration que Peyo et Delporte écriront leurs histoires. Des histoires sous un merveilleux coup de crayon très détaillé avec des cases bien expressives. Des épisodes avec de l'humour, de l'action, de l'aventure, et de la tension dramatique. Notamment celle intitulée "Les Schtoumpfs Noirs" où une mouche prénommée "Bzzz" transforme les Schtroumpfs en des lutins méchants dont les morsures deviennent contagieuses.
Des personnages dont la couleur noire a apparament dérangée certaines personnes qui ont pris cela comme une attaque raciste. Obligeant une censure notamment dans la traduction américaine de cet album et son épisode en dessin animé où les Schtroumpfs deviennent violets au lieu de prendre la couleur noire. Une réaction que je considère carrément comme du "politiquement correct paranoiaque" envers une lecture où je n'ai jamais vu une forme de racisme. Que ce soit quand j'étais enfant, adolescent, ou même adulte. D'autant plus que selon plusieurs lecteurs et des spécialistes sur l'univers des Schtroumpfs, l'histoire faisait référence plutôt à la Peste Noire qui a ravagé l'Europe au Moyen Âge. En fait, c'est comme si nous lisons une histoire de Zombies à la version de Peyo et Yvan Delporte. Mais sans démembrement ou de mutilation comme dans ce genre de film.

Par ailleurs, ayant été moi-même victime de racisme sur Internet et dans le métro à cause de la couleur de ma peau, je connais très bien la réalité de la discrimination raciale encore présente au vingt-et-unième siècle, surtout dans les pays qui se disent progressistes et ouverts, mais ne le sont pas. Et personnellement, je ne peux qu'être choqué de voir des gens attaquer un livre en l'accusant de racisme qu'il ne possède pas du tout au lieu d'avoir le courage de condamner comme il se doit le racisme et/ou le sexisme de certains chanteurs nords-américains et brittaniques du rock/pop/hip hop/heavy metal/rap, de certains cultes politiques misandres camouflés sous des couvertures de féministes, de certains activistes enragés, de certains politiciens charognards, de certains écrivains soit disant distingués et cultivés que l'on flatte trop au lieu de confronter et condamner, de certains académiciens et universitaires pompeux et nombrillistes, de certains experts médiatiques opportunistes, et des émissions à scandales (talk shows, tribunal à la télé) qui diffusent sur leurs plateformes des propos et comportements vraiment dégoûtants. Bref, si l'on prenait un peu plus de temps à confronter ces individus qui sont soit sexistes ou/et racistes plutôt que de s'en prendre à une série qui ravit les gens du monde entier, la société se porterait pour le mieux.

Ainsi, je considère ce premier livre des Schtroumpfs comme étant tout sauf raciste. Mais plutôt comme un pilier de la bande dessinée franco-belge et de l'animation reconnu dans le monde entier. Aussi bien par le public que par d'autres artistes (ex: South Park). Un pilier qui a, tout comme Johan et Pirlouit, lancé un trésor de la littérature européenne qui a enrichit la vie de nombreux lecteurs et téléspectateurs. Que ce soit en livre ou en dessin animé.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a 1975 hardback reprint in French from Dupuis (originally published in 1963 but first serialised in 1959) which has languished for a couple of decades in the attic.

This is the first in the series of comics starring the Schtroumpfs, who were secondary characters in the earlier Johan et Pirlouit series. This was one of my favourites as a young kid, and it is interesting to look at it with an adult’s eyes, so many decades on.

There are three stories in this collection, and strangely the second and third have been inverted in reading order.

The first is somewhat problematic viewed through today’s eyes. I understand the first English language edition redrew it to change the “black” Smurfs to “purple” ones to avoid accusations of racism, particularly in the US market. However, I really do not think there was any racial context here, rather a play on words as there is an expression in French “être dans une colère noire” which literally translates as being in a black rage, and another “être noir de colère” which literally translates as being black with anger. Controversies aside, this simple kid’s story is a very early example of a zombie apocalypse trope: a venom that causes an aggressive rage that is transmissible through bites. This is well in advance of George Romero and predicts the later vogue for fast zombies over shuffling ones.

The second story is a very good example of a repetitive joke growing with every iteration and is quite funny. It is however quite a conservative theme: don’t follow your dreams as it’ll only lead to trouble.

The third is a straightforward adventure with a threatening baddie who becomes the series’ main antagonist. Again, there’s a conservative subtext: do as you’re told or you’ll end up in trouble.

With those conservative themes, and the benevolent dictatorship depicted in the Grand Schtroumpf leading a population of identical minions, one must wonder whether this was intended to be reactionary, or in fact rather subtly subversive under cover of a kiddie’s book. I tend to think the latter, as the publishing house (Dupuis, and also the magazine Spirou) has something of a reputation for having a conservative front but hiding a bubbling cauldron of anarchy under the surface.

I have read this book many, many times and still find it interesting hence it deserves its four stars and also a closer look every so often.

[Josh Bizeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simply drawn, standardly colored, fairly innocuous yet ultimately shallow storytelling-- diversionary tales with diversionary characters whose thrust seems less to provide even the most accidental insight than to casually float through the reader as pure cartoon entertainment. I'll gladly give successive volumes a chance to see how the series evolved over time, assuming it did much at all, but none of the three stories contained in this volume were particularly worthwhile to my mind: The Purple Smurfs herks and jerks it way to a climax with the most deflatingly convenient sort of wrap-up, The Flying Smurf's ongoing shtick is spread far too thin while The Smurfs and His Neighbors is a relatively enjoyable tale, packing its "grass is not always greener" throughline in a short, somewhat artificially sweet package.

The most condemnable aspect of this particular volume, however, lies solely at the feet of the publisher, who opted to keep the skin color of the titular "purple" Smurfs altered from their original saturation so as to avoid offending the perceived sensitivities of a particular group of readers. How kind of our publishing overlords to assume the offenses of others and protect them from the horrors of "Les Schtroumpfs Noirs." How ever might we have survived that most dreaded of the deeply hued inks?

Censorship is loathsome in all its forms, jesting aside, but perhaps more so in the seemingly more innocuous context of it being done to a children's comic. If publishers will proudly alter a creator's work in this medium, then there is assuredly no other where they will find need to apply the proverbial brakes in their suppressive downhill coasting. When the author's original intent becomes lost, those of us as readers surely will be thereafter.

[Buchstabenschloss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meinung

Geschichte 1: Blauschlümpfe und Schwarzschlümpfe

Ein Schlumpf wird von einer Mücke gestochen, der ihn zu einem Schwarzschlumpf verwandelt. Dieser beißt andere Schlümpfe und verwandelt diese ebenso zu schwarzen Schlümpfen. Doch Papa Schlumpf kann ein Gegenmittel finden.

Geschichte 2: Der gefangene Schlumpf

Ein Schlumpf wird von Gargamel gefangen genommen, doch seine Freunde versuchen alles in ihrer Macht stehende zu tun, um ihn zu retten.

Geschichte 3: Der fliegende Schlumpf

Ein Schlumpf möchte unbedingt fliegen können. Dabei nimmt er sich alles von den Anderen um seinen Traum vom Fliegen zu erfüllen. Endlich in der Luft merkt er, dass es nicht das ist wie er es sich vorgestellt hat, sodass er auf die Hilfe der Anderen angewiesen ist, die ihn wieder auf den Boden zurückbringen.

Die Zeichnungen sind einfach toll. Die Texte sind leicht und eignen sich auch für junge Leser. Die erste Geschichte hat mich irgendwie an die aktuelle Corona-Situation erinnert mit dem Pingpong-Anstecken. Die zweite Geschichte zeigt den Zusammenhalt untereinander und wie wichtig dieser ist. Denn nur mit diesem Zusammenhalt können sie alles schaffen. Auch in der letzten Geschichte wird ein tolles Thema angesprochen: Träume. Es ist gut Träume zu haben, jedoch muss man sich überlegen wie man seine Träume erfüllen möchte und welche Konsequenzen das eigene Handeln haben kann.

Ich mochte die Schlümpfe schon zu meiner Kindheit. Im Vergleich zu den Serien, die es heute gibt, muss ich ehrlich gestehen, dass mir die alten Serien aus meiner Kindheit deutlich besser gefallen. Daher freue ich mich auch schon auf die Folgebände.

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku pertama serial Smurf.

Hahaha, ada 3 cerita di sini. Cerita Smurf Hitam ini kayak zombie attack versi Smurf. Seekor smurf tergigit seekor lalat hitam di hutan. Sekujur tubuhnya jadi hitam dan mendadak dia jadi beringas. Siapa pun yang tergigit, bakal jadi smurf hitam juga. Papa Smurf dibantu para smurf lain yang belum tergigit berusaha membuat ramuan untuk menyembuhkan para smurf hitam yang terinfeksi. Masalahnya satu smurf hitam ini ternyata pintar. Ia mengecat tubuhnya jadi biru lalu menyerang para smurf. Chaotic banget dah.

Cerita kedua, Smurf Terbang. Satu smurf penasaran ingin bisa terbang dan ia pun bereksperimen dengan segala cara dan benda. Masalahnya yang dia lakukan itu mencuri barang-barang milik smurf lain dan berakhir dengan rusaknya barang-barang itu tiap eksperimennya gagal.

Lalu dalam cerita ketiga, kita pertama kali diperkenalkan dengan tokoh penyihir jahat Gargamel. Demi menyelesaikan ramuan sihirnya ia menjebak dan menangkap smurf untuk dijadikan campuran rebusan ramuannya. Iiii sadis.

Papa Smurf dan para anak buahnya pun bergerak untuk menyelamatkan smurf. Di sini terlihat kalau sifat dasar para smurf itu suka menghindar dari tanggung jawab dan menunjuk orang lain seenaknya untuk mengerjakan pekerjaan rumit yang tak ingin mereka lakukan. Tapi di saat genting mereka bisa bersatu dan kompak menyerang Gargamel, loh.

Ada satu hal yang menarik dari buku ini, di beberapa negara, cerita Smurf Hitamnya diganti dengan Smurf Ungu! Mungkin untuk menghindari isu rasialisme, ya? Haha.