The fairy-tale race of blue creatures has been functioning in culture since 1963. The booklet containing two stories - Smurfette and Hunger at the Smurfs is the third volume of the series! The originator of the series was Pierre "Peyo" Culliford (1928-1992), after his death, work on comics is continued by scriptwriters and cartoonists cooperating with the son of the Belgian artist, Thierry Culliford. Volume 3 - Smurfette and Hunger at the Smurfs - he filled in with Peyo's drawings, while working on the script, he collaborated with Yvan Delporte.
About miss and hunger, that is, a hungry miss?
As we know, few things can disturb the peace in the Smurf village. The most creative originator of unsophisticated pranks is Gargamel, a terrible sorcerer. At this point, it is worth noting that the discussed volume is one of the first in the series – some Smurfs do not live in the Smurfs village yet, others – are just starting. Gargamel creates a creature of clay, which – contrary to appearances – is able to change the fate of the heroes. As you can imagine, Smurfette will come to the village. But don’t be fooled, initially it’s far from the iconic ideal! The second story shows the Smurfs in a very difficult situation. They have to deal with an unexpected loss of stocks that were supposed to help them survive the winter. The Smurf village, or rather its inhabitants, can only be saved by Papa Smurf. He must try to feed his charges at all costs.
The beginnings are not that difficult
The third volume is the very beginning of the series about blue men. Readers who are already familiar with other issues will surely notice the differences. The inhabitants of the Smurf village have a number of vices that have been aptly captured by the scriptwriters. In addition, their bad habits are repeatedly presented on the pages of the comic, which may mean that Peyo wanted to accustom the audience to the characteristic features of individual characters and make them easily recognizable: Papa Smurf is a mature, powerful alchemist, the Poet is constantly looking for inspiration, Laluś cares about it, In order to look impeccable, Gourmand continues to eat, Zgrywus gives explosive gifts, Sleepyhead is asleep, and Grumbler – whines. What is worth paying special attention to is related to the specific humor in the notebook – the Smurfs are malicious and arrogant, and they even talk about cannibalism (indirectly, of course!). Peyo’s actions are not without significance for the creators of works inspired by the prototype, especially since many ideas have been transferred to the cinema.
Belgian craftsmanship
Smurf comic book is recommendable to all who simply like to read about the adventures of blue men. As I mentioned earlier, in the notebook in question some plot elements are more exposed, which could have been intended to interest the reader in the series at that time. There are many Smurfs in the volume, which we can admire from different perspectives. Significantly, the first story ( Smurfette ) is much longer than the second ( Hunger in the Smurfs ). This also translates into filling individual tiles with characters and events.
