Smurf Wars: The Smurf Epic

This violent graphic novel seems promising:

The story starts after the Smurfs' invasion of Gargamel's Castle. They finally captured and killed him, as well as his cat Azrael. As a trophy, the cat's preserved body was put at the center of the village's main square, as a reminder of Dark Times forever gone, or so they thought...

There was a period of peace and prosperity, everything went well until a disease took over the weakened body of Papa Smurf. Shortly before he died, Papa asked Hefty, the strongest Smurf, to take care of his children in the hopes that they never suffer from the lack of anything in his absence. Hefty, now living with Smurfette, his fiance, accepted this responsibility and, even with very little experience, lead his people with great wisdom. What he didn't know was that envy was always growing in the heart of Brainy Smurf. He, with his thick glasses, and enormous intelligence was the new leader's adviser and suffered deeply by the unrequited love of the only girl in the tribe: Smurfette. Also, he felt that he should be the new leader. After all he was the smartest Smurf and second-in-command behind Papa Smurf.

Jealous and envious, Brainy breaks away from Hefty and starts to preach a new ideal for his brothers: a Democracy! Educated and persuasive, he convince nearly half of the village with his revolutionary ideas. The Smurfs are now divided into two groups: those who support the Hefty centralized regime, and those who defend the democratic ideals of Brainy. Gradually, that which was only a debate heated on ideologies becomes a serious conflict. With tensions running high, a Civil War is declared and Brainy and his followers are expelled from the village and forced to live in the forest. Exiled, humiliated and angry, Brainy plots his revenge against Hefty. Knowing that Hefty and Smurfette had never had sex because they are not married, he orders a surprise attack at the village under a cold and rainy night.

via io9

In Praise of the Smurfs

When I was a little boy, the greatest cartoon on the air was The Smurfs. These little blue characters were created by the Belgian comic book artist Peyo in 1958 and made into an animated series in 1965 and a movie in 1976. Imported to America, The Smurfs (a.k.a Smurfs' Adventures) premiered in 1981 and ran for ten seasons, producing 421 episodes of Smurfy goodness.

I had other favorites as a child, mostly manly, robotly fighting shows cartoons like Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Transformers, and He-Man: Masters of the Universe. These appealed to my dormant testosterone and thirst for adventure. But The Smurfs was different. Though not utopianist, it depicted a world that should be, and I think that even at that young age, the Smurfy world was an ideal world.

I've occasionally watched The Smurfs since my childhood, and enjoyed it almost as much as I did then. Not many children's cartoons have that kind of staying power, but The Smurfs was always exceptional.

It is very much a 'family values' show. The Smurf village is a loving, inclusive community that cares for individuals despite their faults (e.g. Lazy Smurf, Stinky Smurf, Scaredy Smurf). Like most children's television, The Smurfs attempted to contribute to the moral development of its viewers, but always did so in a way that was not overbearing or cheesy, nor were the values political, but interpersonal. The Smurfs had simple messages, like if you have a pet, take care of it. Face down your fears. If you commit to doing a task, do it. People who are different from you aren't necessarily bad or ugly. In the midst of children's television that pushed environmental or victimization agendas, The Smurfs was a breath of fresh, non-political air.

The Smurfs accomplished this in a thoughtfully-crafted show. The voice acting was superb, and the animation clean, neat, and detailed for an American production. The scoring was excellent and well-chosen from the classical tradition, like Schubert's Unfinished Symphony. The scripts were clearly written for children (The Smurfs cannot be said to be written at two levels), but the writing was not sloppy because only children would be watching it.

It is, in short, a fine show of enduring quality, both of the technical and of the moral. The Smurfs continue as icons of the 80s because we yearn for the peaceful, Smurfy lifestyle for ourselves. The Smurfs are, in that way, eternal.

Here, enjoy some Smurfy goodness:

My Smurfy Valentine:

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Sir Hefty:

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The Darkness Monster:


The Crying Smurfs:


Brainy Smurf, Friend to All Animals:


Dr. Evil and Mr. Nice:


Jokey's Funny Bone:


All That Glitters Isn't Smurf:


Can't Smurf the Music: