Les Schtroumpfs

An immense classic of Franco-Belgian comics, Peyo’s lovable little blue characters have captivated generations of readers. After first appearing as supporting characters in an adventure of Johan and Peewith in 1958, the Schtroumpfs were given their own pages in    Le Journal de Spirou, followed by their own albums published by Dupuis. Fascinated by the Middle Ages, Peyo filled his stories with alchemists, sorcerers, and enchanters, and created an equally iconic antagonist for the Schtroumpfs: the formidable Gargamel. While humor is one of the series’ defining elements, the albums also reveal themselves to be sharp satires of populism and the excesses of democracy. Peyo’s warm, rounded artwork, inherited from the Marcinelle school, and the famous “schtroumpf” language turned these small creatures into a worldwide phenomenon, extending far beyond the boundaries of comic art. Smurfily iconic!