Papercutz Smurfs Anthology #2, The

The stories inside this book are funny. My son (9-year-old) loves it and takes it out from his bookshelf to read it. A perfect gift for kids and even for adult!

The smurfs are back in another big, beautiful anthology!As you may have gathered from the cover art, this Anthology contains Smurfette's introduction story, as well as five other stories, including one of Johan and Peewits adventures with the smurfs!-Contents"The Smurfette" (with introduction by Matt. Murray, Smurfologist)"The Hungry Smurfs""The Smurfs and the Egg" (with introduction by Matt. Murray, Smurfologist)"The Fake Smurf""The Hundredth Smurf""The War of the 7 Springs" (with introduction by Matt. Murray, Smurfologist)-Smurfette ControversyAlthough Smurfette is known as one of the most beloved and level-headed smurfs, she didn't always start that way. Originally she was created by Gargamel to bring ruin to the Smurfs. Please think of every irritating female stereotype you have ever heard of, and you can be certain that the original Smurfette had it. She was extremely silly and annoying. But by the end of the story, she takes notice that her actions have consequences, and begins to grow as a Smurf. She decides to leave so that she may have the opportunity to grow more, instead of causing chaos and rivalry among the Smurfs. She does not reappear in any of the other five stories in this Anthology.Many readers have expressed resentment to the way females are perceived in this story- as they should- and have unfortunately decided not to let their children read it. Keep in mind that this story was written for a different audience half a century ago. Other readers have taken this opportunity to sit down with their children and discuss sexism and how it has evolved over time. I recommend the latter approach. Honestly, I enjoyed the story since it helps give a little more background to Smurfette's past and to the time period that this story was written.-CommentsBefore the Smurfs had their own series, they were side characters for six issues of Peyo's other comic series 'Johan and Peewit.' But due to the Smurfs overwhelming popularity, readers forgot about Johan and Peewit, and focused their attention exclusively, on the Smurfs. The majority of those six issues have never been published in English. I am glad that Papercutz is putting the effort to translate those stories, and include one of them in each new Smurf Anthology. Personally, I enjoy them tremendously, but looking at the other reviews below, I can see that this opinion is not shared by everyone.Overall it's fun for all ages, kids and adults! It helps spark the imagination and takes you to a new magical world! Nowadays, it's rare to find a big, tall, hardcover book filled with beautifully illustrated comics at an affordable price. For the amount of joy this series brings to the reader, it's a steal!

Like volume 1, this is a high quality edition. The Smurf stories are great. Children between the age of 5 and 11 will love them.

From the moment I saw this omnibus with Peyo's most famous characters I knew I had to buy it. Great purchase and great comic and edition

My daughters all love Smurfs comics, but I don't know how they can read the tiny print on the individual books! This book is a very nice hardcover, which is quite a bit larger than the individual books. The print is still a bit small, but nowhere near as small as the individual books. This is sturdier as well, which is good, as it gets read over and over. The price is great too, as you'll pay less buying this than you would buying each story individually.