“Yesterday’s” Comic> Smurfs FCBD Gold Book

The only thing gold here is the sponsor level for Free Comic Book Day.

The Smurfs: Free Comic Book Day Gold Book

Papercutz (2013)

The Smurfs (three stories)

WRITER/ARTIST: Peyo

TRANSLATION: Joe Johnson

LETTERER: Janice Chiang

CONSULTANT: Matt Murray

The Annoying Orange: “Bowling For Hollers”

WRITER/ARTIST: Mike Kazaleh

COLORIST: Laurie E. Smith

LETTERER: Tom Orzechowski

Ariol: “A Good Book”

WRITER: Emmanuel Guibert

ARTIST: Mac Boutavant

LETTERER: Michael Petranek

“The Ogre And The Smurfs” is the first Smurf story, as an ogre captures Gargamel. To escape he talks the ogre into tracking Smurfs for dinner but Papa Smurf is the only one not concerned when the ogre’s instincts brings him to the Village because Papa has a book of prophecy and believes it can’t be subverted. Then he subverts it. It kind of makes Papa Smurf look rather defeatist but at least he’s smart enough to burn the book at the end.

(No, I’m not going to do the “smurf” replacement thing. I like you people.)

The Annoying Orange and…friends? I haven’t watched the YouTube videos and what I’ve heard of the show it doesn’t sound like my kind of story. Anyway, they take on another team in a game of bowling, except they’re the balls. Or would be if Orange wasn’t the only round one on his team. It’s not terrible and the drawn versions of the characters are less creepy than the human face on actual fruit process the show uses. Maybe they should have just made cartoons?

Back with the Smurfs, “If The Smurf Moves You” is a short tale where some creature attacks the village but the Smurf it attacks is convinced it’s actually Jokey pulling a prank. Only after chasing it off does he remember he IS Jokey Smurf. At least Jokey knows when a joke is too far.

“Little By Little, The Smurf Makes His Nest” is the next story. Also a short one, the Smurfs…put a bird in a coocoo clock? What? Jerk move, guys.

Leaving the Smurfs, Ariol is an anthropomorphic aardvark (I think) is a children’s book inspired art flavored tale. Ariol’s mother leaves him behind at a bookstore, and he’s so engrossed in a book that he doesn’t notice the owner fall, get hurt, and get taken away by the ambulance. It’s actually not that great a story from my perspective. The joke on it’s own is meh, but having the kid so caught up in his reading that he doesn’t notice the owner’s plight after getting him the book doesn’t put reading lovers like myself in a good light.

So the last two stories have the leads being bigger jerks than the guy called “Annoying” . At least his insults were meant to try to help his team win. The first two Smurf stories are better, even with all the ads for further Smurf collections. Overall, it was an okay anthology. I like it when Free Comic Book Day comics have a full story or set of stories. It feels more like a comic than the previews they put out every week by the desk.