De Smurfen #36

This Dutch-language Smurfs album from Standaard Uitgeverij carries a wonderfully chaotic cover: a long chain of Smurfs stumbles along in a conga-like line, while Smurfette watches with obvious concern and one Smurf at the front clutches what appear to be purple beans — the very troublemakers promised by the title "De Smurfen en de Paarse Bonen." In the background, more Smurfs scramble around a wooden wagon, one of them tossing a giant vegetable into the air, hinting that these beans are already causing mischief on a village-wide scale. A cheerful, all-ages adventure from the Peyo Creations stable, this 2017 entry in the long-running Belgian series delivers exactly the kind of colorful, good-natured mayhem that has kept the little blue villagers beloved across generations.