Book Review: Bone
In terms of sheer number of pages, Jeff Smith's all-ages comic Bone is by far the longest work I've ever recommended on Steemit- and it's more than worth reading all 1332 pages. Bone's won more awards than you can shake a stick at- 41, in fact, including 10 Eisner and 11 Harvey awards. I'm hardly the first to recommend it, nor will I be the last.
Bone tells the story of the three Bone cousins- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone. These three odd, cartoony creatures, exiled from their home in Boneville, end up finding themselves in a mysterious, lush valley, filled with dragons, simple rural folk, rat monsters, and more. They quickly get caught up in an adventure of truly massive scale- pun intended- as they try to protect their new friends and find their way back home. And, unlike so many all ages books, which are really just children's books, Bone is actually an all ages book.
The art style of Bone is, in many ways, reminiscent of Tintin- relatively simple characters over elaborate backgrounds. The divide isn't as strong as Tintin, however, and there's definitely quite a bit of variance in the characters- the Bone cousins are by far the simplest and most cartoony characters, while many of the rural folk, the rat monsters, and more are far more elaborately drawn, often coming close to the background complexity. It's a wonderful choice, especially in black and white. Don't get me wrong, the colored version is still excellent, but I've got a soft spot for a well done black and white book. There are countless Bone fans who prefer the color version- honestly, you can't go wrong either way. (The black and white complete collected version is only about $20, though, while the color is pushing $100.)
Just do yourself a favor already and read Bone. It's well worth your time.
I still have 'The Sculptur' on my to-buy list, from one of your previous posts. Should that one stay on top of that list, or should 'Bone' take its place?
I'd probably leave The Sculptor on top, but either would be a great choice to read first.
I just posted a “Stupid, stupid rat creatures!!!” image as a response to an appropriate comment yesterday. Bone still makes me laugh after all these years. I’ll admit, I enjoy the initial story arcs more than the later narrative, but the whole series is still worth reading.
I’m with you on the b&w, especially since that was the original publication format and Jeff Smith was adept at designing and drawing for it.
Love the rat creatures. They're an absolute blast.
@mountainwashere i will surely read this book..
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Yes! Nice post. I love this book and its characters. Great story telling and character development; a comic that will stand the test of time. I can't wait to share it with my young daughter when she gets older.
Bone is one of my favorite book series. I remember going to the library to get the next one in the series. Always left me wanting more and I still do. Phoney Bone was one of the best guys ever :). Always after the money.
I'm not sure what it was, but I could never get into Bone. I probably need to give it another try, as it's been a good 10 years or so, but I don't know...if it didn't hook me then, I'm not sure what another decade will do to help. :)
It's a nice little comic book!