Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume

Jeff Smith started the Bone series back in 1994 when I was but a meager ten year old. I can vividly remember going to the grocery store with my Mother and begging her to buy me the latest issue of Disney Adventures. Due to my insistent whining, my Mom finally caved and bought it for me. When I got

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home and cracked the cover, I eventually made my way to their comics section and gazed upon Fone Bone for the first time.

To the best of my knowledge, that was the only exposure to Jeff Smith’s Boneville I'd ever received. Years later (19 to be exact), my curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed the complete omnibus from my local library. Outside of this panel, which for whatever reason stuck with me through the years, I knew next to nothing about the character or his story.

Fone Bone and his two cousins, Smiley and Phoney, are driven from Boneville following an outlandish scheme involving Phoney's bid for the Mayor. Lost and alone, the three are trying to find their way home. Following an unplanned separation, the Bone cousins will soon embark on an epic journey involving dragons, rat creatures and a simmering conflict that is about to boil over.

It took Smith ten long years to fully play out the Bone saga and while he amassed 1,300 pages, it felt like a quick read. In theory, something that takes that long to write and kills that many trees should not be something you can knock out in a week. However, Smith's storytelling moved it along at such a brisk pace that I hardly noticed how much I was consuming in one sitting.

I will say that while I really enjoyed this book, I wouldn't recommend reading the black and white omnibus. While the artwork is still something to admire, the full color versions are that much better. Just looking around online, I spotted a few comparison shots that really show off just how tremendous those colorful pages are. If you can stomach paying the additional cost associated with the full color version, I would recommend choosing that one.

Bone is something that will occupy your lap or the arm of your favorite reading chair, not your palms. Hey, if you really want to try and hold this in your hands, don’t blame me if your wrists unexpectedly snap. This is one seriously big book. Smith did divide the epic into 9 separate volumes, all of which are full color and a little easier to grasp. While I did borrow this from the library, it is something I would eventually like to own and I believe the individual volumes may be the best route to go.

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Jeff Smith's Bone series, I can honestly say, is one of those occasions where a comic book series grows out of itself into actual literature (and not to bring up the question of what does the "genre" literature actually consist of, I hope you understand my meaning). It is a grand, sweeping, epic

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story interspersed with humour, tragedy and love. I have heard it compared in some ways to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and I can see that comparison. It is a story of good versus evil, where the side of good can only hope to overcome the perils of evil, and yet they find a way. I'd love to be able to recount the entire adventure, but that would take too long.; the series consisted of 51 issues, and the One Volume Edition collects all 1,332 pages of the entire story in one huge tome.

The artwork is beautiful, all rendered in black and white line drawings. It has a cartoony feel to it, but it fits the feel and pace of the story. The dialogue is well written, the characters are fleshed out and believable and the flow of the narrative is perfect. I really can't recommend this more.

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With an omnibus thick enough to choke, kill, and dismember a horse, Jeff Smith's collected Bone comics don't exactly challenge or redefine the genre, but this mash-up of cutesy Shmoo-like protagonists, pastoral hijinks, restless spirts, unrequited love, and the planet-cracking antics of gods gone

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wild is broad enough to transcend the boundaries of garden-variety funny books and merit the badge of "graphic novel."

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Truly a comic classic. Starts off small - reminiscent of the early days of animated cartoons - and grows to a fantasy epic with enormous scope, huge armies clashing and enormous, mythic battles.

Bone is, in a word, EPIC. The art is sweet and somewhat cartoon-y, and lacks the grit and grime that seem to mark most modern day adult comics, so you may be tempted to dismiss it as just another kiddie comic.

Don't.

The scan and scope of Bone, the use of archetypes of good and evil while still

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developing unique, sympathetic characters, the use of fantasy to comment on our world, and the consistent quality of both the writing and art, are enough to ensure that this comic endures. Plus, there's the simple fact that it's GOOD; that it's funny and thought-provoking and heart-wrenching, all at the same time.

I think we comic readers are constantly calling out for works that can elevate comics from entertainment to art, that are strong enough to stand the test of time. Bone is one such comic. I can only hope that in the future, comic readers and literature lovers alike will have a copy of this on their shelves (perhaps next to Maus and Sandman?)

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Brilliant art and story telling; funny, touching, and epic in storyline and scope: Bone is a must read for students of visual narrative or fans of "modern fairy tales."

Love it, love it, love it. There's not a single thing to complain about it, and if I listed all the things I liked my review would be as long as the book. Suffice it to say that you don't have to like comics to like this. If you like ANYTHING, this is a must-read.

Smith's evocative and energetic drawings tell an enthusiastic and deeply-felt mini-epic. His simple chiaroscuro backgrounds create a fantastical but very real world. His strange cartoons mix with caricatures of realism to produce an easy-to-understand psychological reality.

However his very strong

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characterization sometimes falls prey to simple archetype, which weakens the story and the suspension of disbelief. However, otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable, funny, endearing, and exciting read.

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I LOVE LOVE LOVED LOVED this book! I'd give it ten stars if I could!

Jeff Smith's Bone illustrates the compelling power of contrast and contradiction. Bone is part all-ages fantasy epic, part character piece, and part social commentary. The Bones are a dysfunctional family unit comprised of three cousins with conflicting personality types that are exiled from their

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urban capitalist society. Through their sometimes comical, sometimes somber, and always epic adventures in a medieval feudal land, the Bones learn the value of family, community, and charity.
There is a child-like innocence that permeates the material and is conveyed through Jeff Smith's heavy line-work and visual character design. The fantastical characters and monsters in Bone are visually reminiscent of the American Saturday Morning Cartoon series of the 1980's, while the environments are mundane and steeped in realism. Despite the seeming conflicting styles, Jeff Smith uses the backdrops to create a sense of place and time, while maintaining an emphasis on the aspects of the book that really shine, the characters themselves.

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Awesome, awesome, awesome. One of the funniest and most exciting books I've ever read

Truly a comic classic. Starts off small - reminiscent of the early days of animated cartoons - and grows to a fantasy epic with enormous scope, huge armies clashing and enormous, mythic battles.

This is a truly epic graphic novel. Since I purchased it I have seen it in smaller, individual, volumes that are printed in full color. Apparently, it was originally released in black and white so purists would be happy with this volume. Having seen the colorized versions, I do think the color adds

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something nice and I'd be tempted to purchase it in color if I didn't already own it.

In any case, the story itself is a bizarre tale of three brothers who are chased out of their home land and wander into a strange and unfamiliar world. The mix of artistic styles was a bit jarring to me, at first. The Bone characters reminded me of Disney's Scrooge McDuck or Mickey Mouse, although they are apparently modeled more after Pogo which I have not read. The rest of the scenery and characters are drawn much more realistically. The same sort of mixture occurs with comedy and, well, maybe not tragedy, but drama. The story is engrossing and well told and draws you right into its depths.

All in all, a fine fantasy comic drawn and written in an engrossing manner. I might have rated it higher, if I hadn't started to burn out on fantasy novels.

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Bone is a graphic novel by Jeff Smith about a trio of "Bone brothers" named Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone. They are exiled from their home town because of Phoney Bone's political faux paxs and have to find their way to a new home and a new life. After being separated, the story chronicles

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each bone's adventure through enchanted forests, meeting supernatural creatures some friendlier than others, and their run-in with one tough talking grandma and her sweet natured granddaughter. With the help of the friendlier characters and creatures, the Bone brothers become the pivotal forces in helping overcome the dark intentions of evil doers in the strange new world they come across.

This book was ok. I think it would really appeal to young boys who could identify with Fone Bone's well intentioned but not always correct decision making! I personally don't have the attention span for graphic novels because in order to understand what's going on, you really need to pay close attention to all the dialogue. This is something I find is difficult for me personally to do. I like stories that can emotionally hold me captive since that's the only way I can pay attention long enough to finish them. I did think that the characters were well developed and that the dialogue was witty. I thought Phoney Bone was hilarious! I think we have few guys like him sitting in our senate seats now! I also enjoyed Gran'ma Ben. She reminds me of my Oma, very no nonsense!

For extension ideas, we could have a lesson on map reading. We can discuss the perils of the Bone Brothers and how knowing how to properly read a map could help them on their way.
Another idea is incorporating a lesson on what to do if you get lost. The techniques of finding safe adults, staying in one place, knowing your home address, last name, and phone number are all components of safety we could discuss.

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Exiled from Boneville, the three Bone cousins wander into a valley where the population is threatened by monstrous rat creatures and protected by dragons.

The Bone series is a must-read for anyone interested in graphic novels. It took Jeff Smith thirteen years to write, but the wait was definitely worth it. On the surface this seems like a simple story, but it's packed with tons of great socio-political stuff and a lot of genuinely good humour.

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Definitely check it out.

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This was a wonderful book, the art fit the story so well. Its a story of 3 "Bones", they became lost in a different land and just want to go home. They meet many characters, dragons, humans and "monsters". The Bones become mixed up in the "politics" of the land, and try in their own fashion to help

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out.

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This is one of those things where I feel like I've definitely seen imagery from it in a lot of places in my life but I never knew anything about it and never had any interest in reading it. Then a youtube video of all things made it seem really interesting so I gave it a try and I was hooked. Bone

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is a very engaging fantasy epic with interesting characters and a very fun world. Like, it's a medieval fantasy with dragons that is actually inventive instead of stale. The rat creatures are my fave and the talking bugs are pretty cute (I wish we saw more of Ted's older brother tho).

The only qualm I have is that it's a bit dated in its depiction of women. The female lead, Thorn, frequently has torn clothing that just looks like it might fall off at any moment. And the one-sided "romance" between Fone Bone and Thorn is a little creepy. I mean, it's a bone creature of indeterminate age and a human woman. Weird. Luckily it's resolved well without ever getting toooo creepy and the sexualisation of her is minimal. So still a solid recommend from me.

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Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone have been run out of Boneville, and are now on the wildest adventures. This book takes place in the woods with adventure monsters.

Blends the good old Disney comics (yes, there used to be good old Disney comics) with the best that Elfquest ever produced. You know you are interested. Actually if you haven't heard about this and read it already, there is something very wrong with you. In fact, there is something very wrong with

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me for even writing a review of this. It's like writing a review for Watchmen. If one is interested in good comics, one has already read this. Otherwise one hates comics, and would hate this. Unless one liked crazy epic stories with funny cartoon protagonists and Moby Dick references, which is secretly all of us. Which brings me back to you should read this. Except that you probably have already. I'm so frigging confused. Jeff Smith signed my copy of Bone. He drew a picture, too. He was very nice. It was at an English teachers' conference. Even my students like Bone. What just happened?

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The Bones, small creatures with big noses, head out from Boneville and find themselves a major part of an epic that spans generations, with witches and dragons and ghost circles and cow races. This is a very fun, sweet story with a lot of humour and a happy ending.

Bone by Jeff Smith. A nine-book series of graphic novels. And yes, comics absolutely qualify as reading! My sons and I all enjoyed this series – fast, high-interest reads with plenty of action, humor, romance and fantasy. Pretty much everything you could want, and the coolest red dragon ever.

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Grades 4-8. Rick Riordan

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love this book

I have been a sucker for comic books my whole life, but mostly the superhero kind. This story has terrific characters (good and bad), magical elements, epic battles and cute little furry raccoon kids, all rolled into one. The mashup of realistic drawings (humans, settings) with more cartoonish

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characters (Bone, the dragons, etc.) is a real feast for the eyes. I personally have a soft spot in my heart for Kingdok, but you'll have your own favorite.

Note: My son required me to read this.

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