I’ve known about Bone for a long time, after all the series ran from 1991 to 2004, and I was reading comics for most of that period. Why I never picked it up, I don’t know. Especially considering it’s won 21 awards and was quoted as being “As sweeping as the “Lord of the Rings” cycle, but much funnier” by Time magazine.

Bone vol.1 - Out From Boneville

So I finally did, and decided to go with the coloured edition of volume 1 “Out From Boneville” and I am literally kicking myself for not picking this up earlier.

The plot, for vol.1, isn’t complex. Three cousins get run out of Boneville (their hometown) and end up separated in a jungle and find each other, along the way meeting the inhabitants of that area, both good and evil.

One thing I look for in the stuff I read is really fleshed out characters, and Bone has them in droves. Even though the three Bone cousins physically look relatively similar, you could never mistake them for being the same person. Memorable characters like the rat creatures, Ted the bug and the Dragon also add to the cast.

Oh and the book is funny. Whether it’s Phoney Bone’s crazy tantrums or Fone Bone’s obsession with Thorn, Jeff Smith captures humour perfectly. In a world of constantly “dark and gritty” comic books, I like that.

Fone Bone & Ted

But the big selling point for me, is how Jeff Smith can tell these nice small stories, but yet there is a huge overarching mythology that exists. How come only certain people can see the Dragon? What’s Gran’ma Ben’s history with the Dragon? Why do the evil forces want Phoney Bone? It’s these larger mysteries that are really sucking me in, and have made me purchase vol.2 – “The Great Cow Race” from Amazon.

Don’t be mistaken for the cartoony characters and bright colours. It may look like a kid’s book (and certainly, a kid could read it and love it), but there is depth for adult readers as well. Highly recommended!