Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume

5 Responses to “Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume”

1. Hendrik Nassau says:

   May 16, 2010 at 1:52 am

   This review is mainly about the content, not the plot, as too many of persons have been written already. Bone is a wonderful graphic novel series. The tale is excellent, the characters are fresh (relatively, Thorn is a whole lot like Princess Leia from Star Wars), and the illustrations range from excellent too magnificent. But, the philosophy is messed up a bit (Magic? Dreaming? Hallucination brought on by locusts? Balance between excellent and evil? Isn’t excellent supposed to be the only thing around?). Sexual content is about the H. Beam Piper level-a .5-it shows up on a total page space of 9 pages, 2 pages in Fantastic Cow Race and 7 pages in Ghost Circles-entirely of the bare midriff variety, so many people would say I’m splitting hairs, and even then, it shows up in panels totalling 4 5/12 pages, out of a small over 1300 pages, and is referenced outside of marriage twice-and the man regrets it, especially because it results in a defeat for the Valley People. Thank you, Mr. Smith for your restraint. Language content is a 1-mostly taking the Lord’s name in vain for the Bones (Question, as Jesus or God is never mentioned, why can the Bones take their names in vain?), and a few others. Violence is a 4-bodies lying around, a name’s body factually explodes, people and creatures are taken down by swords, arrows, claws, and teeth, but you mainly see the aftermath. Christian parents, let your 9-12 year ancient read this, then engage them in a conversation about their faith. Non-Christians, let your 9-12 year ancient read this, this one of the better books I have read. 4 ? out of five due mainly to muddled theology.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
2. Anonymous says:

   May 16, 2010 at 4:28 am

   Bone:One volume edition is definetly a fantastic book, but if you’re 8 or younger, you should wait until you’re 9 and up. Bone’s a excellent comic–with the favorite line “Stupid, Stupid Rat Creatures!”– but with terrible theology, which means “The study of God”,But the plotline,wording,and art is understandable,unlike,of course,the Harry Potter series. Bone:One volume edition is a fantastic book. Get a copy—RIGHT NOW!
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
3. Phillip N. Meiser says:

   May 16, 2010 at 7:18 am

   Bone is an enjoyable comic, and for many in my age bracket it was our first taste of a graphic novel that was not about superheroes. It is a serious yet still fun piece of literature, suitable for both children and adults, but a large part of its appeal is from the crisp visual style and bright colors of the original printings. The setting is gorgeous, and the world’s inhabitants are lively and fun. The art utilizes lighting effects and background color constantly to set the tone for each scene, and I can reflect of at least two characters who are hard to tell apart lacking the benefit of color. Seeing this collection in black and white made me very sad, because I know so many people will miss out on half the charm to the tale. When I got this tome as a present, I only made it a few pages in before I had to place it down and go buy the color volumes myself.

   The comic is a cartoon, illustrated by a talented artist, and it deserves to be seen as it was proposed. Rendering it in black and white for this printing makes it less expensive, but you get what you pay for. Buy color.Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
4. Benjamin D. Collins says:

   May 16, 2010 at 7:39 am

   This book would have been fantastic if I were ten years ancient, but I’m twenty two years ancient. I read it because I like comic books and am interested in reading what are considered milestones of the form. Bone is a worthwhile read, but don’t go into it expecting “the greatest comic book ever” like I was told. The best comic books ever are Sandman, Watchmen, Cerebus, Astonishing X-men, David Dull, Maus, etc. and if you like these books and expect Bone to play on this level you will be disappointed.

   If you are kid between the ages of seven and twelve you will probably like this.

   If you have an insatiable hunger for fantasy literature then lumpy Hobbit rip-offs are nothing new to you and you will find this one no doubt agreeable.

   If you routinely make expensive comic book buys on a whim, because owning comics is a priority to you then this is probably better than some.

   But if you want to read an appealing or original comic book then there are probably better places you could go: Cerebus, for example.
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
5. joey joe joe Jt. Shabadu says:

   May 16, 2010 at 8:08 am

   This review is more about the physical charactersitics of this book than the actual comic.

   The comics, content-wise, are fine. But this one-volume set is in Black And White while the individual volumes are in gorgeous color (the color is done by Steve Hamaker, I don’t know if these comics were originally unrestricted in B&W or not)

   If you want the whole “Bone” tale in one package, then this is the way to go. But in my opinion the color really adds to the comic (I got interested in the “Bone” books because of the artwork, so I personally didn’t want the B & W version)

   Also, the paper is really thin in this collection (you can see the artwork come through the additional side of the page), wheras the color versions are on nicer glossy paper. And the pages are a bit smaller in this one volume set than the individual books.

   In regards to the writing; a name pointed out in an earlier review, and I would have to agree, that “Bone” touches on all the fantasy genre cliches. And also others have noted that Jeff Smith draws heavily from Walt Kelly’s “Pogo”, both in the look of the artwork and the dialect the characters use.

   All in all, the one-volume set is economical, but you compromise a small of the artwork.
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5