Get into Bone with "Out of Boneville":The Tribute Edition

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Bone Trade Comic Book Jeff Smith

Wait, are you telling me you haven't read Bone? Really? Okay, stop reading this right now. Go! Go, buy Bone. Go buy this trade right now and come back. I'll wait here.

Oh, you're back? Great. Now, let me tell you why you need to keep buying Bone for your grandparents, your parents, your children, your nieces and nephews, and for yourself. I originally read Bone in black and white about a decade ago. Simply put, I loved it. It was funny, heart-warming, and sweet. I was in college at the time and remembered loving the simple, but wonderfully written story about this little creature, Bone, and his adventures. It brought me back to a time of well-crafted fairytales. Jeff Smith weaves a web that enthralls the reader into needing “just one more issue!” Going back to it a decade later, I knew there was no way the story could possibly hold up to the standards I had set in my head years ago.

In "Out of Boneville", you start your journey with a fleeing Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone. Four pages in, I close the book and look at my husband. Keep in my mind, I have obviously read this story already and adore it. “Honey, are you sure this is the first book? They just start on the run out of Boneville?” My poor hubby rolls his eyes. I have the worst memory in the world, stories I have read a thousand times and shows I have repeatedly watch all seem new to me every single time. It's a curse and a gift. “Yea,” is all he says, going back to what he was doing. Shrugging, I continue on, getting pulled back into this magical world of non-existing dragons, stupid, stupid rat-creatures, and cow-racing grandmas. The puppy love between the female lead, Thorn, and Fone Bone make me smile. And yes, oh my god, yes, it REALLY is as good as I remember. It has me giggling and forcing my husband to listen to me read lines aloud, because why not? And a line that has stuck between us for a decade is right there in print... the original “Winter is coming.” Game of Thrones' fans may know winter is coming, but “winter strikes quick” in the mysterious forest with the cutest visual ever. Anyone who lives in a state that gets snow understands the image of winter literally dropping in.

It looks like a kid's book, with the crisp, clean drawings and succinct word bubbles. As previously stated, I read the original in black and white. This trade offers beautifully colored images that meld well with the art. My toddler enjoyed flipping through the pages while mommy read him a few lines here or there. It's, quite frankly, ageless. Everybody will love this story. Out of Boneville offers the reader a complete story, but, of course, leaves you looking for more. This trade focuses on Bone's introduction to the forest and his quest to find his missing wayward cousins. There is something sinister going on in the background and all the characters seem interconnected, but you don't even need to delve in that far to love it. Just the face value story of this adorable Bone and his excitement and journey to make it through winter is enough.

This trade, the Tribute edition, offers a poem by “the stupid, stupid rat-creatures” about quiche, which much to my family's dismay, I had to give a dramatic reading of in the middle of the living room. There are also 16 pages of Bone art by other artists. They are fantastic. Images from Kate Beaton (The Princess and the Pony), Jeffrey Brown (Jedi Academy), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Doug TenNapel (NNEWTS), Craig Thompson (Space Dumplins), Dan Santat (Sidekicks), Greg Ruth (The Lost Boy) to name a few, fill the last few pages of the trade. Seeing all the different, yet similar, interpretations of Bone is awesome.

 

So the TL; DR: GO BUY BONE! That's all that needs to be stated. It's amazing. Everybody will love it. This is a timeless story you'll want to revisit.

Grade: 
5.0 / 5.0