Is Bone (by Jeff Smith) worth reading?

[HareBrain]

I've been aware of this title for ages but never felt inclined to try it, perhaps because of the basic drawing style used for the three Bone characters. Having watched a YouTube video extolling its virtues, and seen the huge % of positive reviews it has on Amazon/YouTube, as well as praise from Matt Groening and Neil Gaiman, I decided to give it a proper look, as it would keep me going for ages. So I found a one-volume edition in the local comic shop, read the first few pages and checked out a few random bits from the rest, but... I just couldn't see it. The art might be good in lots of ways but never seems to approach "wow", and nothing I could glean about the plot seemed complex or epic enough to justify 1000+ pages.

Has anyone here read it who can tell me what qualities it has that my quick look might not have uncovered?

 

[Matteo]

It's good and I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away. I kept thinking I was missing something - considering how well it's regarded. There was nothing deep and meaningful about it.

But, maybe I did miss something.

It's certainly not bad but there's better stuff out there.

 

[hitmouse]

I have only read the first volume. I thought it was terrific. Funny and clever.

 

[HareBrain]

I have only read the first volume. I thought it was terrific. Funny and clever.

Any particular reason you didn't read the rest?

 

[hitmouse]

Any particular reason you didn't read the rest?

The comics were expensive. I keep meaning to get the collected Bone.

 

[Matteo]

I picked up the full volume fairly cheaply on a deal (I want to say €20).

But don't misunderstand me - I liked it and it's certainly not bad. I'm just not sure why it gets such high praise. I suspect a lot is due to it being an independent publishing, in black and white, and doesn't involve super heroes. If you can get it for a reasonable price then do so.

 

[HareBrain]

If you can get it for a reasonable price then do so.

Didn't you find it too unwieldy to read?

The Kindle version would solve that and is only about £12, but I'm not sure the page size would be big enough.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

If you're a comic nerd and a fan of comic art, the technique in Bone is fantastic. It may not look too different from a news strip at first glance but peer closer at the way Smith uses the medium and controls the readers gaze it's masterful -- up there with the best. It's the kind of book that you tend to appreciate after reading something like "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud.

Smith's penmanship and gesture drawing are comparable to Bill Watterson. Very expressive. He also aims for the same kind of epic narrative as Moby Dick, but whilst not being pretentious or leaving it's comedy news strip origins behind. Something like Heavy Metal magazine meets Moby Dick meets Calvin and Hobbes with a smattering of old Warner Bros cartoons. It's pretty unique in the way it fuses all those together.

It's also one of those comics that's highly influential and you can see shades of it in many comics released today. If you're expecting a mature, Watchmen tour-de-force, that it is not. Anyone whose read a whole bunch of fantasy isn't going to be too surprised by the story. It starts off reasonably light and becomes a little more serious as it progresses.

The trades from Scholastic publishing are in colour. There are issues on the internet archive, too.

 

[Matteo]

Didn't you find it too unwieldy to read?

The Kindle version would solve that and is only about £12, but I'm not sure the page size would be big enough.

No, it was fine. And more enjoyable than doing so on a screen.

 

[HareBrain]

If you're a comic nerd and a fan of comic art, the technique in Bone is fantastic. It may not look too different from a news strip at first glance but peer closer at the way Smith uses the medium and controls the readers gaze it's masterful -- up there with the best. It's the kind of book that you tend to appreciate after reading something like "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud.

Smith's penmanship and gesture drawing are comparable to Bill Watterson. Very expressive. He also aims for the same kind of epic narrative as Moby Dick, but whilst not being pretentious or leaving it's comedy news strip origins behind. Something like Heavy Metal magazine meets Moby Dick meets Calvin and Hobbes with a smattering of old Warner Bros cartoons. It's pretty unique in the way it fuses all those together.

It's also one of those comics that's highly influential and you can see shades of it in many comics released today. If you're expecting a mature, Watchmen tour-de-force, that it is not. Anyone whose read a whole bunch of fantasy isn't going to be too surprised by the story. It starts off reasonably light and becomes a little more serious as it progresses.

The trades from Scholastic publishing are in colour. There are issues on the internet archive, too.

Thanks for this. The idea that it's a "comic fan's comic" makes more sense of what I've heard/read. As I'm not really interested in comics as a medium, and would be in it only for the characters and story, it does sound like I might be better off looking elsewhere, unless I can borrow a copy to try out.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Netflix recently reported that there was a plan to adapt Bone into a fantasy film, but this was recently cancelled. Has Goon went the same route?