Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume

i have already bought the bones series volume by volume and love its take on mixing fantasy, humor and pogo-like characters. i would wholeheartedly recommend getting the series.

my only problem is with the ONE VOLUME EDITION, and that is only if you are INTERESTED IN THE ART. the volume is smaller in size but even that isn't a real issue. the problem is with the THINNESS OF THE PAGES, the artwork from the other side shows through (kind of like the wording shows through on many bibles). this hurts smith's beautiful black and white inked drawings (to me at least), and since graphics are what makes it a graphic novel, it might be an issue for someone that doesn't get to flip through the pages before buying it.

but it is a GREAT DEAL FOR THE PRICE. and i would still prefer the cheap volume over not having it at all. (BTW, i had to have the last 2 volumes ordered through a bookstore and they came in hardback instead of softcover and they are beautiful with a map on the interior binding, a gold-inked illustration on the front cover, a wrap-around book cover with the softcover art over that, and is worth the $5 or so extra if you are going to buy volume by volume).

Jeff Smith's BONE is a wonderful comic, and you should definitely take the time to read it, but I want to talk specifically about this "one volume" edition, as there are a few problems that might affect your buying decision.

Please be aware: This volume contains Jeff Smith's wonderful original black and white artwork, not the newly colorized version by Scholastic (which is also very pretty, but not how the comic was originally released).

It's fantastic that BONE is finally available in one volume, and the cover is really cute, but in order to fit this vast story into a single volume, the paper used for printing was chosen to be thin. REALLY thin. So thin that you can not only see the artwork printed on the other side of the page... but also the artwork on the *next* page. That's right, you can see TWO pages worth of imagery coming through the white areas on the page.

Unfortunately it's quite noticeable, and for a comic book comprised of beautifully drawn images, this is a bit of a let down.

However, if you're new to BONE, or on a budget, then by all means grab a copy of the "one volume" version of this brilliant comic. You'll still laugh and enjoy the story, you just won't be getting the best presentation of the wonderful artwork... not by a long shot. (Longtime fans should especially be aware.)

If you want to see the story in higher quality (although not how it was originally presented) then Scholastic's newly colorized version is what you should go for (although you will have to pay more for it). That's your best bet (until a deluxe version of the original black and white artwork is released for us purists :), until then, those new to BONE will probably be happy with this one volume edition.

I absolutely love this series but I didn’t realize this was in all black and white. I should have read the reviews but I knew I loved the series so I didn’t think I would need to. I’m going to return it because it just isn’t the same.

I never know if I'm supposed to review the story and artwork, or the item itself. Guess both.

The story is awesome. The artwork is amazing. Smith is funny and clever but the endearing plucks to your heartstrings are what will really bring this book alive. I've let five people read it over the years and everyone has the same initial reaction; "this is a kid's book," and the same final reaction, "this was one of the best books I've ever read." Even people who don't read comics love this book. If you're a reader of epics, don't let the cutesy first impressions deter you from reading this book. Once it's underway, you'll be glad you jumped in. On that note, buy it and lend it. Because it falls out of normal circles, I don't think it ever got the recommendation attention it deserves.

As for the item itself, it's a great big rectangle of impressive angles. It's massive, but somehow they got the proportions right, as it's not a pain to hold while reading. It doesn't close on itself or anything. I have a few other books where they made the book dimensions larger to decrease page size, and what you get is long, hard-to-turn, easy-to-rip pages. This is far better.

Highly recommended.

I'm upset it took me so long to read this book. I'm a professional cartoonist, and I go through comics like nobody's business... yet for some reason I never got around to reading 'Bone' until last month. I've thumbed through 'Bone' many times in the book stores, and even owned a few of the Schoolastic colored books, but I had never managed to read the entire story until just now. Despite the daunting 1300+ pages, I finished the book in less than a week. It was hard to put down.

The story is told in both lighthearted and mature tones, weaving several elements of folklore and mythology into a fleshy story and with a setting that feels real, despite the seemingly cartoony artwork. Smith's artwork is fantastic, it conjures the 'funny animal' aesthetics of Walt Kelley and Carl Barks while also featuring wonderfully designed human characters in a style reminiscent of Will Eisner's. The inking is also top-notch, and this book is best read in the original black-and-white as it helps fuel the composition and maintains clarity between characters and the environments they're drawn into.

The only complaint I have has nothing to do with the artwork or writing, but rather the quality of the print and paper. The paper is very thin and makes many of the rich black and white pages feel a bit muddy because you can see the artwork on the next page bleeding in. It's a concession I imagine had to be done to get the entire 1300 pages into a single volume, but it does distract from the experience a bit.

I've already gone back and revisited my favorite parts of this book several times, if you like quality cartooning and comics, this is an absolute essential.

My 4th and 5th grade students love this series so I thought I would buy the whole set in one volume. They LOVE the way it looks (9-11 year olds are impressed by size, and this bad boy is the size of one of the last Harry Potter books!). Unfortunately, it's too big for them to handle comfortably, and since it's printed in black and white, they prefer the individual books. It works perfectly as a teacher's copy, however. I can put markers in for each student, and never have to hunt for my book. It's also considerably cheaper than buying the whole series individually. It's a great way to get the whole story and not have to worry about losing one or more books I'm very pleased with my purchase.

The black and white Bone: One Volume Edition is being re-printed in September 2006. So if you really want it, avoid the price gouging and wait. (Just do a search on Amazon in September since it might be a different product page that you would be buying from).

I first read the Bone series as a kid, picking them up from Scholastic book fair events and inhaling them with enthusiasm. I was drawn to the trades by their fun and colorful covers. As a kid, I really liked how Jeff Smith combined silly, cartoonish characters with grit, danger, and smarts. In turn, it made me feel smart and empowered. And that encouraged me to continue on my path as a young illustrator and writer. I owe a lot to Mr. Jeff Smith. But enough about me-- let's talk about BONE!

BONE is what happens when worlds collide. More specifically (and maybe a little less dramatically), BONE is what happens when some folks escape angry mobs in their town, wander through the desert endlessly, and stumble upon another, more magical land. The first thing readers will notice about BONE is that it feels like a strange mash-up of two different concepts. The silly, bald Bone characters from the modern town of Boneville are completely different from the high-fantasy humans they meet on their adventures. There is a feeling of cross-over, a blending of setting and time, a comical and bizarre mish-mash of total opposites-- and it feels like a match made in heaven. Strangers in a strange land have never been, well, stranger.

BONE is an epic fantasy. Don't let the big-nosed, doofy protagonist throw you off. There are loads of light-hearted laughs and feel-good comical moments, but there are also waves of intense dialogue, dramatic sequences, and good ol' baddie butt-kicking. The story is surprisingly dense, with many layers that lift and reveal the next great arch. There are some serious surprises. A sense of mystery and magic lingers around some characters and events, reminding the reader that this is a dark and different world. Tense moments are interrupted by hilarious antics, silly exchanges between characters, and great visual gags by the talented hand of Jeff Smith.

The characters (all of them, every one) are dynamic and lovable. Even the bad guys. Seriously. Bone has a pretty big cast of reoccurring minor and major characters, but Smith manages to breath a sense of consistency and personality into each and every one. They are all individuals that densely populate a sometimes beautiful, sometimes scary, but nonetheless interesting world.

The world feels classic and timeless at first glance, but it is filled with its own set of unique twists and turns. The innocent beauty of idyllic forests and quaint villages masks the dark and strange happenings beneath the surface.

The story? Well... I'll let you handle that one on your own. I wouldn't want to give anything away. But trust me, it's weird and wonderful.

Although I first read BONE as a child, I definitely still enjoyed it as an adult-- and not just for the nostalgia factor either! If you are a fan of graphic novels and comics, or you just want to try something new, grab a copy of BONE and settle in for an adventure!

This is a review of the edition I bought, not the story itself...
I got the softcover with the "Winner of 10 Eisner Awards..." bubble and the _Time Magazine_ quote on the cover. It seems to me that the ISBN is the same no matter which edition of the softcover you get.

The quality of the printing is good. Sharp, black. No issues from what I've seen.

The map at the back is printed across the gutter, which seems like a poor choice every time I see it done, but I know that it's hard to get that much detail in a map if it's smaller and fold-out maps are too expensive and not really very convenient.

The problem I have with this printing is the paper. It's very thin. White, and smooth, but thin. Under strong light, and especially in large frames that feature landscapes (even the cliffside scenes) the white space shows the frames on two or three pages behind. It's not a deal-breaker or anything, but it's distracting--these are exactly the panels where the book is most beautiful and exciting.
Would thinker paper have cost more? I'm sure it would have. It's a $40 book as it is. Maybe $55 would have been too expensive, and the collection wouldn't have sold as many copies. I dunno, I'm not a publishing expert. I'm quite sure that the 9-volume set I've read before didn't have this problem, and I'm pretty sure that the last time I bought the one-volume edition it didn't look like this either.

I guess this is kind of a throwback to the look of vellum-printed books from a few centuries ago, but TBH it's not a welcome one.

People, this is a great book, a classic for the ages. If you've ever liked Lord of the Rings, classic Donald Duck cartoons, Tintin, Asterix, or anything comparable, do yourself a favor and pick up this collected edition- very reasonably priced, for being the sum total product of ten years of a man's life. Jeff Smith is a modern comics treasure, and we are lucky to have had him.