Bone, Vol. 1: Out From Boneville [Paperback]

Jeff Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005 | Age Range: 11 and up

The cornerstone of GRAPHIX, our new graphic novel imprint, BONE is the incredible comic book saga of the unwitting hero who must save an idyllic valley from the forces of evil.

The BONE adventures tell the story of a young bone boy, Fone Bone, and his two cousins, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, who are banned from their homeland of Boneville. When the cousins find themselves mysteriously trapped in a wonderful but often terrifying land filled with secrets and danger - and special new friendships - they are soon caught up in adventures beyond their wildest dreams.

In OUT FROM BONEVILLE, the three Bone cousins are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley where they come face to face with...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The nine-volume Bone graphic novel series was the toast of the comics world when it was published by Smith's own Cartoon Books beginning in the early 1990s; in this first volume of Scholastic's new edition, the original b&w art has been beautifully converted into color. Smith's epic concerns three blobby creatures who have stumbled into a valley full of monsters, magic, farmers, an exiled princess and a huge, cynical dragon. The story is something like a Chuck Jones version of The Lord of the Rings: hilarious and action-packed, but rarely losing track of its darker subtext about power and evil. This volume is the most lighthearted of the bunch, though, featuring some of the wittiest writing of any children's literature in recent memory--a few of Smith's gags are so delicious that he repeated them for the rest of the series. It also introduces the Bone cast's unforgettable supporting characters: the leathery, tough-as-nails, racing-cow-breeding Gran'ma Ben; the carnivorous but quiche-loving "rat creatures"; a spunky trio of baby opossums; and Ted the Bug, whose minimalist appearance (a tiny semicircle) exemplifies Smith's gift for less-is-more cartooning. The way his clear-lined, exaggerated characters contrast with their subtle, detailed backgrounds is a product of his background in animation, and so is his mastery of camera angles and choreography. This is first-class kid lit: exciting, funny, scary and resonant enough that it will stick with readers for a long time. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up–A whimsical journey, cunningly told. It combines fable with American legend in a tale of greed, friendship, and struggle. The story follows three cousins who have been thrown out of their town for cheating the citizens. Shortly thereafter, they are separated. Each Bone stumbles into a mysterious valley full of odd creatures that reveal strange happenings. The story is well paced with smooth transitions. It is dark, witty, mysterious, and exciting. The full-color art reflects that of classic comic books; one glance at the comic cels and one is reminded of old Disney and "Peanuts" cartoons. However, the animation and fresh story line put Smith in a league of his own.–Scott La Counte, Anaheim Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; First Edition edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439706408
• ISBN-13: 978-0439706407
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Comics & Graphic Novels

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work by Jeff Smith February 23, 2005

By Roger A. Mccoy

Format:Hardcover

If you haven't read the work of Jeff Smith, you are missing out on not only one of the greatest series of comics in recent memory, but what may be the greatest fantasy epic since the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. I highly recommend picking up Bone in any of its editions, although I lean toward "The Complete Bone" myself. However, there is one significant advantage of the edition listed here that none of the reviewers have mentioned yet (that I've spotted, anyway): This is the first release of Bone in full colour, as opposed to the black-and-white art contained in the previous tomes of the Bone series (with the exception of Rose). This series is so excellent that I'm tempted to get this edition despite already owning the complete black-and-white edition, and I cannot think of higher praise than that.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bones Bones Bones! March 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

Bone, by Jeff Smith, is an adventurous book about a lost trio that got split up in a dessert. Fone Bone has to find his friends before two furry monsters eat him! If you like funny comics and strange adventures this is your book! 138 pages of eye-pulling comics are a hysterical way to start your day. If you like this book you will LOVE Jeff Smith's others. Matt Groening (The creator of the Simpsons) says Bone is a great read! Heads up Garfield, you've got a rival!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for giving us this wonderful treat March 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

This is one of the best comic books of all time. Read it and you will be undoubtably amazed by this funny and unforgetable tale of the three bone cousins. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and buy it.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Epic For All Ages. The Wonder of Jeff Smith's BONE. June 1, 2005

By Michael F. Hopkins VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

For those who find the arena known as Comics to be a

field of endless narrative possibilities, Jeff Smith's

BONE is a wonderful adventure. Filled with sobering

peril and merciless laughter, the saga of three cousins

lost in a strange land offers rich characterization

and many an ethical turn with each page. For those

who still regard Comics as a hopelessly unworthy

field, fit only to encourage ignorance and delinquency,

I submit that one good read of this first chapter,

OUT FROM BONEVILLE, will alter your perceptions on

this matter, forever.

Since its debut in 1991, Smith's saga of camaraderie,

hi-jinks, and deeper responsibility has set high marks

for Fantasy literature, and stunned the world of the

Sequential Arts. A prodigious epic which spans nine

volumes (and an illustrious prequel, ROSE), BONE is

a captivating read; alluring in its charm and immediacy,

and warming in its ability to be genuinely cute without

succumbing to the artifice of cutesiness.

That Smith achieves this in a tale of dragons, lost

princesses, sibling rivalry and prickly innocence

marks BONE as an exceptional masterpiece for all

ages to enjoy.

With the time-honored Scholastic Press currently

issuing the 9-volume saga in color, the tale now

becomes available to a whole new audience.... With

direct distribution into schools and libraries,

as well as other institutions which an independent

press (such as Smith's own Cartoon Books) might be

harder-pressed to reach, the opportunities for

BONE are more auspicious than ever before.

Those familiar with the Sequential field, as well

as those older newspaper strip readers, will see

Smith's immense mastery of the idiom. BONE's

blend of ticklish escapades and tense relationships

will call to mind both the cunning wit of Walt

Kelly's POGO and the flesh-n-blood nobility of

Harold Foster' PRINCE VALIANT.

Others who love the bright pugnacity of POPEYE's

E. C. Segar will delight in the rolling action

which frequently takes place here. Lovers of

J.R.R. Tolkien and Michael Moorcock will be

enthralled by Smith's thought-provoking forays

into the issues of Balance and Excess, and

how each character comes face-to-face with

the choices to be made.

Bottom line, however, is that Smith is very

much his own man, and BONE is very much his

hallmark upon the annals of great literature.

As humble in its presentation as it is majestic

in its unfurling, the tale of Fone Bone and

Thorn is a story which packs one thrilling,

thematic wallop.

Count on Jeff Smith's BONE to keep you

enthusiastically involved with each turn

of every page, from start to finish

throughout this volume, as well

as throughout the many chapters

to come...... Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining October 5, 2006

By Christine Gates

Format:Paperback

The book Bone - Out of Boneville is about three cousins that get chased out of town by a mob of bones (bones are little creatures that look like ghosts). The cousins get separated in the woods and try to find there way back to each other.

The book is laid out like a comic book. It has colorful pictures and very detailed graphics which make it fun to read.

My favorite part of the book was when the Locusts attacked and they all fell down into a canyon and bumped their heads. It made me laugh to think of them rolling down and down.

I think that other kids my age would like this book because it was fun to read and I can't wait to continue with the series to see what other kind of trouble the cousins get into.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My 8-year-old went crazy over this book September 29, 2005

By Boy Mom

Format:Hardcover

I have been trying to find something new for my 8-year-old son that really grabs him. I found this book by accident and could not be happier. I have found him reading after bed time under his covers to find out what happens next after our nighttime reading ends. He has put all the remaining volumes on his Christmas list.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Graphic Novel ever named December 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

The first Graphic novel I ever read was some Pokemon one from Japan not the best to start out with...But kept seeing Bone: Out From Boneville and eventually bought it. It's a delightful tale about the wonderfully cartoony "Bone" Cousins who are dragged into a more serious and entricately drawn world filled with Rat Creatures and a "Hooded One." The main charcter Fone Bone is usually nude except for his cloak. He is seperated from his cousins in the desert while running from rioting villagers and locusts and soon finds himself in a mysterious valley with the help of a Map. He must survive the winter from Rat Creatures with his friend the dragon to find the Mysterious "Thorn." The other 'Bones' included are Phony Bone who wears a shirt with a black star and is a spoiled rich Scrooge without the Christmas bashing and Smiley who is just like Goofy from Mickey Mouse. The trio lead seperate adventures eventually crossing paths outwitting rat monsters (Stupid, Stupid Rat Monsters!), pulling cow racing scams at the local tavern and trying to get too Boneville desperately. I would recommend this to those of all ages, Graphic Novel fans and those interested in the art of it. This series is off to a good start.