Having already said a lot about this book, this will not be an in-depth book review; however, I think it behoves me in the course of writing about the Bone series that I offer some broader thoughts on this, the first volume.
First thing's first:
The story and art of Out from Boneville really held up under examination -- my comment at the start invoking The Lord of the Rings may have appeared overblown (and it is true that in a holistic sense, you cannot directly compare anything to Tolkien's work) but from an entertainment value perspective I find such an invocation as meaningful here as it would be for Star Wars, Avatar: TLA or any other well-loved fantasy adventure. After Out from Boneville tees you up in the same way that Book 1 of the Fellowship of the Ring does, you cannot help but want to continue to see the journey through.
Generosity and anticipation
You know, I just love the way that Phoney has this pronounced jaw that lets him frown easily, while Fone Bone practically has no chin. It's a little thing that could go unnoticed, but I wanted to point it out as a demonstration of the artistic decisions in Bone. There are so many of these little things, some of which I've already pointed out in the recaps and some I will probably address in later reviews. All in all, it fosters the gratitude of the audience when reading a well-crafted adventure story -- the writer/artist Jeff Smith is so gosh darned generous.
Along the same lines. the hints as to what will come next and the plot threads left hanging at the end of the book are more than enough to bring someone back for volume 2. If you look at the actual plot of Out from Boneville, it is not that complex (at least, from the perspective of Fone, our "mainest" main character). Around 10 major plot points and a summary that could fit into a medium-sized paragraph. The actual plot density is not important -- it's more important that we are introduced to the Valley, the characters and an intriguing mystery. This is more than enough to make the audience anticipate the adventure to come.
All of this and the six previous recaps has been in pursuit of the best and well crafted techniques and features of Out from Boneville. I could probably write as much again about these if I wanted to; there is that much to talk about. In the end, though, I'd rather continue into The Great Cow Race.
Until the next review, enjoy your comics!
