Out of Boneville (Bone, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Stupid, Stupid Rat Creatures.
Review: This whole series is amazing. It's a great all ages comic and I wouldn't have to think twice about recomending it to anyone. It's also a great book for parents to read to their children.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and dramatic.
Review: To say too much spoils the surprises that await readers at every turn. But I must confess up front that my early impressions of the artwork were wrong. While these black-and-white pages might look simplistic at first glance, I quickly discovered that the book is packed with detail -- and the expressiveness of Smith's characters, shown through face and body posture, is exquisite.

Rating:
Summary: Completely sucks you in...
Review: Wow. This book will draw you in like an inexorable tractor beam. What exactly does it? The art work? It's great - the part ultra-real and part ultra-cartoon style gives the entire package credence while also nurturing fantasy and surrealism. The story? It's also great - part fantasy parody part adventure ala Crusoe part disturbing evil cult part ridiculous somehow all comes together in a coherent whole. How can a comic have a group of thickly-outlined blobs (Fone-Bone, Phoney-Bone, Smiley bone) that exude entirely different personality traits, a very realistically drawn beautiful woman who becomes the love interest of one of the blobs (Thorn, who Fone falls for), a tough as nails grandma who knows how to fight giant rat creatures and race cows, a group of gangly and stupid rat creatures who are led by even bigger rats and ultimately a creepy hooded creature, a large red dragon with a bizarre sense of humor, and resolve into an amazing and mesmerizing story that any human of almost any age can appreciate? Seems impossible, but here it is!
Volume One begins with the blobs' (Fone, Phoney, Smiley) exile from Boneville. Locusts separate them somehow onto vastly different paths. The story takes some twists and turns but is ultimately about the trio reuniting and finding their way back to Boneville (where a mob apparently awaits them). On the way Fone-Bone meets Ted the bug (and his big big big brother), some rat creatures (who try to eat him, but have issues), Thorn (a beautiful woman who Fone goes gaa gaa over), and Grandma. apparently Phoney Bone has done something that has attracted the "hooded one's" attention, and he has rat creatures (big hairy things with mawfuls of fangs) on patrol. The volume ends with the impending cow races, which Phoney and Smiley plan to fix, to the fortunes of both. Fone-Bone also attracts the attention of the Red Dragon, but for what reason is not answered in volume one.
The interplay of the characters and the artwork make this a great comic book read. It's very hard to put down once started. Also, it's very funny, but not at the expense of plot or character. Great all around.