I'd seen Bone sitting on comic-shop shelves for years, but nothing moved me to pick it up. Based on the covers, I assumed it was another talking animal book, with pearls of witty wisdom dropping from the lips of anthropomorphic characters engaged in cute but implausible situations.

Y'know the maxim, never judge a book by its cover? Case in point.

Jeff Smith's Out from Boneville begins with three diminutive protagonists, vaguely bone-shaped and recently ousted from their hometown for the political and financial machinations of their irascible ringleader, Phoney. Loyal cousins Smiley and Fone -- the true heart and hero of the tale -- follow him into exile.

A wrong turn, instigated by a swarm of attacking locusts, leads the three Bones on separate routes to a remote valley where their grand fantasy unfolds. There's a gruff but timely dragon, ferocious but dim-witted rat-creatures and a helpful bug, all of whom play a part in the tale. There's the lovely Thorn and her Gran'ma Ben, both of whom have more about them than meets the eye.

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. The first meeting between Fone and Thorn is a prime example -- the big-eyed bashfulness of Fone and the winsome innocence of Thorn are priceless. So, too, is the heavy-lidded moodiness of the dragon and Gran'ma Ben's deceptively blank smile. Smith also does a great job illustrating a frantic chase through the woods that, over several pages, uses few words and very little detail among the blackness, yet perfectly conveys the mood.

Out from Boneville lays the groundwork for a series that develops into a grand saga. Funny and dramatic, Smith has a winning story on his hands -- and it's time more people discovered it.

- Rambles
written by Tom Knapp
published 17 May 2003