Knick-Knack, Paddywhack, Go Out And Buy A Bone
Written by Manco
Imagine you are at a relative’s house for a winter holiday. Imagine everyone has to get one other member of the extended family one present. Imagine that you drew names out of a worn Phillies cap (it might be old in Age, but it is young in Love ). Imagine that you pick out the name of your cousin Norman, who is ten years old. Imagine that your cousin Norman loves comic books. Imagine that you recently received forty dollars for giving that old man at McDonald’s a hand job in the bathroom. What do you buy your cousin Norman?
Answer: the recently released collection of the entire series of Bone written by Jeff Smith, priced conservatively at $40.00. He will fucking love it.
Then, two weeks later, after cousin Norman passes out in his basement from doing too much meth, sneak into his room and steal the Bone collection.
This is the magic of Jeff Smith’s Bone. A wonderful blend of dark themes and light antics, Bone chronicles the adventures of the Bone cousins as they try to save a magical valley from destruction at the hand of the evil Lord of the Locusts. I know that this sounds like something you would find in a sixty page kids novel in the Kid’s Korner at Borders, but that is the true genius of Jeff Smith. Bone is essentially a family comic that is truly great for readers of all ages. The story is compelling and told in a way that makes it equally enjoyable for your drug-addicted little cousin Norman and your super-literate 50-year old aunt Shelly who takes a wee too much pain medication.
If aunt Shelly is smart, she can understand the literary devices found in the pages of Bone. Fone Bone, the main character and most proactive protagonist, goes through a traditional hero’s journey. Bone Bone’s cousins include the affable goof Smiley Bone and the penny-pincher with a heart of gold concealing a soul made of coal, Phoney Bone. Various characters in the series are comparable to Walt Kelly’s Pogo and that lovable curmudgeon Scrooge McDuck. Additionally, portions of the story resemble various high fantasy tales including such mainstays as the Lord of the Rings. Smith incorporates symbolism and myth into the epic tale he has weaved for the Bones. Bone is also practically Dickensian in the way Smith manages to make readers care about the minor characters involved with the Bone cousins.
So keep an eye out for Bone. No. Do not do that. Go out, right now, and buy that collection, instead of getting another forty dollars worth of electrolysis.
