Bone, Vol. 4: The Dragonslayer

I got the first volume - Out of Boneville - to read to my 7 yr old granddaughter. She loved it, so I got the whole set bound in a single volume. In this form the entire volume is in black and white except for chapter title pages, which is not as attractive.

The good news first: The artwork is brilliant, the storyline is captivating, and the characters are simply irresistible; witty, hip, contemporary, etc. Better yet, the primary protagonists are two females... a grandmother and her teenage granddaughter. Both are attractive and feminine, but wonderfully powerful, decisive and effective - never masculine or "comic-booky". Moreover, their characters (and many others) are extensively developed - which is why this truly is a graphic NOVEL. Aside from this series (and Harry Potter, for older kids) I've looked without success for literature that includes girls as intelligent and competent protagonists. This series helps to fill a dreadful vacuum in literature for girls - although it will surely be of equal interest to boys.

And then the bad news: Some aspects of the storyline are not terribly appropriate for younger (or maybe, any) children. 1) Much of the storyline occurs in or revolves around a tavern. 2) Gambling is a central issue to the storyline and, although not especially glorified, neither is it condemned. 3) One scene, although innocent and handled delicately, involves mixed nude bathing (which I personally found inoffensive). But for the first two problems I'm certain that the "Bone" series would have shaken the world of young people's literature as Harry Potter did.

Despite my reservations, my granddaughter wants to hear nothing else at bedtime, and we're on our 3rd time through!

"The Dragonslayer" is the fourth volume in the Bone series. The story really moves quickly in this book. Even the humorous sections are focused on the storyline, which wasn't always the case in the previous books. This is another outstanding volume in the series.

We learn a lot about Thorn in this book; her relationship with Rose, and with the Dragons. She questions her abilities, and her resolve, but ultimately she rises to the occasion. Fone sticks by her loyally throughout, but the most interesting relationship has to be between Rose and Thorn. Thorn is very critical of the way Grandma Rose has kept information from her, and she does not hold back her opinion. Rose is dejected, and disappears fairly early on in the book. Phoney Bone continues his plotting to scam the villagers and return to Boneville after taking their stuff. Lucius is trying to locate Rose after she disappears, and Smiley Bone continues to provide some lightness to the story. A continuing mystery is the cloaked men, who show up periodically, but arrive just in time at the end of this book.

Jeff Smith has again astounded me with the hardback publishing of the Dragonslayer series. A great plot, witty dialogue, and precise drawings make this one a must for any hardback collector.

Timeless is every way, "Bone" is an expansive story about three "bone creatures" (you'd have to see them to understand) that find themselves in a valley peopled with an assortment of crazy and interesting characters. Looming over it all is the menace of a great evil, first glimpsed by the ferocious (and funny) rat creatures, but later revealed to be something much more disturbing.

"The Dragonslayer," the fourth in the nine-volume "Bone" series, ramps up the tension and dramatically increases the scope and scale of the story, while retaining touches of its all ages humor.

This volume picks up where the third left off, as revelations about the main characters and the evil looming over the peaceful valley central to the tale draw the reader more fully into Jeff Smith's wonderfully-woven plot. Though still geared towards an all-ages audience, the deeper issues that make this compelling reading for adults really begin to show here, taking prominence over the humor through a good portion of the book.

Smith combines the kind of classic storytelling perfected by the likes of the legendary Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) - gleefully funny cartooning with outrageously expressive faces and gestures - with the epic and engaging plotting of a sweeping fairy tale. "Bone" walks a tightrope and walks it well, managing to be something fans of both Donald Duck and Bilbo Baggins can enjoy.

Jeff Smith's "Bone" series is a critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked epic. Critics recognize Smith's masterful storytelling abilities and are drawn to his mix of all-ages humor and more mature darkness, but the black and white art and lack of superheroes turn off many comic book readers, making it a hit only in the "underground" sense.

And that's too bad, because this deserves to be read. Readers able to look past the lack of men in tights and color artwork will delight in this series. Little doubt people will still be reading "Bone" 50 years from now. Broad in scope yet personal and quaint, this is a charming story in every way that will surely outlast 90 percent of other comic works on the shelf.

This comic has it all:the zany poetry of Peanuts,the wry criticism on human fallacies of Doonesbury,and the philosophy of Calvin and Hobbes,plus a scent of the best Pogo.Phoney Bone is the real negative hero of this book:his manipulation of the brainless masses superb,his total lack of scruples joined whit a nietzcheian rationalization ("People like to be victims! There's a sort of moral superiority attached to it...)unparalleled.If he fails,it is only for the spirit of sacrifice of the Dragon,a real Christian image,I dare say.Phoney Bone is a veritable Stavrogin of comics.