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Press, 1977; Mietz, Roland. “Lieutenant Blueberry.” In Lexikon der Comics , ed. Marcus
Czerwionka, pp. 1–44. Meitingen: Corio-Verlag, 2005; Platthaus, Andreas. Moebius.
Zeichenwelt. Frankfurt/Main: Eichborn, 2003; Schleiter, Klaus D., ed. Blueberry und der
europäische Western-Comic. Berlin: Mosaik, 2003.
Martha Zan
BONE is a comedic fantasy series written and drawn by Jeff Smith. Th e series ran for
55 issues beginning in July 1991 and ending in 2004. For most of its run, Bone was
published by Smith and his business partner and wife, Vijaya Smith, through their own
company, Cartoon Books. For a brief period beginning in 1995, it was published by
Image Comics. Th ey reprinted the fi rst 20 issues and continued with 7 issues, at which
point the series reverted to Cartoon Books. Smith developed many of the characters
and settings of Bone while a student at Ohio State University, in a single-panel strip
called “Th orn” which ran in Th e Lantern student newspaper. While Smith was still a
student, many of these strips were collected in a book entitled Th orn: Tales from the
Lantern. Th e book only had one printing of 2,000 copies and is very rare today.
Th e protagonists of the series are the three Bone cousins—steadfast Fone Bone,
scheming Phoney Bone, and dim-witted Smiley Bone. Th ey are introduced shortly after
they have been exiled from their hometown of Boneville as a consequence of a plot of
Phoney Bone’s devising. While searching for food, the three characters are followed
by mysterious rat creatures. Shortly, it is revealed that the rat creatures are looking for
Phoney Bone specifi cally, as the star on his shirt is a sign.
Th e Bones end up in “Th e Valley,” where they are taken in by a young woman named
Th orn and her Gran’ma Ben. Th eir early adventures with Th orn and Ben exemplify
the light-hearted nature of the series in its fi rst few years. As part of an annual event in
the nearby village, Gran’ma Ben participates in a foot race against local cows. Phoney Bone
tries to rig the race so he can become rich. Meanwhile, Fone Bone nervously expresses his
romantic feelings for Th orn. Th e action is character-driven and largely comedic.
In the midst of these stories, Smith drops hints that ominous events may be forth-
coming and that the characters might have secrets unknown to readers. For instance, a
rocky past is hinted at between Gran’ma Ben and Fone Bone’s seeming protector Th e
Red Dragon. As the series continues, it grows in scope, becoming more serious and
increasingly focused on plot.
Th e valley faces increasingly dangerous attacks from the unseen Lord of the Locusts,
usually represented by his minion, Th e Hooded One. Th orn and Gran’ma Ben, who
had seemed to be a simple country family, are revealed to be a princess and her heir.
In order to defeat the Lord of the Locusts, Th orn and Gran’ma Ben travel along with
the cousins to the kingdom of their ancestors, where Gran’ma Ben and her sister Briar
had been princesses in their youth. Gran’ma Ben takes her rightful place as queen, and
our heroes engage in a war against the forces of the Lord of the Locusts. Using Th orn’s
newly-developed powers and the magical Crown of Horns, they defeat the Lord of the
Locusts. As the series closes, the Bone cousins depart for Boneville once more.
