This story represents the more serious and dark side of the Bone mythology. In fact there are no Bones in this story, and the rat creatures are actually scary and never played for laughs. Even though they look the same, the added color of this story allows to paint them in a very dark tone, making them more scary.

Speaking of the art, Charles Vess does an incredible job in painting this wonderful fantasy story, and his colors bring a new side to the world created by Jeff Smith. However, his vision is perfectly in sync with Smith’s, from the characters design (including Rose, Briar, Lucius, the Rat Creatures and most surprisingly the Great Red Dragon, who looks like it was drawn by Smith himself), to the different environments. A truly great work.

Spoilers Follow!

At first we are introduced to the two sisters and how they differ. Rose really loves and respects her sister, and though Briar seems cold, there is a scene were we almost believe she cares about Rose and Lucius.

Obviously it is all an act, which is finally revealed to Rose once she manages to defeat a great danger, a rogue dragon. Many of the same themes from Bone are used here, for example the Locusts’ need for two individuals to perform the ceremony that would free him.

In this book we find out why Briar works for the Lord of the Locusts, and how he manipulated her by exploiting her weaknesses since she was a child. So even though she is a villain, we also understand why she became evil.

Before starting this book I thought I knew how it would end, connecting with flashback scenes depicted in Bone. However, this is not so and I was pleasantly surprised by this. I am not sure exactly how this ending connects with Bone, but I was very satisfied.

This prequel is certainly much more satisfying than Stupid Stupid Rat Tails. And the art is just beautiful. Recommended also to people who are unfamiliar with Bone.

This story is a very light comedy, very similar to the first few issues of Bone, without any of the more serious and dark background plot found in Bone.

In this story Bone finds a group of small animals, whose parents have been captured by the Rat Creatures. He then helps them fight back the Rat Creatures and get their parents back.

Big Johnson Bone is an amalgam of all three Bone cousins personality: when he tells stories people fall asleep (like Fone Bone), he is always looking for gold (like Phoney Bone), but he’s also fun (like Smiley Bone).

The art is by Jeff Smith, so it is completely in line with his main title. Full of well defined and “cute” little animals, as well as funny and scary Rat Creatures. There are no humans in this story, but there is a cameo of a certain fire-breathing individual.

This story is probably more for kids, I did not enjoy it a lot, though it was interesting for the connections to the main titles. I suspect the darker side of Bone is found in the other prequel, Rose. Coming up next.

I feel Bone is the best long form indy series. Since the beginning Jeff Smith had a clear idea where the story was going, and how it would end. This is an all ages book, so it appeals to the widest audience possible. The quality of the story and art is high and constant throughout the book, even though it took many years to complete this epic.

This series is also available in many formats: the 9 trades in black & white, the One Volume in black & white, and they also started the colored version by Scholastic. Take your pick.

The story of Bone starts by following the adventures of the 3 Bone cousins: Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone. They are kicked out of their home town Boneville, and end up in The Valley. Here they meet Thorn, Gran’ma Ben (Rose) and Lucius. This first part of the book is basically a comedy. The Bones are put into funny situations, especially with the Rat Creatures. There are hints of darker things to come, but it is mainly a funny story, ideal for kids.

Slowly though, we find out more about Thorn and Rose’s past, how their fate is related to the dragons and the hooded one, the lord of the locusts. The second part of the book becomes more about this darker story of their past, while the lighter scenes are less and less. They are still there, but they are shorter. In essence, this becomes an epic fantasy story, not unlike classic fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings. It never gets too dark that it might scare kids, but it is dark that it is very compelling for adults.

Spoiler warning: from now on I will discuss detailed plot points of this series, so if you have not read Bone I highly suggest you stop reading this review.

There are many similarities with Lord of the Rings (LOTR). The Bones are short and mostly fun creatures, like the Hobbits. The dragons go underground because they don’t want to deal with the Lord of the Locusts, just like the Elves did in LOTR. The big bad is incorporeal, just like Sauron. And just like Sauron, he has generals that amass a huge army and prepare to invade the The Valley. Thorn is the lost princess who returns to save the day, just like Aragorn. Bone has big battle scenes between a number of different races, just like in LOTR.

This is not to say that Bone is derivative. It is just to show that Bone is a real fantasy epic, almost as well thought out as LOTR. It is less complex, but a great story nonetheless.

I really like the mystery angle, not only of Thorn’s past, seen in her dreams, but also of the identity of the hooded one. Her and Rose’s story was the most intriguing for me, as well as the conflict between Rose and Briar and Lucius. The past history of the world is also a very nice story, tying with the history of the dragons. I wish we’d seen more of the dragons, not only the red dragon but some other dragon as well. I also thought the “dreaming” was a clever concept.

Of course this series is also about the Bones, but I found their story less interesting. I still enjoyed their funny misadventures, especially Phoney and Smiley, but I found myself drawn to the rest of the story more and more. Also, Phoney’s quest for richness became annoying after a while, and we didn’t see enough of his good heart. Sure he loved his cousins, but even terrorists love their family. At first the fact that Briar needed him was promising, but when that was resolved I was underwhelmed. How stupid can she be, thinking that a promotional election balloon in the shape of Phoney is a “sign”?

I am not sure Fone Bone’s role was all that important, I feel like he was there mainly to support Thorne morally. Yes, he was instrumental to the final resolution, but I didn’t feel he was that much important, unlike Sam and Frodo for example.

Some memorable moments: the unmasking of the hooded one. Thorn vs Kingdok fight, both first and last fight. Phoney knowing where the Crown of Horns is. The start of winter, twice. Thorn and Fone inside the ghost circle. Thorn’s dreams (all of them). Fone’s dream, the one with the Red Dragon’s gigantic face. Thorn flying.

I’ve read many reviews saying that the series’s quality dropped towards the end. Not for me. It became different, but I enjoyed it just as much. A truly great series. Not perfect, but still great.

There are still two prequels to this series, so I can’t wait to read those.