Montambo's review
Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
This star rating is the average of two factors:
1 star because I can't stand to look inside for long because it's soooooooooo ugly to me. It's the most disgusting looking world, and I can't imagine choosing to immerse myself in it. Barren landscapes, rocky hills covered with bones and caves and menacing tangles of dead-looking plants. Red eyes, hag lady, enormously muscled, hairy arms.
5 stars because my students are STILL reading these like mad. I never shelve them because they're immediately checked out. Each volume has several holds on it. If a new volume is published, they somehow find out before I do and pester me until it's in their hands.
So, I'm thankful for this series' existence, but I'm NEVER going to pick one up and read it, myself.
1 star because I can't stand to look inside for long because it's soooooooooo ugly to me. It's the most disgusting looking world, and I can't imagine choosing to immerse myself in it. Barren landscapes, rocky hills covered with bones and caves and menacing tangles of dead-looking plants. Red eyes, hag lady, enormously muscled, hairy arms.
5 stars because my students are STILL reading these like mad. I never shelve them because they're immediately checked out. Each volume has several holds on it. If a new volume is published, they somehow find out before I do and pester me until it's in their hands.
So, I'm thankful for this series' existence, but I'm NEVER going to pick one up and read it, myself.
I definitely have to side with your students on this one. I think Bone is one of the best adventure stories of the past 25 years, and a charming mix of elements from Tolkien-esque fantasy, Carl Barks and Don Rosa's Uncle Scrooge comics, and Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo. I can understand where Smith's artwork may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth trying to get beyond that and appreciate the story told across the nine volumes (or the one giant one, if that's your preference).
I'll take your (and my students') word for it!
Fair enough.
I don't get the rabid fan following, myself, but I'm definitely for getting kids to read more and for that reason I'm a BONE fan.(Much as I used to argue with my teachers when I was kid that, YES, my Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines are promoting positive values!)
