Hello? Hello? This wiki's been very quiet as of late... I'm starting to get worried! I haven't really posted anything in awhile and I said I'd be creating recommendation blog posts for you folks – the ever-so-radiant wiki contributors. You must be thinking: "Wow, it's not like anyone actually reads these!" In fact, you're probably not thinking that right now because you're not even reading this... right? Whatever.
In any case, if you're a fan of Amulet, no doubt you like... fantasy? Adventure? An engrossing plot with quirky and lovable characters? Maybe you just like comic books? I'm willing to bet that most of the readers for Amulet have already heard about Jeff Smith's equally brilliant series Bone, but maybe you haven't heard of it and that's why you're not here, not hearing about it, and not reading it! For shame!
If that's the case, maybe now's the perfect time to start... amiright? Cartoonist Jeff Smith manages to seamlessly weave together the zaniness of classic Looney Tunes cartoons and Tolkien-esque grandeur in this graphic novel series. I'm preeeetty sure I stole that comparison from a quote on the back of one of the books, but I digress. Like Amulet, Bone has been published by Scholastic's Graphix division in nine, full-color volumes. However, before Scholastic got ahold of it, the series started out as irregularly serialized black-and-white comic books in 1991 – almost 15 years before it was professionally published! Did you know that Bone has also served as inspiration for Kazu's own work?
Here's Wikipedia's full synopsis, since my previous attempts at describing it have been muddled:
- "The series centers on the Bone cousins, white, bald cartoon caricatures. In the opening pages of Out from Boneville the three Bone cousins—avaricious Phoncible P. "Phoney" Bone, goofy cigar-smoking Smiley Bone, and everyman character Fone Bone—have been run out of their hometown of Boneville after Phoney's campaign for mayor went awry. After crossing a desert, the cousins are separated by a sea of locusts and individually ending up in the mysterious Valley and must make their way across the fantasy landscape pursued by rat creatures. They joyously reunite at a local tavern called Barrelhaven, where they are taken in by a mysterious girl named Thorn and her even more enigmatic grandmother. Fone Bone instantly develops a crush on Thorn when he meets her, and repeatedly attempts to express his love through poetry. As they stay longer in the valley, they encounter humans and other creatures who are threatened by a dark entity, the Lord of the Locusts. The Bones are quickly drawn into the events around them, compelling them on a hero's journey to help free the Valley."
- —Wikipedia
Like I said, there's a very interesting storyline, outstanding slapstick humor, and some pretty heartfelt moments. I wouldn't call it entirely similar to Amulet, but it caters to most of the same audience. I started reading the series when I was maybe nine and right about when I first truly started getting into graphic novels, so it's been with me for awhile now. Definitely check it out if you haven't already!
Recommended age: 9 and up
