Bone is one of the best comics in the world. Bone is written and drawn by Jeff Smith. In my opinion Jeff Smith keeps getting better at writing his Bone story over the years. One of the last Bone book he issued is Rock Jaw and it's in my opinion the best of his work.
Old Man's Cave: Okay, the new Bone book "Old Man's Cave" came out not long ago, and to be honest, I was actually somewhat dissapointed by it. Maybe was it just because the previous 2 books, "Dragonslayer" and "Roque Ja", had amazed me. But in truth, I didn't find Part Six so great.
My main criticism would be that it went to fast and it was contained in too few issues. Old Man's Cave had a lot of material, and to have all of it squeezed in only five issues makes the story feel rushed and under-developed. Many conflicts and sub-plots could have been brilliant, because they were present, but since they were not developed, they became irrelevant... I'm thinking, for example, of Kingdok's death, or of Gran'ma's untrustworthiness, or just of the deal about Phoney. These could have been brilliant; they became almost irrelevant. There was material for at least eight issues, I think, and to have only five really butchered it.
I didn't like Issue 33 from the start: almost all of the pages were just about Thorn trying to reach her decision of whether to try to find Fone Bone or not.
A lot of the dialogue was weak and very cliche (it's true that Jeff Smith often does that, but usually he does it in such a way that it becomes original and flavory).
The dream was very good, but the new character of Thorn is so frustrating. Of course, one can understand she has changed very much since the "Turning", but this is too much. It's too radical. None of her character previous to the Turning is recognizable, none of what made her one of our favorites in the past issues is around anymore. Even when she reunites with Fone Bone, it is impossible to recall their old partnership from Eyes Of the Storm.
Besides all that, the whole mood was so different that what it was from the past books. Even in Rock Jaw, which was filled with Drama and Intensity, there was still very good humor, which gave us that old classic mood that we find in the Bone Comics. It's what had made the Bone Comic so unique: one of its best moments was actually right during the Dragon Crisis (in Part 4: Dragonslayer) when Ted tried to "help" Phoney. There was hardly any of that in the whole Old Man's Cave development.
Some exceptions to my dissapointment were, of course, Granma's story in Issue 35, the 'truth' about Phoney Bone (revealed during Blood Moon), and issue 36 (where Fone Bone was truly magnificent). Though I do not understand: even though that moment was very well done, why did the Hooded One need to distract Lucius during the attack? Why was Lucius' presence so important that the Hooded One actually had to come himself to draw him from participating? A bit unrealistic there, I thought.
Truly, Old Man's Cave did not have much to do with the previous five books of Bone. Let us hope that Jeff, with his break, will go back to our beloved 'classic Bone'.
my favorite issue: #32 "Call of the Wild"
my least favorite issues: #12 "Retribution" and #18 "Granma's Story Pt Two"
The main characters in Bone are:
the Bone Cousins:
Fone Bone: the main character of the story. He is a little shy guy, or else he sometimes has a short temper, but he is also very brave, honest, caring, and he has a huge crush on the beautiful Thorn. Phoney Bone: cousin of Fone and Smiley, he is the greedy, manipulative, selfish, and also very stupid little Bone. He is suspected of being a powerful dreamer, because the Hooded One and the Locusts are after him. Smiley Bone: cousin of Phoney and Fone, he is the 'goofy' Bone. Although he doesn't have many worries in general and tries to enjoy life as he can, he sometimes sees himself as the 'big brother' of those that he very much cares for (Fone, Phoney, and Bartleby). His character was developed when he went to the mountains with Fone Bone and Bartleby, and he is expected to shine again significantly in the third and last part of the entire Bone Saga.
the people of the Valley:
Thorn: the beautiful, sweet, loving teenage girl that Fone instantly fell in love with when he met her. Potentially, Thorn is a very powerful dreamer. Her life changes for the worst when Gran'ma tells her that she is a princess and a person in danger. Gran'ma Ben (also known as Rose): Thorn's grandmother who has strength like no other human in the Valley. She was queen of the valley before her daughter and her grand-daughter Thorn. Being of the royal family, she is a powerful dreamer. When the War breaks out, she leaves Thorn to organize the defense of the Valley. Lucius Down: the bartender of the Barrelhaven Tavern, he is very rough and brutal in appearance, but he actually turns out to be one of the heroes of the saga. Although he loves Gran'ma and Thorn, he has much antipathy for the Bones (especially Phoney). the Villagers: they live in the village of Barrelhaven. They are very gullible and easily manipulated by Phoney. the Stick-Eaters: also called the Disciples of Venu, they were part of the army of Atheia before the kingdom fell. Since then, they live in the woods or in Old Man's Cave, apart from the rest of the humans. They wear hoods over their faces to show their separation from the physical world. They lives are also dedicated to the study of the Dreaming. the Hooded One: he is a rogue Stick-Eater and the vassal of the mysterious Lord of the Locusts. Supported by the power of the Locusts, he controls the Rat Creatures and is the most powerful dreamer of the Valley. He must bow down before the Lord of the Locusts. He thinks that Phoney Bone has the ability to release the power of the Locusts.
the Rat Creatures:
Kingdok: he is the leader of all the Rat Creatures. Personality-wise, he is very much like any Rat Creature. He dislike creatures that are not Rats. Recently though, the Hooded One and the Lord of the Locusts started taking control of the Rat Creatures, and Kingdok obeys the Hooded One out of fear of the power of the Locusts. the Two Stupid Rat Creatures: these two creatures are very stupid, hence their names. Their favorite lunch menu is any Bone creatures stuffed in a quiche. other Rat Creatures: massive and rapid creatures, their strength comes from the fact that they are very numerous. Bartleby: this baby Rat Creature was accidently left behind by the Rat Creatures when they took off for the mountains. Since then, he was temporarily adopted by Fone and Smiley who went to the mountains to try to give him back to his people.
others:
the Great Red Dragon: he is a great Dreamer too. He lives with the other Dragons in Deren Gard, the cave of all Dragons. He came above the ground since Fone Bone has entered the Valley. His motives for doing so are yet unclear though. For this reason, he is not trusted by Gran'ma. Ted the Bug: it is yet unknown the party to which this Bug belongs to, although he seems to be in cahoots with the Dragons. He has not done much during the Bone saga, except for his involvement in the Dragonslayer crisis. the Lord of the Locusts: he is an ancient spirit trapped inside a mountain. The Locusts have an amazing power over the Dreaming. Roque Ja: he is a big lion who pretends to be the master of the Eastern Mountains. He holds a very rugged naturalistic view of the world.
