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Bone
Bone, Vol. 5: Rock Jaw Master of the Eastern Border
Trying to return a rat creature cub to the mountains, Fone & Smiley Bone encounter yet another adversary: the sly and mighty mountain lion, Rock Jaw.
In this fifth volume of the BONE saga, Fone and Smiley Bone strike out into the wilderness to return a lost rat creature cub to the mountains. It doesn't take long before they run smack into Rock Jaw, "Master of the Eastern Border," an enormous mountain lion with a none-too-friendly disposition. Life gets even more complicated when they befriend a group of baby animals who are being orphaned by rat creature attacks. Everything comes to a head in an earth-shattering clash between Rock Jaw and Kingdok, the leader of the rat creatures.
In this fifth volume of the BONE saga, Fone and Smiley Bone strike out into the wilderness to return a lost rat creature cub to the mountains. It doesn't take long before they run smack into Rock Jaw, "Master of the Eastern Border," an enormous mountain lion with a none-too-friendly disposition. Life gets even more complicated when they befriend a group of baby animals who are being orphaned by rat creature attacks. Everything comes to a head in an earth-shattering clash between Rock Jaw and Kingdok, the leader of the rat creatures.
116 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
About the author
Jeff Smith
585 books1,365 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his comic book BONE, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards helped propel Cartoon Books and BONE to the forefront of the comic book industry.
In 1992, Jeff’s wife Vijaya Iyer joined the company as partner to handle publishing and distribution, licensing, and foreign language publications. In the Spring of 2005, Harry Potter’s U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. entered the graphic novel market by launching a new imprint, Graphix with a full color version of BONE: Out from Boneville, bringing the underground comic to a new audience and a new generation.
In 2007, DC Comics released Smith’s first non-creator owned work, SHAZAM! Monster Society of Evil, a four-part mini-series recreating a classic serial from comic’s Golden Age. Between projects, Smith spends much of his time on the international guest circuit promoting comics and the art of graphic novels.
Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his comic book BONE, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards helped propel Cartoon Books and BONE to the forefront of the comic book industry.
In 1992, Jeff’s wife Vijaya Iyer joined the company as partner to handle publishing and distribution, licensing, and foreign language publications. In the Spring of 2005, Harry Potter’s U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. entered the graphic novel market by launching a new imprint, Graphix with a full color version of BONE: Out from Boneville, bringing the underground comic to a new audience and a new generation.
In 2007, DC Comics released Smith’s first non-creator owned work, SHAZAM! Monster Society of Evil, a four-part mini-series recreating a classic serial from comic’s Golden Age. Between projects, Smith spends much of his time on the international guest circuit promoting comics and the art of graphic novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
August 3, 2021
Fone and Smiley Bone take Barteby to the mountains to return him to his own kind, the rat creatures. There they come into contact with the giant mountain lion, Roque Ja, Master of the Eastern Border. He's not a fan of the dragons or the rat creatures but only seeks power. It puts Fone and Smiley along with the orphaned animals they befriend in quite the predicament.
This volume is a bit different in that there are no subplots. It's a smaller story with a smaller cast but still packed with adventure and high drama.
This volume is a bit different in that there are no subplots. It's a smaller story with a smaller cast but still packed with adventure and high drama.
March 24, 2015
Awww.... that ending :(
This series just keeps getting better and better.
This series just keeps getting better and better.
February 11, 2022
Este volumen de la saga se centra en menos personajes, aunque aparecen otros nuevos. Con mucha acción, ternura y manteniendo el sentido del humor.
September 10, 2013
Yuck.
There was something so very enticing about the previous BONE comics; reading them was a treat. Sadly, that is gone from ROCK JAW.
Firstly there's the problem of balance. The first four BONE books had something grand and mysterious about them: cosmic forces, mysterious backgrounds, a landscape with ancient history.
Of course, the grandness was balanced with some very down-to-earth silly humor. But while we have the plain Bones running around, we also have more mysterious, more compelling characters - Lucius, Rose, the Great Red Dragon, even Thorn.
ROCK JAW's main flaw was this lack of balance. The whole story was about Phone Bone and Smiley Bone running around the mountains, trying to escape the Rat Creatures and Rock Jaw/Roque Ja. But the part that made me headdesk was the cutesification of the whole thing. In OUT FROM BONEVILLE, there were cute little animals, and they helped balance out the darker edges of the story. Here, however, our friends the Bones and their cute animal pals (don't ask) must use the power of teamwork to defeat the bully Rock Jaw and the mean Rat Creatures who ate their poor parents!
Even the more deliciously mysterious elements do not make it through unharmed; the hum of the earth can apparently be heard by the cutie patootie animals, and guess what they call it? Hum-hum. Yes. I'm serious. The spirit worlds, the magic... all these things which helped the world feel grand and mysterious, are reduced to some hum-hum nonsense.
Cheap, stupid humor also overrides this volume - I usually HATE "idiot characters" used only for comic relief, but I actually liked Smiley Bone... until his idiocy started running rampant in this volume, and I actually considered DNFing, even though the BONE series are one of my favorite comics ever.
Then there's the problem of plot, where Jeff Smith eschews a beautiful, elaborate, complex plot, such as those in previous BONE books, for a straightforward "OMG ESCAPE THE BAD GUYS!!" plot. Then things started falling apart. There are plot holes. The twist about Phoney Bone is ridiculous. The Rat Creatures are turned from a serious threat who's plans are hard to guess into a silly bunch who can't do anything right. The story is overly exposition-y, which bogges down the story. Yuck.
The art is still dynamic and expressive, but even that... the mountains are plain and rocky, so even in the occasional larger panels, there's nothing eyecatching. Even the temple is plain and unmysterious.
If there's one good thing I'll say, it's that there was a little, little, tiny little bit of good/evil exploration that I always look for in books. However, it's not even explored well here.
No matter how much it pains me to say it, don't waste your time with this one and read a summary instead.
There was something so very enticing about the previous BONE comics; reading them was a treat. Sadly, that is gone from ROCK JAW.
Firstly there's the problem of balance. The first four BONE books had something grand and mysterious about them: cosmic forces, mysterious backgrounds, a landscape with ancient history.
Of course, the grandness was balanced with some very down-to-earth silly humor. But while we have the plain Bones running around, we also have more mysterious, more compelling characters - Lucius, Rose, the Great Red Dragon, even Thorn.
ROCK JAW's main flaw was this lack of balance. The whole story was about Phone Bone and Smiley Bone running around the mountains, trying to escape the Rat Creatures and Rock Jaw/Roque Ja. But the part that made me headdesk was the cutesification of the whole thing. In OUT FROM BONEVILLE, there were cute little animals, and they helped balance out the darker edges of the story. Here, however, our friends the Bones and their cute animal pals (don't ask) must use the power of teamwork to defeat the bully Rock Jaw and the mean Rat Creatures who ate their poor parents!
Even the more deliciously mysterious elements do not make it through unharmed; the hum of the earth can apparently be heard by the cutie patootie animals, and guess what they call it? Hum-hum. Yes. I'm serious. The spirit worlds, the magic... all these things which helped the world feel grand and mysterious, are reduced to some hum-hum nonsense.
Cheap, stupid humor also overrides this volume - I usually HATE "idiot characters" used only for comic relief, but I actually liked Smiley Bone... until his idiocy started running rampant in this volume, and I actually considered DNFing, even though the BONE series are one of my favorite comics ever.
Then there's the problem of plot, where Jeff Smith eschews a beautiful, elaborate, complex plot, such as those in previous BONE books, for a straightforward "OMG ESCAPE THE BAD GUYS!!" plot. Then things started falling apart. There are plot holes. The twist about Phoney Bone is ridiculous. The Rat Creatures are turned from a serious threat who's plans are hard to guess into a silly bunch who can't do anything right. The story is overly exposition-y, which bogges down the story. Yuck.
The art is still dynamic and expressive, but even that... the mountains are plain and rocky, so even in the occasional larger panels, there's nothing eyecatching. Even the temple is plain and unmysterious.
If there's one good thing I'll say, it's that there was a little, little, tiny little bit of good/evil exploration that I always look for in books. However, it's not even explored well here.
No matter how much it pains me to say it, don't waste your time with this one and read a summary instead.
September 4, 2015
Sniff, sniff hope to see you soon Bartleby.
December 26, 2023
Bartleby ☹️☹️☹️
January 20, 2011
Weak installment that suffers from no Thorn, Gran'ma, or Dragon and messy action sequences.
May 12, 2015
2015 reread
"This is insane! It's stupid!"
"HEY! Nothing we've done so far has been un-stupid, and we're still alive, aren't we?!"
"I can't really argue with that, but I feel like I should."
Do you need more than that? You do? Well, there's a whole bit about how "We'll outwit them to death!" that is amazing, but I'm not typing it all out. Trust me, that page is worth 5 stars by itself.
"This is insane! It's stupid!"
"HEY! Nothing we've done so far has been un-stupid, and we're still alive, aren't we?!"
"I can't really argue with that, but I feel like I should."
Do you need more than that? You do? Well, there's a whole bit about how "We'll outwit them to death!" that is amazing, but I'm not typing it all out. Trust me, that page is worth 5 stars by itself.
March 7, 2018
Bone's story gets more adventurous and more epic here, keeping the level of previous book and adds more intensity
March 31, 2017
fantastic
March 29, 2021
The beginning was so stupidly funny- Smiley bones tries to deal with the rat creatures by reading them Moby Dick and they actually fall into a slumber.😂😂
The possum kids are hilarious and I really liked the concept of 'hum-hum', i.e. the earth hums but not everyone can hear it except animals. For humans it's the dreaming which connects us to the HUM.
It's adventurous and thrilling.
The possum kids are hilarious and I really liked the concept of 'hum-hum', i.e. the earth hums but not everyone can hear it except animals. For humans it's the dreaming which connects us to the HUM.
It's adventurous and thrilling.
March 13, 2018
What I love about this book is how it does not contain any of the other main plots. At the end of Bone Vol. 4 The Dragonslayer Fone Bone, Smiley, and Bartleby ran off into the woods and ended in the mountains where they meet the infamous Roque Ja. Undoubtedly one of the coolest characters in the series. The story, upon recent re-read is a little bland compared to the other volumes, however. Many discoveries are made and the action is exciting, but I couldn't help wanting a bit more. Roque Ja as a character is quite a presence. You can always tell he is boss and is true to his namesake. The Rat Creatures in particular Kingdok were good as the main antagonists for this volume. But one thing that has always bugged me, is the size of Kingdok himself. In all other iterations including part of this book, he is a huge beast, but no bigger than a large tree in a heavy forest. But in some scenes Jeff Smith has chosen to draw him at least 2 times as big. He is seen considerably larger, toppling mountain boulders and starting massive rock slides. I dunno, it has always stuck out as a problem to me. This is a fun read and has a lot of cool ideas, but comes off weaker than any of the other Bone books. Letter Grade: (B)
December 16, 2014
Aww, this is the best Bone. Those baby animals totally kill me, and the poem that Bone wrote about the hay cart in his heart that he's built for Thorn has set the new gold standard for romance as far as I'm concerned.
Edited to add: Oops, it was a horse cart.
"In the stalls of my heart, dear,
I've built a horse-cart, dear,
And my dear you can ride it
all day . . .
I've built it from love
from the clouds up above
even the rains cannot wash it
away!
But my love you can't hear
so the cart will not steer
and I'm left with a heart full of hay."
Edited to add: Oops, it was a horse cart.
"In the stalls of my heart, dear,
I've built a horse-cart, dear,
And my dear you can ride it
all day . . .
I've built it from love
from the clouds up above
even the rains cannot wash it
away!
But my love you can't hear
so the cart will not steer
and I'm left with a heart full of hay."
June 7, 2019
Funniest section of the omnibus yet. Those possum boys are always up to no good!
January 7, 2011
This is the 5th book in the nine book Bone series by Jeff Smith. This is a good installment in the series and introduces some new characters to the series.
This book deals with Fone Bone and Smiley Bone and the rat monster baby that they saved. They encounter a new (large and in charge) character, a giant cougar, named Roque Ja. Of course the Bones take to calling him Rock Jaw which pisses him off. There is much running from bad guys and trying to determine who is one who's side and just how you define good and evil.
To be honest this wasn't my favorite installment in this series. You don't get to see Thorn or Gma at all in this book and I missed them. Also I am unsure what the point of all of the orphaned animals joining the group was since they all left at the end of the story. I am assuming this will all tie together somehow...eventually. But the story didn't seem to make much progress.
There also were a lot of things I really did like though. Rock Jaw is an awesome new character and his discussion of good and evil is a..uh..good one. This is a discussion we had with my son not too long ago when we were trying to explain (to a four year old) how good and evil kind of depends on perspective. I liked that we also learn more about the history behind the valley.
There was a lot of stuff that happened in this installment that was a bit piecemeal. Having not read the rest of the series yet I can only assume it will be significant in future installments. Like in previous installments there are some very funny parts in here and the illustration is spot on like always.
Overall I really enjoyed this Bone installment, but I liked it a little bit less than the previous few. I missed Thorn and didn't understand how some of the small things that happened will relate to the rest of the story. I did really enjoy Rock Jaw though and hope we see him in future installments. I am excited to read the next book, Old Man's Cave, to see how the story progresses.
This book deals with Fone Bone and Smiley Bone and the rat monster baby that they saved. They encounter a new (large and in charge) character, a giant cougar, named Roque Ja. Of course the Bones take to calling him Rock Jaw which pisses him off. There is much running from bad guys and trying to determine who is one who's side and just how you define good and evil.
To be honest this wasn't my favorite installment in this series. You don't get to see Thorn or Gma at all in this book and I missed them. Also I am unsure what the point of all of the orphaned animals joining the group was since they all left at the end of the story. I am assuming this will all tie together somehow...eventually. But the story didn't seem to make much progress.
There also were a lot of things I really did like though. Rock Jaw is an awesome new character and his discussion of good and evil is a..uh..good one. This is a discussion we had with my son not too long ago when we were trying to explain (to a four year old) how good and evil kind of depends on perspective. I liked that we also learn more about the history behind the valley.
There was a lot of stuff that happened in this installment that was a bit piecemeal. Having not read the rest of the series yet I can only assume it will be significant in future installments. Like in previous installments there are some very funny parts in here and the illustration is spot on like always.
Overall I really enjoyed this Bone installment, but I liked it a little bit less than the previous few. I missed Thorn and didn't understand how some of the small things that happened will relate to the rest of the story. I did really enjoy Rock Jaw though and hope we see him in future installments. I am excited to read the next book, Old Man's Cave, to see how the story progresses.
April 4, 2008
I have read some of the bone books in the past but my favorite one has been the fifth bone book. It is called Roque Jaw Master of the Easter Border. This book follows Fone Bone and Smiley Bone as they try to return Bartleby (the baby rat creature they found) to the mountains with the other rat creatures. Along the way they meet Roque Jaw who is a huge mountain lion that captures the three of them. This is because he believes that their cousin Phoney Bone has the power to unite the valley. He threatens to kill them if they do not help him. They manage to get away from Roque Jaw when he attacks two rat creatures. They enter a cave and escape through a secret passage that brings them to the rat kingdom. Roque Jaw then follows them to see if they are going to bring them to Phoney Bone but when he realizes that they are not going to take him there, he attacks them and takes control of them.
One reason that I have fun reading these books are the illustrations. Jeff Smith does an excellent job with the pictures in this book. I like how creative he was with each character and he makes sure that every page looks different. I liked this book and I recommend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed the other bone books and to anyone who is looking for something fun and different to read. (250 words)
One reason that I have fun reading these books are the illustrations. Jeff Smith does an excellent job with the pictures in this book. I like how creative he was with each character and he makes sure that every page looks different. I liked this book and I recommend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed the other bone books and to anyone who is looking for something fun and different to read. (250 words)
May 13, 2013
I thought it was a good book with lots of action and suspense.I think that it was funny when smiley bone and his bone brothers pronounced Rouqe Jaw's name as Rock Jaw.over all it was a good book,and I liked it a lot.
May 22, 2019
Bone Volume Five was really good. I enjoyed the one solid story line. The lack of major interruptions to the story was nice as I don't like some of those secondary character or they are doing nothing to advance any plot of character development.
Good Stuff!
Good Stuff!
June 2, 2015
this book is good because it reminds me of big nate
February 26, 2023
https://bookwayfarer.substack.com/p/b...
Smiley is shown pointing out Fone’s process of making a sandwich to the cub rat creature whilst Fone sulked. He then telling Smiley they couldn’t linger in the woods much longer, needing to return to town soon for running out of food. Fone is then privy to Smiley naming the cub rat creature, Bartleby which makes him remind Smiley what they’d gone to the woods to do in the first place, that being to set him loose. Smiley then manipulates Fone into talking about Moby Dick so he could teach Bartleby how to nap after lunch, Fone falling right into his ploy. We then see Fone settle into perusing through his book as they are being spied upon by other rat creatures. The two rat creatures sneak up on the Bones and Smiley promptly commands Fone to read from the book to bore them, but when Smiley tries first and believes he’s failed, gets Fone to start reading and it knocking them out as he suspected it would. Smiley trying to comfort Fone in their escape by it being possibly Fone himself that’s boring and not the story at all, then noticing Bartleby hadn’t followed and saw that he was sniffing around the snoozing rat creatures. Fone gets Smiley to realize that this was exactly what they were trying to do anyways and continue up the mountain, we seeing the rat creatures revive and following them. Fone and Smiley are trapped, but Bartleby comes to their rescue and ends up sticking with the Bones. Fone is stumped as to their next step when a humongous mountain lion comes up to tell them they’re trespassing. As the mountain lion tries to figure out what group the Bones belong to, he introduces himself as Roque Ja, the master of the eastern border, he wondering aloud if the Bones knew of the Bone with the star on his chest. Fone then tries to find out what side Roque Ja is on, but he dodges the question since they hadn’t answered themselves and when the Bones try to walk away, Roque Ja knocks them off the cliff, they hanging onto the ledge and he telling them to hand him the rat creature cub first, to turn them all in. They try to resist, but Bartleby is first to comply and we leave them awaiting Roque Ja’s next move.
We then see the Possum kids finding Smiley’s trail after having lost them once before. One of the kids has a slip of conscience and then they hear something, they all playing dead, but finding that it’s just a racoon. The racoon, Roderick tells of not trying to scare them, but was on the trail of his parents killers, getting the kids to follow him. He leads them to where he’d last seen the rat creatures, they all then finding Roque Ja and the Bones after moving past the rat creatures. The Bones are still arguing with Roque Ja about they not wanting to choose a side and how Roque Ja seemed to be catering to the rat creatures for someone who was supposedly the ruler of the eastern border. The Possum kids then find out which side Roque Ja is on after talking with Roderick about who Roque Ja was and his thoughts on the dragons versus the rat creatures, the kids continuing closer to the Bones. As the Possum kids are close on their tail, Roque Ja is starting to hear something suspicious, but then gets distracted by continuing his rant about rat creatures. We then see what the rat creatures are doing when the Possum kids show up to use themselves as bait to create a chase for them in the direction of Roque Ja and the Bones. Roque Ja is in the middle of telling the tale of why the valley people thought dragons created the mountains when the Possum kids show up just as the rat creatures catch one of them in front of Roque Ja, who jumps at the rat creature for trespassing. The Possum kids and Roderick stop at the end of a precariously hanging log, the rat creature and Roque Ja soon following and then the second rat creature joining them, sealing their fated fall, the kids jumping to the small branch across the way. When the Bones find the kids are safe, Smiley is first to find out that Roque Ja is angrily making his way back up the cliff, they needing to book it out of there, the Possum kids calling for Roderick to come along, but he not being able to for the other orphans of the mountain, hoping they could all help each other.
The orphan kids tell of their hiding places, willing to help Fone and his friends out before Roque Ja finished his climb back up, but they don’t get away undiscovered, Roque Ja following close behind them until the Bone crew have jumped into a cave in the ground, he not fitting down the gap, but Roque Ja staring at them through the crevice. Soon the orphan kids are trying to exclude the rat creature cub and the Possum kids try to aid the Bones by defending their trustworthiness of allowing the cub rat creature to accompany them through the tunnel. Soon they’re convinced to its necessity that the rat creature cub be able to come along, everyone going through in darkness, until Smiley sparks a light. Soon they’re through the tunnel and walk out into an area with Aztec looking statues. The orphan kids show them how they would next need to climb down a cliff to get to the forest, which would take a moment longer to get to, but once they did, they realizing getting down was going to be very tricky, unfortunately before they can even attempt it, the two rat creatures come out and stop them, then being engulfed in bugs which then turns out to be Kingdok. He is not happy to see his cronies here with the Bones, having failed to stay with him and then pushing them off the cliff, but two orphan kids are left on the side with Kingdok, Bartleby then showing how useful he could be, by jumping back over for them and bringing them to everyone else, they all then having to figure out where they’d go next.
Fone comes up with everyone needing to walk along the steep edge of the rock. Kingdok then speaking to them and giving them the option to tell him of Phoney’s whereabouts and he granting them their lives, but Fone decides not to take it and Kingdok collapses some rocks that impedes their path. Roderick is almost lost, but is saved by a rat creature for selfish reasons as we find out when they stop to account for everyone’s presence. Fone decides to make a deal with the rat creatures, since the orphans weren’t going to help them, they having to agree to stop trying to eat their group and they, in return would help them get away from Kingdok, the two rat creatures taking up Fone’s offer. As they continue down the ledge though, Kingdok is seen patrolling above and since Roque Ja was back the way they’d come, they would need to go down, but then Kingdok sends his locusts out, it engulfing the bunch and they trying to stay calm as the grasshoppers’ presence thickened. Fone doesn’t make it through the locust shower, getting pushed off the ledge and then being pulled off by the locusts when the hoard clears from Smiley and the rest. Kingdok then shows up, trying to crunch on Smiley, the locusts picking up Fone, but something falling from his bag and scaring the locusts away. They then proceed to look through the items Gran’ma Ben had Fone keep safe, the rat creatures acting squirrel-y around a particular one. The orphan kids then discuss how Kingdok didn’t seem real, especially when he vanished and considered how the temple was built on a ghost circle, which would explain the strange things they were experiencing. Fone then decides they need to check on Thorn so they try to get down the mountain as quickly as possible, hoping nothing else arises.
Smiley voices how the rat creature cub would now be able to stay with them as Roque Ja stalks the group. Fone decides the cub should stay with the dense rat creatures, they taking offense, Smiley then noticing the fire that was seen near the village was out and Fone not wanting to jump to conclusions until they saw for themselves what was going on. They then learn a bit about where the Hooded One came from by the rat creatures when they were asked what they knew about the war. The rat creatures then tell of when their race were a content bunch until the locusts came and threatened them into helping the Hooded One. Fone tries to convince the rat creatures that it’s possible for them to be happy without following the Hooded One, but then Roque Ja butts in with his own advice, surprising everyone and he deciding they all would return with him back up the mountain, he explaining as they go what the difference is between power and happiness, they then running into Kingdok and the two rat creatures realizing how much trouble they were in whilst the others contemplated whether Kingdok was real this time, settling with the fact that he smelled real enough. Roque Ja then claims to Kingdok that he was taking his prisoners to him after Kingdok commands he release them into his custody, then scaring Roque Ja off and Fone debating escape when he and Smiley are grabbed by the two rat creatures, but the Possum kids bite them and give them their chance to flee, they taking it and jumping down a decline. They plan on splitting up at the woods, but Kingdok jumps down to block them, they then trying to get into a depression in the rocks, Roque Ja coming back to body slam Kingdok giving everyone another chance to get to the trees. When everyone gets covered, the orphan kids seperate from the Possum kids, everyone saying their goodbyes with promises to visit, they following the Bones. Smiley then notices that Bartleby hadn’t followed them, they returning to the bottom of the mountain expecting to see the rat creatures, but finding no one until they look higher on the mountain to see the rat creatures carrying Kingdok away with the two traitors following and Bartleby trying to join them, they all going off together and Smiley uncertain whether Bartleby will be alright amongst them, watching him worriedly as they walk away in the opposite direction. This series is getting better as I go, quite captivating.
Smiley is shown pointing out Fone’s process of making a sandwich to the cub rat creature whilst Fone sulked. He then telling Smiley they couldn’t linger in the woods much longer, needing to return to town soon for running out of food. Fone is then privy to Smiley naming the cub rat creature, Bartleby which makes him remind Smiley what they’d gone to the woods to do in the first place, that being to set him loose. Smiley then manipulates Fone into talking about Moby Dick so he could teach Bartleby how to nap after lunch, Fone falling right into his ploy. We then see Fone settle into perusing through his book as they are being spied upon by other rat creatures. The two rat creatures sneak up on the Bones and Smiley promptly commands Fone to read from the book to bore them, but when Smiley tries first and believes he’s failed, gets Fone to start reading and it knocking them out as he suspected it would. Smiley trying to comfort Fone in their escape by it being possibly Fone himself that’s boring and not the story at all, then noticing Bartleby hadn’t followed and saw that he was sniffing around the snoozing rat creatures. Fone gets Smiley to realize that this was exactly what they were trying to do anyways and continue up the mountain, we seeing the rat creatures revive and following them. Fone and Smiley are trapped, but Bartleby comes to their rescue and ends up sticking with the Bones. Fone is stumped as to their next step when a humongous mountain lion comes up to tell them they’re trespassing. As the mountain lion tries to figure out what group the Bones belong to, he introduces himself as Roque Ja, the master of the eastern border, he wondering aloud if the Bones knew of the Bone with the star on his chest. Fone then tries to find out what side Roque Ja is on, but he dodges the question since they hadn’t answered themselves and when the Bones try to walk away, Roque Ja knocks them off the cliff, they hanging onto the ledge and he telling them to hand him the rat creature cub first, to turn them all in. They try to resist, but Bartleby is first to comply and we leave them awaiting Roque Ja’s next move.
We then see the Possum kids finding Smiley’s trail after having lost them once before. One of the kids has a slip of conscience and then they hear something, they all playing dead, but finding that it’s just a racoon. The racoon, Roderick tells of not trying to scare them, but was on the trail of his parents killers, getting the kids to follow him. He leads them to where he’d last seen the rat creatures, they all then finding Roque Ja and the Bones after moving past the rat creatures. The Bones are still arguing with Roque Ja about they not wanting to choose a side and how Roque Ja seemed to be catering to the rat creatures for someone who was supposedly the ruler of the eastern border. The Possum kids then find out which side Roque Ja is on after talking with Roderick about who Roque Ja was and his thoughts on the dragons versus the rat creatures, the kids continuing closer to the Bones. As the Possum kids are close on their tail, Roque Ja is starting to hear something suspicious, but then gets distracted by continuing his rant about rat creatures. We then see what the rat creatures are doing when the Possum kids show up to use themselves as bait to create a chase for them in the direction of Roque Ja and the Bones. Roque Ja is in the middle of telling the tale of why the valley people thought dragons created the mountains when the Possum kids show up just as the rat creatures catch one of them in front of Roque Ja, who jumps at the rat creature for trespassing. The Possum kids and Roderick stop at the end of a precariously hanging log, the rat creature and Roque Ja soon following and then the second rat creature joining them, sealing their fated fall, the kids jumping to the small branch across the way. When the Bones find the kids are safe, Smiley is first to find out that Roque Ja is angrily making his way back up the cliff, they needing to book it out of there, the Possum kids calling for Roderick to come along, but he not being able to for the other orphans of the mountain, hoping they could all help each other.
The orphan kids tell of their hiding places, willing to help Fone and his friends out before Roque Ja finished his climb back up, but they don’t get away undiscovered, Roque Ja following close behind them until the Bone crew have jumped into a cave in the ground, he not fitting down the gap, but Roque Ja staring at them through the crevice. Soon the orphan kids are trying to exclude the rat creature cub and the Possum kids try to aid the Bones by defending their trustworthiness of allowing the cub rat creature to accompany them through the tunnel. Soon they’re convinced to its necessity that the rat creature cub be able to come along, everyone going through in darkness, until Smiley sparks a light. Soon they’re through the tunnel and walk out into an area with Aztec looking statues. The orphan kids show them how they would next need to climb down a cliff to get to the forest, which would take a moment longer to get to, but once they did, they realizing getting down was going to be very tricky, unfortunately before they can even attempt it, the two rat creatures come out and stop them, then being engulfed in bugs which then turns out to be Kingdok. He is not happy to see his cronies here with the Bones, having failed to stay with him and then pushing them off the cliff, but two orphan kids are left on the side with Kingdok, Bartleby then showing how useful he could be, by jumping back over for them and bringing them to everyone else, they all then having to figure out where they’d go next.
Fone comes up with everyone needing to walk along the steep edge of the rock. Kingdok then speaking to them and giving them the option to tell him of Phoney’s whereabouts and he granting them their lives, but Fone decides not to take it and Kingdok collapses some rocks that impedes their path. Roderick is almost lost, but is saved by a rat creature for selfish reasons as we find out when they stop to account for everyone’s presence. Fone decides to make a deal with the rat creatures, since the orphans weren’t going to help them, they having to agree to stop trying to eat their group and they, in return would help them get away from Kingdok, the two rat creatures taking up Fone’s offer. As they continue down the ledge though, Kingdok is seen patrolling above and since Roque Ja was back the way they’d come, they would need to go down, but then Kingdok sends his locusts out, it engulfing the bunch and they trying to stay calm as the grasshoppers’ presence thickened. Fone doesn’t make it through the locust shower, getting pushed off the ledge and then being pulled off by the locusts when the hoard clears from Smiley and the rest. Kingdok then shows up, trying to crunch on Smiley, the locusts picking up Fone, but something falling from his bag and scaring the locusts away. They then proceed to look through the items Gran’ma Ben had Fone keep safe, the rat creatures acting squirrel-y around a particular one. The orphan kids then discuss how Kingdok didn’t seem real, especially when he vanished and considered how the temple was built on a ghost circle, which would explain the strange things they were experiencing. Fone then decides they need to check on Thorn so they try to get down the mountain as quickly as possible, hoping nothing else arises.
Smiley voices how the rat creature cub would now be able to stay with them as Roque Ja stalks the group. Fone decides the cub should stay with the dense rat creatures, they taking offense, Smiley then noticing the fire that was seen near the village was out and Fone not wanting to jump to conclusions until they saw for themselves what was going on. They then learn a bit about where the Hooded One came from by the rat creatures when they were asked what they knew about the war. The rat creatures then tell of when their race were a content bunch until the locusts came and threatened them into helping the Hooded One. Fone tries to convince the rat creatures that it’s possible for them to be happy without following the Hooded One, but then Roque Ja butts in with his own advice, surprising everyone and he deciding they all would return with him back up the mountain, he explaining as they go what the difference is between power and happiness, they then running into Kingdok and the two rat creatures realizing how much trouble they were in whilst the others contemplated whether Kingdok was real this time, settling with the fact that he smelled real enough. Roque Ja then claims to Kingdok that he was taking his prisoners to him after Kingdok commands he release them into his custody, then scaring Roque Ja off and Fone debating escape when he and Smiley are grabbed by the two rat creatures, but the Possum kids bite them and give them their chance to flee, they taking it and jumping down a decline. They plan on splitting up at the woods, but Kingdok jumps down to block them, they then trying to get into a depression in the rocks, Roque Ja coming back to body slam Kingdok giving everyone another chance to get to the trees. When everyone gets covered, the orphan kids seperate from the Possum kids, everyone saying their goodbyes with promises to visit, they following the Bones. Smiley then notices that Bartleby hadn’t followed them, they returning to the bottom of the mountain expecting to see the rat creatures, but finding no one until they look higher on the mountain to see the rat creatures carrying Kingdok away with the two traitors following and Bartleby trying to join them, they all going off together and Smiley uncertain whether Bartleby will be alright amongst them, watching him worriedly as they walk away in the opposite direction. This series is getting better as I go, quite captivating.
February 25, 2022
Bone 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border by Jeff Smith is great. It’s very difficult to not tear through this series in a week—which is why I didn’t buy them all at once. I spread out the reading time (and expense) over a month or so. This volume focuses exclusively on the adventures of Smiley Bone, Fone Bone, Bartleby (the rat creature cub) and new animal friends they make while escaping one dangerous situation just to end up in another.
I love the gag running through the entire series (so far) about Fone Bone’s love of Moby Dick. Early on, Smiley, Fone and Bartleby run into the quiche/stew squabbling rat creatures and to escape them, Smiley has Fone read the first few paragraphs of Moby Dick. Actually, he doesn’t get too far beyond “call me Ishmael” before the two creatures get stupefied expressions on their faces and fall over with a KA-LUNK and BONK. Poor Fone Bone.
Yet another fun volume filled with humor, near misses, and unusual alliances. Roque Ja (“roll the rs!”) is an interesting character. He and the animals have an interesting (and surprisingly philosophical) conversation that makes his position on the battle between the villagers and the rat creatures (led by the Hooded One) only more unclear. Who will he help, if anyone? I look forward to volume 6 to find out!
I love the gag running through the entire series (so far) about Fone Bone’s love of Moby Dick. Early on, Smiley, Fone and Bartleby run into the quiche/stew squabbling rat creatures and to escape them, Smiley has Fone read the first few paragraphs of Moby Dick. Actually, he doesn’t get too far beyond “call me Ishmael” before the two creatures get stupefied expressions on their faces and fall over with a KA-LUNK and BONK. Poor Fone Bone.
Yet another fun volume filled with humor, near misses, and unusual alliances. Roque Ja (“roll the rs!”) is an interesting character. He and the animals have an interesting (and surprisingly philosophical) conversation that makes his position on the battle between the villagers and the rat creatures (led by the Hooded One) only more unclear. Who will he help, if anyone? I look forward to volume 6 to find out!
January 13, 2019
Bone is far better than I ever expected it to be.
This volume in particular upped the ante after the already wonderful Dragonslayer volume already reached a new high for the series itself. While Dragonslayer firmly connected consequences to the choices that we make as people, and firmly reminded us all of our responsibility to both others and to our place in life and never to act in too hasty a manner - this volume focused upon morality itself. Unlike a fair bit of the stories I grew up reading, and still read in children and YA literature a bit too often (especially in fantasy), Bone situates itself within a grey area.
There's an interesting question raised in this volume about whether or not your birth determines your allegiance, and if sides have to be chosen so plainly. Are the rat creatures all evil, and forced to be so by virtue of being rat creatures? Are the dragons as good as they seem, or is there reason to doubt them? Did they contribute to the current unrest in the valley? And why, why Phoney Bone?
This volume brought back our opossum friends, and introduced more creatures. It was a great continuation of the story, and had me at the edge of my seat on multiple occasions. This comic has wormed its way into my heart, and will be one I recommend enthusiastically and abundantly in the future. I understand the hype now, and am gladly part of it.
I genuinely have no clue what will come next.
This volume in particular upped the ante after the already wonderful Dragonslayer volume already reached a new high for the series itself. While Dragonslayer firmly connected consequences to the choices that we make as people, and firmly reminded us all of our responsibility to both others and to our place in life and never to act in too hasty a manner - this volume focused upon morality itself. Unlike a fair bit of the stories I grew up reading, and still read in children and YA literature a bit too often (especially in fantasy), Bone situates itself within a grey area.
There's an interesting question raised in this volume about whether or not your birth determines your allegiance, and if sides have to be chosen so plainly. Are the rat creatures all evil, and forced to be so by virtue of being rat creatures? Are the dragons as good as they seem, or is there reason to doubt them? Did they contribute to the current unrest in the valley? And why, why Phoney Bone?
This volume brought back our opossum friends, and introduced more creatures. It was a great continuation of the story, and had me at the edge of my seat on multiple occasions. This comic has wormed its way into my heart, and will be one I recommend enthusiastically and abundantly in the future. I understand the hype now, and am gladly part of it.
I genuinely have no clue what will come next.
May 15, 2019
I read this in one night. It is the best bone book yet.
April 26, 2017
Nu ook hartjes voor de wezen! Hoe schattig!!!
February 17, 2014
It's very hard to not like BONE. When people want to know a good place to start as far as graphic novels go, this is always near the top of my list. Especially if the person who is asking has kids or is a kid. Because besides being heart-warming, adorable, compelling, humorous, and well-drawn, BONE is also pretty wholesome. Imagine Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald (or rather, Uncle Scrooge) stumbling upon an enchanted valley where they get mixed up with dragons, rat-creatures, a princess, prophecy, etc., etc. And to add to that level of surreality, throw in some lovable Bambi-esque woodland creatures. Our heroes fighting alongside, for example, some orphaned turtles, raccoons, talking bugs, and possum kids. Yet the drawing and the story-telling make this Disney-meets-Lord of the Rings schtick work. And work as more than schtick. This isn't a fantasy epic like Lord of the Rings drawn through the medium of a cartoon. It's cartoon characters-- with all the slapstick and mayhem that entails-- actually entering into a fantasy epic as characters (and eventually characters of some depth) in their own right.
I've read BONE up through Volume 8, though it was a while ago. Our kids have gotten into them now, so I've had the chance to re-read them again up to Volume 5, and I'll take completion of this volume as a chance to review the entire series so far. The Bone cousins-- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone (the loosely Mickey, Uncle Scrooge, and Goofy analogues)-- got chased out of Boneville after one of Phoney's schemes to get rich backfired, and they find themselves in a strange valley and thrust into the center of a conflict that involves everything from a lost kingdom to cow races to an invasion of an army of rat creatures. Epic really is a fitting description of what Smith does with these volumes. It takes a few volumes of the story to even get a complete picture of the conflict the Bones have found themselves in.
It's whimsical without being flippant. Smith's artwork runs the gamut from suitably cartoonish (the minimalist Bone cousins are in some respects 'toons boiled down to their essential properties) to subtle (as in some of Fone's dream sequences or the sweeping panoramas of the valley we're sometimes treated to). Originally black and white, the volumes have been colored, and because that's the first way I read them I can't bring myself to go back to the black and white version. The colors are vivid and bring an additional depth and drama to the artwork.
Smith's work is somehow, absurdly, a nod to both cartoons along the lines of Ducktales at its best and sword-and-sorcery epics. And perhaps even more absurdly, it works incredibly well. Every character-- including Phoney-- is likable. The story continues to build in complexity and raise the stakes but in a well-paced manner without throwing out a huge web of characters or inscrutable backstory. By volume 5 we learn that the girl Fone has fallen for is the lost heir of a kingdom, that a Sauron-like power has return to threaten peace in the valley, and that Phoney's money-making schemes coupled with the townsfolk's gullibility spell trouble. And that Smiley has adopted a rat-creature cub. Where it will go from here is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: Smith proves that there's nothing at all two-dimensional about cartoons.
I've read BONE up through Volume 8, though it was a while ago. Our kids have gotten into them now, so I've had the chance to re-read them again up to Volume 5, and I'll take completion of this volume as a chance to review the entire series so far. The Bone cousins-- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone (the loosely Mickey, Uncle Scrooge, and Goofy analogues)-- got chased out of Boneville after one of Phoney's schemes to get rich backfired, and they find themselves in a strange valley and thrust into the center of a conflict that involves everything from a lost kingdom to cow races to an invasion of an army of rat creatures. Epic really is a fitting description of what Smith does with these volumes. It takes a few volumes of the story to even get a complete picture of the conflict the Bones have found themselves in.
It's whimsical without being flippant. Smith's artwork runs the gamut from suitably cartoonish (the minimalist Bone cousins are in some respects 'toons boiled down to their essential properties) to subtle (as in some of Fone's dream sequences or the sweeping panoramas of the valley we're sometimes treated to). Originally black and white, the volumes have been colored, and because that's the first way I read them I can't bring myself to go back to the black and white version. The colors are vivid and bring an additional depth and drama to the artwork.
Smith's work is somehow, absurdly, a nod to both cartoons along the lines of Ducktales at its best and sword-and-sorcery epics. And perhaps even more absurdly, it works incredibly well. Every character-- including Phoney-- is likable. The story continues to build in complexity and raise the stakes but in a well-paced manner without throwing out a huge web of characters or inscrutable backstory. By volume 5 we learn that the girl Fone has fallen for is the lost heir of a kingdom, that a Sauron-like power has return to threaten peace in the valley, and that Phoney's money-making schemes coupled with the townsfolk's gullibility spell trouble. And that Smiley has adopted a rat-creature cub. Where it will go from here is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: Smith proves that there's nothing at all two-dimensional about cartoons.
January 15, 2015
Bone Volume 5 5 Stars, buy it
Self Purchase, Comixology, Re-read review
It really is amazing how consistently good this comic is. Art continues to be fabulous and the writing is amazing as well. Everyone should be reading this series of graphic novels. They are amazing even on the second time around.
Plot/Storyline: I forgot Moby Dick plays a role in this although I've never actually read it. I'd forgotten about Bartleby and how cute he is. In issue two, the opossum children are following Fone Bone and Smileybone. Of course trouble calls and they meet an orphan Racoon. Then more trouble happens and they meet Rockjaw who chases them and they end up trapped high on a ledge. And when things calm down in the final issue, Bartleby ends up going back with rat creature.
Self Purchase, Comixology, Re-read review
It really is amazing how consistently good this comic is. Art continues to be fabulous and the writing is amazing as well. Everyone should be reading this series of graphic novels. They are amazing even on the second time around.
Plot/Storyline: I forgot Moby Dick plays a role in this although I've never actually read it. I'd forgotten about Bartleby and how cute he is. In issue two, the opossum children are following Fone Bone and Smileybone. Of course trouble calls and they meet an orphan Racoon. Then more trouble happens and they meet Rockjaw who chases them and they end up trapped high on a ledge. And when things calm down in the final issue, Bartleby ends up going back with rat creature.
Read
March 11, 2015The bone cousins are on their way to return the rat creature cub when all goes wrong Rock jaw the mountian lion and king dok are all in a race to get to the bone cousins but if the master dragon reaches them first will all be doomed. In the fifth installment of the bone series the bone cousins take the journey to the eastern border but the gravest dangers await them i predict that they will reach the rat creature territory and relese the cub but smiley woulnt be able to let go my prediction was correct and this book was amazing i highly reccomend the series.
November 18, 2019
With each passing volume, Bone grows more and more brilliant. We learn about new players and another layer of depth and backstory in this volume, showing again that Smith is acutely aware that all story is really the slow unveiling of backstory and how that transforms the characters through changes of mind in heart.
In this one, we confront the lie of nihilism — that power is all that matters — with the clean and clear virtue ethics of childhood. Friendship and trust and love win the day here, but precisely because they’re more substantial than power.
Great work. Looking forward to 5.
In this one, we confront the lie of nihilism — that power is all that matters — with the clean and clear virtue ethics of childhood. Friendship and trust and love win the day here, but precisely because they’re more substantial than power.
Great work. Looking forward to 5.
October 7, 2015
This book was about when earlier in the last book they found a rat creature cub and they don't want to let it go.On the way they run into Rock jaw A.K.A the leader of the jungle and the cub saves them so they decide to keep him. I loved this book because it intense but still funny at one point. I recommend this book to people who like action and comedy.
November 23, 2017
Siguen sumándose misterios (ese templo tan evocador), hay más aventura que en los anteriores volúmenes y grandes dosis de humor. La historia continúa ganando en profundidad (el discurso de Rock Jaw va directo al corazón del segundo nivel de lectura, el más adulto), pero el protagonismo de este número corre a cargo de sus maravillosos personajes. Una jornada épica.
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