Bone Bound Set

I just finished reading my four volume bound set of Bone by Jeff Smith. This probably doesn't come as a surprise to those who have read the series, but here it is anyways, I LOVED IT! An incredibly well crafted, epic story filled with rich characters and masterful cartooning.

My first experience with Bone was about 5-6 years when on a whim I bought the first trade paperback (containing the initial 6 issues of the 55 issues series). As far as I can remember, the great looking art was really the only reason I picked it up. Even though at the time the series had already concluded, I had no knowledge of it's popularity. To me, it just looked cool. Shortly after reading the first trade my local comic store had a back issue sale where I picked up a lot of the issues. They were mostly non-consectutive, so I never actually read any of the issues. But like most binding projects, I slowly collected the remainder of the issues over a period of a few years, until I completed the run. I even found one issue from a dollar bin that had been signed by Jeff Smith!

The binding was done by Bindery 59 through David Banks at Single Bound Studios. I've worked with David on most of my binds during the last couple of years and I've never been disappointed. He represents a number of different binderies, all catering to various needs. The two binderies I've used are Bindery 59 for this set (and similar basic binding projects) and Capitol Bindery for more complex, extras-laden binds. Both companies provide a great, quality product and I'll continue to use them for the foreseeable future.

The first three volume contain the main series. I made a fourth volume for the Rose mini series, the Rat Tails trade paperback, Bone Holiday Special and Bone Sourcebook. I figured if I was going to bind the series I might as well be a completist and add all the extras.

This was my first bind where I decided to add my own title page. It's a simple design, but it just adds to the fun of making a custom book.

Another cool aspect of have the original issues as opposed to the trades, is reading through the great letter columns. Even though I'm reading the series years after its conclusion, the letters make it possible to see fan's opinions as it was ongoing. It's the closest I'll ever get to joining the fan community at that time. I found one letter from a future Eisner winning artist!

Bone is a great series, it's one of my all time favorites! I'm beyond pleased to have this set and I plan on enjoying it for many, many years to come.