Bone

Jeff Smith’s Bone is a sprawling, epic fantasy-comedy that ran for nine issues from 1996 to 2004 with Cartoon Books, following three lost cousins—Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone—as they stumble into a mysterious valley filled with strange creatures, ancient secrets, and a looming darkness. Smith serves as both writer and artist, crafting a singular, all-ages saga that blends slapstick humor with high-stakes adventure, all rendered in his clean, expressive black-and-white linework. A landmark of independent comics, Bone is celebrated for its timeless storytelling and its seamless fusion of cartoonish charm with deep, mythic world-building.