Crown of Horns: A Graphic Novel (Bone #9): Volume 9

The Bone series from Jeff Smith is considered one of the best graphic novels of all time, and with good reason. The series centers around the Bone Family, drawn in a caricature style similar to that of the slapstick comics from the 1940s. The three Bone cousins, "Phoney" Bone, Smiley Bone, and Fone Bone are driven out of the their hometown of Boneville after Phoney tries to run for mayor. They travel across a desert and end up in the mysterious valley. This is where the series brings in dark, epic, Lord of the Rings styled fantasy. And that is clear in the art style that is more realistic. This series has received so much praise for good reason; it is incredible to say the least. For a comic, the ending was surprisingly emotional, and considering the main characters are drawn in this very caricature style, there was still an ending that was both sad and redeeming. If you haven't read this series, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Reviewed by Alex Barry

This is the final volume of the Bone series in magnificent full-color. As all the threads of the story come crashing together, it is up to Thorn and the Bone Cousins to save the valley from the forces of darkness. You'll find each page to be even more exciting than the last. I wasn't able to put it down and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. I highly recommend this comic series to readers of all ages. If you haven't read this, then you need to do so as soon as possible.

This is a good book, unfortunately it falls below the high standards set in the previous books. For two reasons. 1) The art. Jeff Smith's art is still good but in this volume it feels rushed. Characters and landscapes lack the attention to detail that Smith usually provides. If you don't believe me, just take a look at The Great Cow race and compare it to The Crown Of Horns. The art is noticeably not as good. In my opinion Smith peaked at The Dragonslayer and started paying less attention to detail from then on. 2) The plot. It just doesn't make a lot of sense. It feels like Smith started the series without a clear idea of how to tie everything together in a climax and had to introduce all these mystical plot devices at the last moment, just to wrap it all together. It wasn't quite satisfying and a little too weird in parts. Still it's a good conclusion to an epic series that reaches greatness on many occasions. It just isn't up to the usual standards.

[This will offer spoilers] I can go on and on about how wonderful Jeff Smith's Bone series is. I'm more fond of this series than any other comic ever created, and collect only the hard cover books for my collection. Crown of Horns is the last of the series, and it delivers a pretty solid punch. All of our favorite characters make their appearance, and all the things we wanted to see happened pretty much happened. Nevertheless, it was probably the weakest with storyline than all of the other books. It felt a little rushed, and was actually anti-climactic as a whole. The attack of Alethia could have been mined for at least a few extra comics on its own, without overdoing it. The release of Mim and her continued possession by the Lord of the Locust could have been a mini-series! But the action ended about halfway through the book, making everything except the "road home to Boneville" seem like a summary as opposed to the story itself. Since this was the last venture into the Bone reality, I really needed alot more! I loved this book, and will read it many times before I finally put it on the shelf with the rest. In fact, I'll probably read the the series as a whole a few times before I give another series a go. Smith is brilliant in these comics, as no other writer and illustrator before him. Criticizing his work is almost like criticizing gold because it weighs too much. This is a must read, and a must buy. But take note, if you loved this series as much as I did you probably will be depressed over the same things I mentioned above, and a whole lot more.

The Bone books are, to put it bluntly, really, really good. The art is beautiful, especially the forest scenes. The characters are funny, and imaginative, and the plot is very original, intriging, and all together, well, good. I can not think of a better comic than this. This comic rates up there with Tolkien, and I love Tolkien books. It is to bad that the series has to come to an end... other than that though, this is an excellent series, you are an idiot if you pass up reading these. Anyone who loves these books as much as me is my friend.