Bone: Out From Boneville, is the first volume in Jeff Smith's Bone series, consisting of issues 1-6. It is the first volume in the Vernal Equinox Trilogy.
Summary
The three Bone Cousins- Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phonciple P. "Phoney" Bone -having been run out of their hometown Boneville, are lost and separated in the desert. They are drawn into a mysterious Valley, and find themselves taken in by the tough but spirited Gran'ma Ben and her kind granddaughter Thorn. However, strange forces abound- a Great Red Dragon seems to be following Fone Bone, and the Hooded One, with his army of Rat Creatures, is determined to capture "The one who bears the star" for his own purposes...
This volume has examples of the following tropes
- Brick Joke: After discovering the Valley, Fone Bone mentions possibly strangling Phoney. At the end of the volume, Fone Bone does just that.
- Bad Vibrations: The farm house shaking heralds the arrival of Gran'ma Ben.
- Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes Fone Bone when he tries to tell them about the Dragon. At least, until the Dragon shows himself...
- Foreshadowing:
- The map the Bones found in the desert. Thorn thinks it reminds her of something...
- While talking about why the Bones were chased out of Boneville, Fone Bone mentions that Phoney had a giant balloon version of himself made for his campaign picnic.
- Knight of Cerebus: Though dangerous, the Rat Creatures are depicted as goofy- until the Hooded One shows up and starts dispensing orders.
- Love at First Sight: Fone Bone is infatuated with Thorn upon seeing her.
- Noodle Incident: Reportedly, Phoney once built an orphanage on a hazardous waste landfill, combined a petting zoo with a slaughter house, opened a combined salad bar and nuclear reactor, and started a "New-age school of lamaze and bungee-jumping" We never get anymore on what happened, although the latter two got the Bones run out of Boneville according to Smiley.
- Samus Is a Girl: In the first issue, Ted the bug tells Fone Bone about his friend Thorn. In the second issue, Fone Bone meets Thorn, and finds that it's a pretty girl.
- The Swarm: In the very first issue, the Bones are hit by a swarm of locusts.
- Your Money Is No Good Here: Phoney learns that the people of the Valley don't use money, but operate on a barter system of goods and services. Unfortunately, he learns this after he's bought several drinks for himself at Lucius' tavern.
