Word: rat
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Twelve years ago, when Jeff Smith started writing, drawing and self-publishing Bone, a black-and-white comic about three odd-looking creatures lost in a valley of dragons, talking bugs and rat creatures, his efforts seemed like folly. But the series grew into an award-winning favorite of cool kids and hip adults. Now finished and collected as a 1,300-page softcover (Cartoon Books), Bone combines the humor and look of early Disney movies with the scope of the Lord of the Rings cycle. A former animator, Smith draws characters that are both cute and scary...
When you're singing a ballad and the roller coaster goes by, you gotta be quick on your feet. So I think it's gonna help. Unfortunately, I was born too late for the Rat Pack. Born too late for the Rat Pack, and Paris Hilton calls me Mr. Danza...
...showcase, re-stakes his dormant reputation as a brilliant character actor. Even in his fat suit, he has an easy command of the stage, preening and prancing with joy. Extra points for hitting a long high note in his showstopping A Gift for Living Well with a large, live rat crawling around his neck. As Marian, Maria Friedman is appropriately plucky and anguished. The other women are less memorable. As the title character, Angela Christian is saddled with an irritating, hard-to-decipher accent. It's hard to be eerie when you're singing, "I be raaht oopset!" Audience members...
...through his near-prodigal cartooning talents. As attested by his numerous Harvey and Eisner awards for "Best Cartoonist" and "Best Writer/Artist," Smith draws panels that put more energy into a single line than many comics put into entire books. The action sequences, like the one where two dim-witted rat creatures chase the Bones through a precarious rock face, leave you near breathless with their dynamism. Even simple dialogue sequences stay visually interesting thanks to the expressiveness that Smith, a former animator, puts into his work. This key aspect of Smith's work makes "Bone" much more accessible to kids...
...stupid rat creatures don't quit...