Rockjaw, Master of the Eastern Border (School & Library Binding)

Yet it works.

"Bone" is an expansive story about three "bone creatures" (you'd have to see them to understand) that find themselves in a valley peopled with an assortment of crazy and interesting characters. Looming over it all is the menace of a great evil, revealed slowly over the course of nine volumes.

The fifth installment, "Rock Jaw," offers spills and thrills suitable for all ages, while continuing to expand the sprawling story of "Bone" In this volume, readers learn more about the evil looking to terrify the valley and its inhabitants, getting glimpses into their inner workings and motivations. We also meet a compelling new character (whom this volume is named after).

All in all, despite appearing as little more than a side adventure to the grand story arcing throughout the series (it isn't - Rock Jaw and his mountain come into play later), this volume works, fitting in perfectly with this destined to be a classic series.

Jeff Smith's "Bone" series is a critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked epic. Critics recognize Smith's masterful storytelling abilities and are drawn to his mix of all-ages humor and more mature darkness, but the black and white art and lack of superheroes turn off many comic book readers, making it a hit only in the "underground" sense.

And that's too bad, because this deserves to be read. Readers able to look past the lack of men in tights and color artwork will delight in this series. Little doubt people will still be reading "Bone" 50 years from now. Broad in scope yet personal and quaint, this is a charming story in every way that will surely outlast 90 percent of other comic works on the shelf.

Smith combines the kind of classic storytelling perfected by the likes of the legendary Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) - gleefully funny cartooning with outrageously expressive faces and gestures - with the epic and engaging plotting of a sweeping fairy tale. "Bone" walks a tightrope and walks it well, managing to be something fans of both Donald Duck and Bilbo Baggins can enjoy.

This book is entertaining and captivating, and of course, as is the case with most Bone books, it is at times very funny. But it also worthy of note, more so than most of the story Bone story arcs, for the questions it brings about on nature. Roque Ja's character is at the center of this problem, because his pragmatic, naturalist world view come into conflict and challenge with the other forces at work in the story. In the end, actions speak louder than words, and first-hand illustration of the philosophy of the characters is presented by the events that take place in the course of the book.

Smith recently published his eighth Bone book and is about to come out with the ninth and last Bone book. But out of all of them, "Roque Ja" certainly stands out as one of the most remarkable. It certainly counts among my all-time favorites, perhaps only beaten by the excellent, unforgivable "The Dragonslayer," which preceded it. I certainly hope that the ninth book, "Crown of Horns," will be of similar calibre, and Smith has certainly taught his readers over the years that high expectations are not necessarily foolish but coming out with superior material over and over again. Of course, it will be the very end of the saga, so the last big fight of the story is about to begin...