Bone (1991)

Bone reached the widest audience of any comic here. Jeff Smith launched it through his own Cartoon Books in July 1991, at a time when retailers were wary of any self-published black-and-white book, and he vowed to do six issues come hell or high water. Dave Sim helped by running Bone as a backup feature in Cerebus, and the series ran to 55 issues by 2004. The story of three cousins lost in a valley mixes slapstick comedy with a real fantasy epic, and it works for children and adults alike. Scholastic launched its Graphix imprint in 2005 with a full-color edition, which has sold millions and brought Bone to a generation of young readers. Start with Out from Boneville, or take the one-volume edition.