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Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 paperback cover

Artist: Jeff Smith (All)

10 Comments  -   292 Views  -   11 Likes


Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 paperback cover Comic Art
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Additional Images:


additional view of the art board shape

 

   

Artwork Details

Title: Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 paperback cover
Artist: Jeff Smith (All)
Media Type: Pen and Ink
Art Type: Cover
For Sale Status: NFS
Views: 292
Likes on CAF:
Favorited on CAF: 1
Comments: 10
Added to Site: 8/21/2024
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I've been a fan of Jeff Smith's Bone since I first read it about 15 years ago- the cartoony style drew me in, but it was the storytelling and relationships that kept me invested. In particular, I loved the relationship between Fone Bone and Thorn. I got a couple quick head sketches from Jeff at Heroes Con years ago but really wanted a nice inked piece, which is hard to come across. All of Jeff's published Bone work was donated to Ohio State's Cartoon Art Museum, so save for the random auction piece, the only originals that have come out in recent years are inked sketches as part of special Bone releases or Kickstarter campaigns, all of which I've missed out on.


So I was pretty fortunate to be able to pick this up through Jeff's latest Kickstarter for the complete collection of Thorn, the comic strip he drew in college which was the precursor for the Bone series. It did have a reward tier for a Thorn/Fone Bone sketch (which I missed out on), but there was an unexpected original art drop near the end of the campaign for this very piece- it features both Thorn and Fone Bone and was published as the cover for the main paperback release of the Thorn collection. Due to a hiccup in how the reward was added to Kickstarter (i.e., it wasn't limited to just 1), similar versions of this image (with additional characters) were made for the other collectors who claimed it, and I was lucky enough to get the original piece used for publication.


Given the fact that this was used for a cover, it's interesting that this was drawn on what seems like a piece of scrap board. The art board itself isn't the neatest (there's a cut on the board that just touches Fone Bone's leg) and is cut in a weird non-rectangular shape (see the additional photo). However, it does have some character/history on the page- you can see the blue pencils underneath the inks, and while faint, there is a blue pencil sketch underneath Thorn's cape that almost looks like a self-portrait. And how often do you see a published original with Fone Bone and Thorn? ("not often at all" is the correct answer)


Thanks, Tom, Kathleen, Vijaya, and Jeff!

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About the Owner

Kin Wong ( 2 )
Premium Gallery Owner
Joined: March 2007
Last Login: September 2025
Country: UNITED STATES
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Comments on this Artwork

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James S 
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 8/21/2024

Oh a unicorn piece!

E DLS 
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 8/21/2024

Grrrr!  If you weren't such a nice guy, I could almost hate you.  Seriously though, even if it's done on a piece of scrap paper, at least Fedex didn't bend YOUR Jeff Smith piece in half.

Casey A 
Member Since 2019

1 - Posted on 8/21/2024

Now THAT is cool. Congrats on a true rarity- the other versions have been really fun to see come out, and I love the additional characters, but this one has to feel special.

Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 8/21/2024

Wow!  That's the ultimate reward tier in the history of reward tiers!    

Mark Levy 
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 8/21/2024

A lottery win, the original original - congrats!

Jason Hussa 
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 8/30/2024

Smithalicious!  Yup - this here is the OA equivalent of golden hen's teeth (which you could also imagine Grama Ben raises on her farm...).  A beautiful moment of warmth and strength, and a testament to the genuine compassion that these two all-time greats share for each other.  Plus a Jeff Smith pentimento beneath Thorn's cape?  Wicked cool, Kin - a phenomenal pick up!  Congrats on unlocking the ultimate reward tier! :)

Kin Wong 
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 8/31/2024

Jason Hussa wrote:

Smithalicious!  Yup - this here is the OA equivalent of golden hen's teeth (which you could also imagine Grama Ben raises on her farm...).  A beautiful moment of warmth and strength, and a testament to the genuine compassion that these two all-time greats share for each other.  Plus a Jeff Smith pentimento beneath Thorn's cape?  Wicked cool, Kin - a phenomenal pick up!  Congrats on unlocking the ultimate reward tier! :)

Thanks for the kind words, and now I learned a new word in "pentimento"!

Bill J 
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 9/5/2024

Beautiful. Who among us hasn't dreamed of picking up a Jeff Smith Bone original? But none of us have...Oh wait--You have! Sincere congrats!

Tangled Web Art 
Member Since 2020

1 - Posted on 9/11/2024

Congrats with this rare piece of original Bone art!

C. G. 
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 2/21/2025

So you're the one who beat me to it, lol! This is an incredibly special piece no matter where he drew it and I'm very glad you shared it with all of us. Will always enjoy her smirk

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