Bone #4

Jeff Smith's beloved Bone series reaches its fourth collected volume with "The Dragonslayer," and the cover alone sets a striking tone — a small, round silhouette of a Bone figure stands triumphantly atop a rocky pinnacle against a wide blue sky, one arm raised and a glowing star at its center, with warm golden light blazing up from below. The stark silhouette design gives the image a surprisingly epic, cinematic feel that belies the series' deceptively cartoony charm. Published by Cartoon Books in 1997, this volume is a fine showcase for what made Smith's self-published saga so enduring.