Cartoonist Jeff Smith, author of "Bone," is getting comics' most prestigious honor

When the National Cartoonists Society has its annual conference in August, it will confer on cartoonist Jeff Smith its Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

Smith has produced many fantastic comics, including the science fiction thriller RASL and the prehistoric adventure TUKI, but his all-ages fantasy epic Bone is such a massive achievement that it will always be his defining work.

From the NCS:

… Smith founded Cartoon Books to self-publish Bone — a 55-issue epic fantasy that would redefine what creator-owned comics could achieve. Blending whimsical humor with mythological depth, Bone follows three cartoon cousins exiled from Boneville into a mysterious valley filled with adventure and danger. The series became a landmark work, proving that self-published, all-ages storytelling could thrive both in comic shops and mainstream bookstores. 

Published around the world in 33 countries, Bone has earned Smith 52 National and international awards, including 11 Eisner Awards, 11 Harvey Awards, 2 National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Divisional Awards, as well as the Angouleme Alpha-Art, Lucca, and Adamson Awards. When Scholastic published a colorized edition beginning in 2005, the series became a gateway graphic novel for millions of readers, helping launch the modern middle-grade graphic novel boom and influencing creators across all genres.

It's fitting that Smith will receive this award this year, as the conference will take place in Columbus, Ohio, the city where he grew up and where Bone was created.

I recommend Bone for everyone, but especially for elementary school-age kids. It's an exciting, mysterious story, and the artwork is absolutely some of the most appealing in the history of cartooning.