Cartoon Books Graphic Novel THORN TP THE COMPLETE PROTO-BONE COLLEGE STRIPS 1982-1986 AND OTHER EARLY DRAWINGS 978188896386153000 0424CB382

Cartoon Books

THORN TP THE COMPLETE PROTO-BONE COLLEGE STRIPS 1982-1986 AND OTHER EARLY DRAWINGS

Sale price$30.00
SKU: 0424CB382

(W) Jeff Smith (A) Jeff Smith (CA) Jeff Smith, Tom Gaadt

The Secret Origin of Jeff Smith’s BONE Comes to Light! NYT Bestselling Author Smith Returns to his Roots with a New Collection of His THORN College Strips Cartoon Books announces THORN: The Complete Proto-BONE College Strips 1982 to 1986, and Other Early Drawings, reprinting the entire run of his earliest rendering of the world-famous BONE characters for the first time. The comic strips reveal an early version of BONE called THORN that was written for a college audience in the 1980s. THORN appeared five days a week in the pages of The Ohio State University’s student newspaper The Lantern. A few were reprinted in a self-published 1983 book called THORN: Tales from The Lantern. Another small selection was published in 2008’s limited edition fundraiser for OSU’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum called Before BONE. Both books are long out of print and sell at collector’s prices. There has never been an official, complete run published until now. This beautiful edition includes plenty of bonus material such as recently discovered early drawings of the BONE characters, essays and interviews. “These college strips are an essential element in Smith’s journey toward BONE. But they’re their own unique tale too!” - Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast “Read BONE the graphic novel, and read THORN: The Complete College Strips, and compare them…you have basically just taken maybe the best masterclass in cartooning.” - James Kochalka, creator of Monkey vs Robot and Johnny Boo

UPC/ISBN: 9781888963861

SKU: 0424CB382

FOC Date: 05/05/2024

Release Date: 07/03/2024

Quantity:

Product Information

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OUR STANDARD

Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.

We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:

If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.

WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8

Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
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A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.

We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4

Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:

Bindery characteristics:

  • Minor to moderate corner tears
  • White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
  • Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)

Printing characteristics:

  • Slight color rub on back covers
  • Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
  • Wavy paper texture from the printing process

Spine characteristics:

  • 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
  • Minor non-color-breaking spine dings

These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.

OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY

We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.

We will replace or refund:

  • Books damaged during shipping (clear shipping damage, not pre-existing print characteristics)
  • Books that fall below NM 9.4 standard (significant spine damage, major creasing, tears, etc.)
  • Wrong cover or wrong issue shipped

For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.

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