Jeff Smith (1960–): A Trailblazing Cartoonist Shaping the World of Comics, Creator of Bone and Champion of Creator-Owned Comics

Jeff Smith (born February 27, 1960) is an American cartoonist, writer, and publisher best known for the self-published epic Bone—a 55-issue saga (1991–2004) that helped ignite the modern graphic-novel boom and proved that creator-owned, all-ages stories could thrive in the direct market and the bookstore trade. Beyond Bone, Smith has authored the sci-fi thriller RASL and the prehistoric adventure Tüki Save the Humans, wrote and illustrated DC’s Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, and co-founded Columbus’s Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) festival. He has earned 10 Eisner Awards, 11 Harvey Awards, and 2 National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Awards.

Infobox: Jeff Smith

Born	February 27, 1960 McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Residence	Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Cartoonist, Writer, Publisher
Years Active	1980s–present
Notable Works	Bone, RASL, Tüki Save the Humans, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
Imprints/Companies	Cartoon Books (founder)
Key Honors	10 Eisners Awards 11 Harveys Awards 2 NCS Comic Book Awards

Early Life and Influences

Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Smith grew up absorbing comic strips, comic books, and animation. Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts became a formative touchstone—his father read the strip aloud every Sunday, spurring Smith to learn to read. He later cited Carl Barks (for storytelling clarity and timing) and Walt Kelly (whose Pogo he discovered after seeing The Pogo Special Birthday Special) as foundational influences; he keeps a Pogo collection by his drawing board. Literary models include Melville’s Moby-Dick (layered symbolism) and Twain’s Huckleberry Finn (a simple, folksy start that deepens into a darker, more complex odyssey). Elements of Star Wars, Tolkien, fairy tale, and myth round out his compass.

Smith drew the earliest prototypes of the Bone cousins as a child, eventually refining them in Thorn, a strip he created for The Lantern at Ohio State University. He graduated from Worthington High School (1978) and studied animation at OSU.

Animation Years and the Leap to Comics

In the 1980s Smith co-founded the Columbus studio Character Builders with classmates Jim Kammerud and Marty Fuller. The team produced commercial animation (openings, ads, film sequences, claymation segments). The grind convinced Smith to pursue a long-form story in print—something with the scope of an epic novel but the clarity and immediacy of cartooning. Inspired by the success and ambition of The Dark Knight Returns, Maus, and Watchmen, he turned to self-publishing.

Bone (1991–2004): An All-Ages Epic That Changed the Market

In 1991 Smith founded Cartoon Books and launched Bone. Initially juggling every business task—letters, prepress, bookkeeping—he soon recruited his wife Vijaya Iyer to run operations so he could focus on writing and drawing. Across 55 black-and-white issues, Bone blended slapstick comedy with high fantasy, expanding from cozy humor to large-scale, mythic adventure. It became a critical and commercial juggernaut, collected first by Cartoon Books (B/W), then in color by Scholastic’s Graphix imprint, where it found a vast new audience in schools and libraries. Time’s Andrew Arnold famously hailed the One-Volume Edition (2004) as “the best all-ages graphic novel yet published.”

Prequels and side tales—Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails and Rose—enriched the world. International editions (including Delcourt’s French releases) broadened its reach and influenced a new generation of European creators.

Mainstream Foray: Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil

A lifelong Captain Marvel/Shazam fan, Smith wrote and illustrated DC’s four-issue prestige miniseries (2007), reimagining Billy Batson’s world with luminous cartooning and all-ages accessibility. The story was later collected in hardcover, introducing Smith’s sensibility to a new superhero readership.

Creator-Owned After Bone: RASL and Tüki

• RASL (2008–2013) – A stark, black-and-white, dimension-hopping noir about an art thief entangled in lost science, obsession, and consequence. Self-published in standard comic size (collections later issued in Smith’s preferred oversized format), RASL showcased moody inks, minimalist design, and mature, thriller pacing.
• Tüki Save the Humans (2013– ) – A prehistoric odyssey about the first human to leave Africa. Debuted as a webcomic, then in print; later reworked and relaunched, with Tuki: Fight for Fire (2022) earning an ALA Best Graphic Novels for Adults nod.

Design, Curation, and Advocacy

Smith has designed and curated notable projects, including Fantagraphics’ Pogo collections and album art (Say Anything, In Defense of the Genre). He co-founded Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) in 2015 and serves as its artistic director, championing the medium’s breadth—from kids’ comics to avant-garde small press. From 2013–2018 he sat on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund board, supporting free expression in comics.

Exhibitions, Documentary, and Media

In 2008, the Wexner Center for the Arts mounted Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond, paired with Jeff Smith: Before Bone at OSU’s Cartoon Research Library. PBS’s NewsHour covered the shows, and the documentary The Cartoonist: Jeff Smith, BONE, and the Changing Face of Comics (2009) profiled his career and the rise of the graphic novel. For emerging readers, Smith created Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon Books, 2009).

Challenges and Resilience

On August 13, 2023, Smith suffered a cardiac arrest, prompting the cancellation of remaining tour events. He has continued to focus on recovery and on the long-term stewardship of Cartoon Books’ catalog and new work.

Style and Themes

Smith’s cartooning blends expressive acting, clean staging, and precise page rhythm—legible to young readers, deeply resonant for adults. Hallmarks include:

• Barks-like clarity and visual comedy
• Kelly’s lyrical language and community dynamics
• Epic structure that starts simple and grows darker and more complex
• Humane, hopeful through-lines amid danger and mystery

Selected Bibliography

• Bone #1–55 (1991–2004) — Cartoon Books; later Graphix (color)
• Bone: One-Volume Edition (2004)
• Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails; Rose (prequels)
• Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil (DC, 2007)
• RASL (2008–2013) — Cartoon Books
• Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon Books, 2009)
• Tüki Save the Humans / Tuki: Fight for Fire (2013– ) — Cartoon Books

Awards and Accolades (Highlights)

• Eisner Awards (10) — incl. Best Continuing Series, Best Writer/Artist, Best Graphic Album (Reprint)
• Harvey Awards (11) — incl. Best Cartoonist, Special Award for Humor
• National Cartoonists Society (2) — Comic Book Awards (1995, 1996)
• ALA Best Graphic Novels for Adults — Tuki: Fight for Fire (2022)

Legacy and Impact

Jeff Smith proved that self-publishing could deliver a long-form, literary, all-ages epic—and sell in comic shops, bookstores, schools, and libraries worldwide. Bone became a gateway graphic novel for millions of readers, seeding the middle-grade GN boom and inspiring creators across genres. Through Cartoon Books and CXC, Smith continues to mentor the field, advocate for creators, and expand the cultural footprint of comics.

Writings

• The Complete Bone Adventures, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 1993.
• Bone, Volume One: Out from Boneville, Cartoon Books, 1995, colorized version, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.
• Bone, Volume Two: The Great Cow Race, Cartoon Books, 1996.
• Bone, Volume Three: Eyes of the Storm, Cartoon Books, 1996.
• Bone Reader, Cartoon Books, 1996.
• Bone, Volume Four: The Dragonslayer, Cartoon Books, 1997.
• Bone: Volume Five: Roch Jaw Master of the Eastern Border, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 1998.
• Bone, Volume Six: Old Man’s Cave, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 1999.

• Bone, Volume Seven: Ghost Circles, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 2002.
• Bone, Volume Eight: Treasure Hunters, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 2002.
• Bone, Volume Nine: Crown of Horns, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 2004.
• Bone: One Volume Edition, Cartoon Books (Columbus, OH), 2004.
• The “Bone” graphic-novel series has been translated into fifteen languages.

Sidelights

Cartoonist Jeff Smith is the creator of the popular “Bone” comic series, a fifty-five-issue epic that has also been released in graphic-novel-format in nine volumes and when published in 2004 as Bone: One-Volume Edition was a hefty tome of over 1,300 pages. Winning over a dozen major awards, including several Eisners and Harveys, the series has become, as Steve Ratieri noted in Library Journal, “one of the most widely acclaimed graphic novel series in the United States,” particularly among teen readers.

A fan of comic strips such as “Peanuts,” “Uncle Scrooge” and Walt Kelly’s “Pogo,” as a child, Jeff Smith once admitted to Something about the Author (SATA ) that he wished “that my childhood heroes would go out on an adventure that had actual danger in it … or an adventure that would have consequences that might alter their existence.”

He invented the saga’s three main characters when he was in kindergarten: Fone Bone, a fan of Moby Dick; Phoney Bone, who is always plotting something; and Smiley Bone, who adopts a relaxed, “What, Me Worry?” attitude toward life. With the “Bone” saga, which has won its author several awards and been compared to epic works such as Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series and even J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Jeff Smith was able to fulfill his wish, albeit over three decades later.

“‘Bone’ is about growing up and leaving home for the first time,” Jeff Smith explained of the series, which he introduced in the comic books collected in 1991’s Out from Boneville. “The story is about what happens when the Bone cousins leave Boneville … this sheltered little world they grew up in and then go out into this wilder, outside world.” In the series, four-fingered cousins Fone, Phoney, and Smiley undertake the classic journey to enlightenment; they find themselves in a secret valley right out of a classic fairy tale.

Spending a year in this new place, the cousins meet up with everything from dragons and talking bugs to vicious Rat Creatures and the evil Hooded One, the last two bent on destruction. Deciding to come to the aid of the goodhearted residents of the valley town of Athena, they join with Gran’ma Ben, the valley kingdom’s queen, and stand with the city against the coming invasion of evil.

Jeff Smith first drafted “Bone” as a serial comic strip for Ohio State University’s student newspaper, the Lantern. Although his work drew the attention of national syndicates, Jeff Smith opted to start his animation studio, Cartoon Books, and produce “Bone” in comic-book format himself. Following Smith’s edition, the series was reissued by Scholastic, Inc., in a colorized version.

Critical response to Jeff Smith’s efforts has been favorable. Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Katharine L. Kan, reviewing Bone, Volume Two: The Great Cow Race, asserted: “This is one for the whole family to enjoy, full of raucous humor, great dialogue, and marvelously twisted plotting.” Reviewing Bone, Volume One: Out from Boneville, Gordon Flagg noted in Booklistthat Smith is “a major talent as skilled as the old masters,” adding: “Such gentle, all-ages humor as Bone’s has all but disappeared; consequently, Jeff Smith’s neo-traditionalist seems fresher than anything else the comics medium offers today.”

In Publishers Weekly a critic attempted to describe the series as a whole, calling “Bone” “something like a Chuck Jones version of The Lord of the Rings; hilarious and action-packed, but rarely losing track of its darker subtext about power and evil.” The “dark, witty, mysterious, and exciting” saga benefits from its creator’s talents, according to Scott la County, who wrote in School Library Journal that the series’ “animation and fresh storyline put Jeff Smith in a league of his own.” Flagg noted that “Ongoing series as beautifully sustained as “Bone” are rare in the comics industry,” while School Library Journal critic Douglas P. Davey dubbed “Bone” “the greatest story Disney never told.”

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

• Booklist, August 1995, Gordon Flagg, review of Bone, Volume One: Out from Boneville, p. 1922; July 1996; September 1, 2004, Gordon Flagg, review of Crown of Thorns; October 15, 2004, Gordon Flagg, review of Bone: One-Volume Edition, p. 396.
• Entertainment Weekly, September 24, 2004, Rachel Lovinger, review of Bone, p. 117.
• Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Steve Raiteri, review of Treasure Hunters, p. 101; November 1, 2004, Steve Ranieri, review of Bone, p. 67.
• Publishers Weekly, March 17, 2003, p. 28; October 18, 2004, Heidi Macdonald, interview with Smith; February 7, 2005, review of Out from Boneville, p. 44.
• School Library Journal, October 2003, p. 31; December 2003, Douglas P. Davey, review of Out from Boneville; December 2004, Steve Weiner, “Epic Proportions,” p. 25; May 2005, Scott La Counte, review of Out from Boneville, p. l53.
• Time, October 11, 2004, Andrew Arnold, “A Comic That’s Good to the Bone,” p. 103.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Jeff Smith

1. Who is Jeff Smith?

Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, writer, and artist known for his contributions to the world of comics, particularly for creating the popular comic series “Bone.”

2. What is Jeff Smith best known for?

Jeff Smith is best known for creating the critically acclaimed and popular comic series “Bone.” This series played a significant role in the growth of independent comics and has received numerous awards and accolades.

3. When and where was Jeff Smith born?

Jeff Smith was born on February 27, 1960, in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, USA.

4. What is “Bone,” and why is it significant?

“Bone” is a comic series Jeff Smith created from 1991 to 2004. It is significant for its critical acclaim, popularity, and contribution to the success of independent comics. The series received multiple Eisner Awards and continues to be celebrated as a classic in the medium.

5. What awards has Jeff Smith received for his work?

Jeff Smith has received multiple Eisner Awards for his work on “Bone.” He has also been inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame and named a Master Cartoonist by the Cartoon Art Museum.

6. What are Cartoon Books, and what role does it play in Jeff Smith’s career?

Cartoon Books is an independent comic book publishing company founded by Jeff Smith. It has been instrumental in publishing his works, including “Bone.” It reflects his commitment to independent comics and creators.

7. Has Jeff Smith worked on projects outside of “Bone”?

Yes, Jeff Smith has collaborated with other writers and artists on projects outside of “Bone.” This showcases his versatility and willingness to explore different genres and styles in his work.

8. What influences have shaped Jeff Smith’s work?

Jeff Smith has cited influences such as Walt Kelly, Osamu Tezuka, and Carl Barks as inspirations for his work. These influences have contributed to the development of his distinctive artistic style.

9. What is Jeff Smith’s personal background and educational history?

Jeff Smith graduated from Ohio State University. He was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and is known for his dedication to the craft of comics.

10. What is Jeff Smith’s legacy in the world of comics?

Jeff Smith’s legacy in comics is characterized by his significant impact on independent comics, storytelling, character development, and artistry. His creation, “Bone,” continues to inspire and entertain readers of all ages, and he is celebrated as one of the industry’s most influential and respected cartoonists.