Wednesday, August 19, 2015

On the Coffee Table: Ghost Circles

Title: Bone, Volume 7: Ghost Circles
Writer and Artist: Jeff Smith
via Bone Wiki
The wonderful Bone comic book series continues with Volume 7, collecting issues 40-45.  The Bones, Thorn and Gran'ma Ben are reunited but on the run from the rat creatures.  A massive volcanic eruption has covered their world with ash and the lines between illusion and reality are helplessly blurred.  Thorn carries a part of the Lord of the Locust's soul with her, definitely a mixed blessing as it helps her to find a path to safety but, of course, she's cursed.  We get some important back story for Lucius and Gran'ma Ben in this volume and we see the return of one of my favorites: the baby rat creature, Bartleby. 

I find myself increasingly curious about the story's Melville references.  Fone Bone is obsessed with Moby Dick and carries a copy of the book with him everywhere he goes.  At one point in Ghost Circles, he and his cousin Phoney hallucinate that they are Ishmael and Captain Ahab respectively.  The character name Bartleby, of course, is borrowed from a Melville story, too.  I've read "Bartleby, the Scrivener" but never made much headway with Moby Dick.  I tried once while on vacation in coastal Massachusetts but it didn't take.  I don't know if it would add much to my understanding of Bone but the series has renewed my curiosity.

Two more volumes to go!  Next up is Treasure Hunters.
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14 comments:

  1. Andrew LeonAugust 19, 2015 at 12:29 PM

    I loved Moby Dick.
    I also have a tragic story about my copy of the book.
    But I have nothing to add about Bone to what I've already said.

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 19, 2015 at 1:41 PM

      I've seen a couple different movie versions and been to the whaling museum in New Bedford and the church with the ship's bow pulpit but I have not yet read the book.

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  2. NasAugust 19, 2015 at 6:17 PM

    Great post...Loved the story.

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  3. Denise Covey August 19, 2015 at 9:21 PM

    Moby Dick remains an evocative tale forever loved by so many. I came by to tell you I've signed up for your Coffeehouse again as I need a motivation to post more book reviews seeing as I'm reading so many. Will be great to do it! August 28th. I'd better not forget!

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 19, 2015 at 9:27 PM

      Believe it or not, I was just thinking of you as I was commenting on Toi Thomas's WEP post! I'm delighted you've decided to join us this month.

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  4. DMSAugust 19, 2015 at 9:56 PM

    I have to read this series. I love graphic novels and these have been on my radar for a while, but I never really knew much about them. Awesome to know you are enjoying them so much. Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 19, 2015 at 10:20 PM

      I've been going through them one volume at a time but there is an omnibus collecting all of them. In hindsight, I should have taken the plunge upfront.

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  5. AnonymousAugust 20, 2015 at 1:01 AM

    I read an abridged version of Moby Dick ages ago. It's interesting seeing references to classics in modern works.

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 20, 2015 at 6:47 AM

      Absolutely. I suppose that's part of what makes them classic.

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  6. sageAugust 20, 2015 at 11:04 AM

    I had tried Moby Dick when I was younger and never finished it--I think I got lost in his chapters on technical stuff--but I read it about 10 years ago and enjoyed it. Afterwards, I also read Phlibrick's "Hear of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaling Ship Essex" which was supposedly the event that helped created Melville's story

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 20, 2015 at 3:12 PM

      It seems inevitable that I will try again sometime. I am interested to hear that you were more receptive to it on your second attempt.

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  7. Musings of a Creative WriterAugust 20, 2015 at 9:05 PM

    We have this series in the library I work for! They are very popular. I will have to check them out now - the Bone series sound great!

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    1. The Armchair SquidAugust 20, 2015 at 9:14 PM

      I highly recommend it - not just for 9-year-old boys.

      Delete

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