The Great Cow Race (1996)
The Great Cow Race Review
The Great Cow Race is the second volume of Bone comics written and illustrated by Jeff Smith. It was first published in 1996.
This volume focuses on Gran’ma Ben’s annual race against the town’s cows, and Phoney and Smiley Bone’s attempts to fix the race. It also delves into the deepening mystery of Thorn’s past, and the brooding unrest between the valley folk and the Rat Creature tribe, between whom there has been an uneasy treaty. First off, I have to say that this second volume wasn’t quite as strong as the first one. It’s still great, but not as cinematic or epic as that first story arc was. It felt a bit too comedic and episodic in structure.
With that being said, I still loved The Great Cow Race for what it is, which is this very endearing adventure comedy that worked best in the amusing character dynamics once again. Gran’ma Ben is such a fun character and I loved that she did manage to win the race once again in the end. Thorn’s mysterious story begins to unravel here and that dream that she had was instantly intriguing.
I did not quite care for that love triangle that was introduced here between Fone Bone, Thorn and that archetypal muscular jock character. It was not needed and it was the weakest element here. But I did love the final sequence where he was writing a love letter to her that was obviously coming from him, but was meant to be from a mystery sender. Fone Bone continues to be the most likable character of the bunch.
The scheming storyline worked wonderfully as Phoney is hilariously manipulative and Smiley was very funny in his idiotic mistakes. That final vignette of sorts between starring Smiley and Lucius was also genuinely amusing. We also get to see the Rat Creatures again and they continue to be a formidable presence.
This volume is just as beautifully drawn as the last one, though lacking in the memorable adventurous elements. But the gags are well written and illustrated. The dialogue continues to be terrific and the same goes for the overall characterization. The background work is just gorgeous too.
