The points of issue
Self-published black-and-white first issue, July 1991, the printed price. The decisive identifier of the true first printing is the RED Bone logo on the cover (later printings use other logo colors); the first printing carries the Cartoon Books indicia with the 1991 date and no printing notation. Later printings (more than a dozen exist, including tenth-anniversary, Wizard, and Image editions) are explicitly marked and far more common. The first printing had a very low print run.
Is this the true first?
First appearance of the Bone cousins (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone), Thorn, and the Rat Creatures; among the most sought self-published indie keys of the 1990s. The genuine collectible is the 1991 first-print floppy with the red logo, not the later 'Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume' omnibus (first issued 2004), which is a separate 'first thus.'
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Distinguish the scarce 1991 first print from the many marked reprints by the red logo, the absence of a printing number, and the original indicia. The one-volume omnibus and the Scholastic Graphix color editions are entirely later.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Bone #1 (comic) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Self-published black-and-white first issue, July 1991, the printed price. The decisive identifier of the true first printing is the RED Bone logo on the cover (later printings use other logo colors); the first printing carries the Cartoon Books indicia with the 1991 date and no printing notation. Later printings (more than a dozen exist, including tenth-anniversary, Wizard, and Image editions) are explicitly marked and far more common. The first printing had a very low print run.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. First appearance of the Bone cousins (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone), Thorn, and the Rat Creatures; among the most sought self-published indie keys of the 1990s. The genuine collectible is the 1991 first-print floppy with the red logo, not the later 'Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume' omnibu
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition. Distinguish the scarce 1991 first print from the many marked reprints by the red logo, the absence of a printing number, and the original indicia. The one-volume omnibus and the Scholastic Graphix color editions are entirely later.
I have a first edition of Bone #1 (comic) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.