Tuki: Fight for Family

Tuki #2

by Jeff Smith

The ancient world was filled with restless spirits and powerful forces. 2 million years ago, human evolution made its move. It chose Fire. At the dawn of humanity, during a period of tremendous change and drought, three lost children meet a mysterious traveler named Tuki. Together, their search for the Motherherd of all Buffalo leads them far north through the dangerous territory of a rival species called the Habiline. The Habiline hunt and kill anyone found using fire. Tuki’s reputation precedes them and soon they find themselves at the center of unwanted attention not only from Habiline warriors, but of tribal spirits and giants!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mythology

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his comic book BONE, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards helped propel Cartoon Books and BONE to the forefront of the comic book industry.
In 1992, Jeff’s wife Vijaya Iyer joined the company as partner to handle publishing and distribution, licensing, and foreign language publications. In the Spring of 2005, Harry Potter’s U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. entered the graphic novel market by launching a new imprint, Graphix with a full color version of BONE: Out from Boneville, bringing the underground comic to a new audience and a new generation.
In 2007, DC Comics released Smith’s first non-creator owned work, SHAZAM! Monster Society of Evil, a four-part mini-series recreating a classic serial from comic’s Golden Age. Between projects, Smith spends much of his time on the international guest circuit promoting comics and the art of graphic novels.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The found family of the first volume has some down time to bond, but ends up fighting some bad guys and finding something at the end of the book that will hopefully make the next one a hell of a lot more interesting. (Yawn!)

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Part Two: 2 Million BCE -- A Note on Paleoanthropology -- Chapter 1: The Old Habo's Grotto -- Chapter 2: The Doctor & Miss Zee -- Chapter 3: Hunting & Gathering -- Chapter 4: Night Visitors -- Chapter 5: The Second Miracle -- A Note from the Author -- Bonus Material [A Brief Bibliography -- Special Thanks -- Appendix C. The Making of Tuki: Fight for Family -- Out of Her Comfort Zone: Building Chapter 2 -- Photo Reference -- Workspaces -- The Campaign -- Appendix D. October '95, Africa]

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Smith is a master-storyteller. Not question. But I’ve got to be honest here: I was a little disappointed with the ending of this volume. I thought this was goin to wrap up the storyline. I was wrong. As Smith says in his “afterword” this is the end of Act One of a projected 6 volume series. As this is the second book, does that mean there are likely to be 4 more books, or does he mean these two books make up the first of 6 volumes and there will be 5 more? You know what? It doesn’t matter. I see several more Tuki by Jeff Smith Kickstarter campaigns in my future. Brilliant characterizations. Wonderful story. A fantastic tale from the dawn of humankind. So the ONLY reason I’m disappointed is that it isn’t over? You know what? THAT IS GREAT NEWS! 😸

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Smith has been slowly putting out Tuki over the past 10+ years at this point. I think it'll be better as a longer book because this felt like a pretty short chapter that doesn't really do much for me. Fantastic cartooning as always from Smith, but I'm not connecting with the characters or their struggle.

I like the setting with multiple human species that existed 2 million years ago.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art alone is utterly mesmerizing, and only a talent like Jeff Smith could turn a paleontology lesson into a rich fantasy adventure.

[Caleb M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't help but fall in love with the characters in this series. How everyone takes care of each other and has each other's backs. The subtle humor that can't help but makes you smile.

You don't need to be interested in prehistoric humans to find something to enjoy here. You just need to be interested in human interaction and family. The setting is just a means to tell the story.

Jeff Smith has pretty much cemented himself as probably my favorite comic artist/writer as of this writing. I had no interest in this series at all other than the fact that Smith was writing. It's special. And I think you'd think it's special too.

Give Tuki a chance, you might just find something you love here.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Smith is still visibly tinkering with previous versions of Tuki in this second volume, which moves the story along to a culmination point as the characters become more comfortable around each other. This is apparently intended to be a six volume series. I thought this second one would be the conclusion, but all the same, it remains an interesting experience that dives into Smith’s fascination with the convergence of early man, including a pointed conversation about the nature of fire at this stage of history.

[Simon MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jeff Smith's work ever since picking up an issue of Bone at a comic shop in the early 90's. I kinda of missed that he was producing these web comics, and I'm glad that they collected them into easy-to-read graphic novels.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book, I was a bit disappointed when I got to the end, that seemed quite anticlimactic and didn't answer all the questions raised by the narrative so far. But then I read the extra's collected in the book, and I found the author saying that the story of Tuki will consist of six books in total! Seeing how this is only the second book, and not the conclusion, and four more volumes will follow, the fact that the story did not feel complete at the end, is only logical.
So, going into this with the knowledge that more will follow helps!
As a second part of a series this works fine. It deepens the world and the characters and sets up more of the conflicts, but this does contain less impressive set pieces than the first part. The art however is gorgeous as ever and every page is a joy to look at.
Jeff Smith is well known as the author of Bone (a classic graphic novel) and RASL (also very good). This book shows his wide diversity (a story of different species of human livin together) while also featuring his own distinctive style. I love everything he has put out, and look forward to new installments in this series!

[Michael Lee My ComicBook World · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spoiler free review.

Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family are two terrific graphic novels. Thank you NetGalley, Kathleen Glosan, and Jeff Smith for the advanced reader copies of both books. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them! The artwork and awesome stories compliment each other very well. I was hooked from the start of Book One.

The Tuki graphic novels are very different from other Jeff Smith comics series such as Bone. The Tuki books are much more serious and have moments of violence but Tuki has so much heart and some beautiful poignant scenes. Reading the Tuki graphic novels felt like I was reading a story that would make a great movie or cartoon series. Some of the scenes felt like perfect storyboards or silent segments with very little to no dialogue which I really enjoy. The art told the story and the readers could imagine their own sounds for the scene. It’s like watching a silent film.

Tuki is the hero of these journey quest stories. His tale begins at the dawn of humanity. Where food and water are both scarce. He’s a cross between Tarzan and an unlikely hero type or a ronin who roams the jungle and plains in search of the mother herd of all buffalo.

During his journey he meets various species of humans. During this prehistoric time there are several human species who try to coexist with one another. In the Tuki graphic novels there are at least four species of humans and Tuki interacts with each of them during his journey. Tuki is a part of the species of humans who use fire and walk on two feet, but another species is the Habiline. They hate fire and attack and kill anyone who uses fire or cooks their food. The Habiline think it is an abomination of life to cook your food. Tuki meets an older Habiline, the Old One, a Seer who tries to warn Tuki how much the Habiline hate his kind.

The Old One and Tuki also meet other human species during this fantasy prehistoric story. They meet three children who bond with all of them. The children are the glue that holds them all together. Both Tuki and the old Habiline care for the kids in their own way. The children help Tuki and the other species to put aside their differences as they battle animal Gods, other human species, and long tooths.

The Tuki graphic novels remind me so much of Tarzan films and the Disney cartoon especially when Tuki goes sliding across tree branches and swings on vines as he ventures through the jungle. I also see similarities to Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal. Two stories about humans during the dawn of man as they each battle prehistoric monsters.

I highly recommend reading both Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family. These are two very entertaining graphic novels that feature great stories and amazing artwork. Make sure you read to the end of each book. There is so much great information and bonus material on what Tuki is based on, storyboards with artist edition notes, Jeff Smith stories, and more.

Stay awesome keep reading!


Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family

Creative Team:

Written and Illustrated by Jeff Smith

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the last volume by changing direction to focus on the development of the supporting cast. They're all misfits brought together by a need for contact. The three Ran orphans could really use somebody to support them after the ape-like Habiline killed off their tribe. As for the old Habiline, it's understandable that he's looking for purpose now that the old magic forces are being replaced by a new one. Something tells me Tuki's initial direction to leave Africa is going to play a big part in the next chapter of this saga, and this Habiline wants to be a part of it. I really wonder what's going through Kwarel's head since he was kicked out of his tribe and still wants contact with others.

Not to mention I love Jeff's artwork. Not only for scenic atmosphere but for putting actions and anticipation in the art. I could feel the suspense in some scenes taking place without the presence of something ready to pounce. Some comics could really learn from this series.

[Arimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second part of the TUKI graphic novel series that is planned to span six books. At the time of writing, however, it's been 2.5 years since the publication of Fight for Family with no news on the sequels. I'm afraid the readers are up for a long wait.

Fight for Family continues where the first book left off. It's a very quick read that mostly prefaces things to come in later chapters. Characters spend a lot of time getting to know each other, and the dialog-heavy scenes focus on 2-3 characters building their relationships.

At the moment, TUKI seems to fall somewhere between Jeff Smith's magnum opus Bone and his less-acclaimed follow-up RASL. The graphic novel does not have the rushed pacing and overly serious tone of RASL, and it does strike an okay balance between funny moments and a deeper mythology.

I look forward to the rest of the series.

[Colin Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tuki and co continue their search for the buffalo herd and have to fend off some warrior Habos who have a constitutional opposition to FIRE. Jeff Smith does such an amazing job slowly developing this prehistoric world, crafting a narrative about this time when multiple proto-humans roamed the earth. I love how each species has its own mythology that overlaps somewhat with others but has its own distinct characteristics. Fire, of course, is the major point of contention - how should people exert control over fire? This is the Prometheus story, but the characters are much more lived in. The story has qualities of myth but it’s ultimately a very grounded tale, full of humor and pathos.

[RSC_Collecting · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful finale to a really good series. You all should know how much I love Jeff Smith. He's able to bring so much life into the characters he creates. There's so much little emotion in every line and panel. I find myself staring intently at each page. Just enjoying the beauty of it all. This second and final book of the Tuki series was nice. It gave us even more adventure and concluded the series in a really heartwarming way. As the saying goes; "it's about the journey, not about the destination." This series captured that perfectly. We made friends, fought enemies, and eventually wound up where we were meant to be. Beautiful stuff all around. Highly recommend.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Jeff Brown had a vision while visiting Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania of multiple species of early hominids trading at a market, which inspired this Kickstarter-funded graphic novel series. Oops, I didn’t realize that this is Book 2, but I was still able to follow the action. Early humans are interesting to me—I read all of the “Clan of the Cave Bear” books. Although this is classified as “for adults” at my library, the violence mostly happens “off-screen” so I think this would appeal to young readers (middle grade and up) as well. Interesting and unique!

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's sort of fun to see Jeff Smith nerd out about human evolution. I think that's actually the best part of any person: Whatever they really get into and could talk about for ages.

What's the quick way to ask that? Because this is what I'd like to ask new people I meet instead of asking about their job or whatever.

But also, I feel like saying, "What sets your soul aflame?" isn't quite right, unless the person I'm meeting is very into astrology and wearing impractically tall boots, both in their heel height and their lace-up distance up the leg.

[Bengali Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to read. I wish I read the first book before this. The storyline is intriguing and I would like to read the next installment. The characters are well evolved and the illustrations are nicely done.

Thank you NetGalley and Cartoon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

End of Act 1 of the adventure of Tuki.

I love this world and the different hominids therein.

I love the art and how it straddles the line between sweet and scary.

I love the notes after the story where Jeff Smith describes the background research and artistic studies.

I wish I could give this an extra half star.

[Rix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like these two volumes we've gotten of this story so far, and I think the basic idea of different species of humans hanging out together is cool, but so far I'm missing the sense of a Big Plot driving everything. I wish we'd heard a bit more about what MOAB means to each of the characters so I could get a bit more excited about them having found it

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots more adventure and fun in a time when so many of our ancestors roamed the same lands. I could stare at Jeff Smith's art for hours, completely stunned by the power and expression in those ink lines.

[Michael Harring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and imaginative. I wasn’t sure how interested I’d be in an “early man” narrative, but Smith brings real humanity, mystery, and fantasy so that it feels expansive and not at all stuffy. His masterful control of the comic language makes for an engaging and delightful journey.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: Tuki - Fight For Family. Book 2 of Jeff Smith's paleoanthropological graphic novel continues the story of Tuki and his found family as they look for the mother of all buffalo. It's a hard knock life on the African plains two million years ago. Evolution in action.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the first, I'd say! The story itself moved along quite a bit in this second volume, and we got to know some of the characters a lot better too. Still loving all the bonus material after the story (how did I not know Jeff Smith is from Columbus??)

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in quick order from the first book (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it is at least a bit clearer to see just where the series might be going. For I think I am proven right, here – this is going to be a quest book, of course, but the meat of the story's moral will be how young people can bridge differences between us all, and how way back when humanity had five or six species coexisting, it was the youth that might have stopped them being so against each other. Here the kids look up to Tuki, to the extent they replicate his basic tools for the first time, and everyone is on board when a dramatic rescue mission is called for.

Said rescue also allows Tuki to go the full Tarzan with us, pinging from one tree to another, and always finding a liana handy just when it's needed. There was always a bit of the Hollywood about the first book, with a lot of the landscape looking like a Western set as much as the African plains. And that escapist setting is further evidence that in truth this series isn't really intent on spreading a moral or Grand Point About It All – it is just a lark, a typical Jeff Smith adventure quest. Here the characters broaden out, and their differences make for a lot more drama, but I still don't think easy about giving this four stars. Yes, I have grown a fondness for Tuki and the disparate family that built in Book One, and I remain interested in what will come (four further books of this size are intended), but nothing quite has the spark or the feel of the essential I would have expected. I feel that there is a four star rating to be had from this series somewhere in the future, however – my enjoyment of it was certainly growing.

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still beautiful, but I did feel this album was more meandering and table-setting than I would have hoped for.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continues the story beautifully. I look forward to the next installment.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely growing on me, as the relationships between the characters begin to really develop. I'm in for more when it happens.

[Christine Nault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuki - graphic novel by Jeff Smith. I loved his Bone series and had read some of this Tuki series online. I was very excited to get the book version. It was great! And he hopes to do more.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still can't say where this is going but I am enjoying it and will be reading future volumes.

[miha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tudi tole sem prebral v šusu. Res zelo filmske kadre in prehode dela, se zelo lepo bere. Se mi zdi da mi je tale že bolj všeč, samo zdj še ni nadaljevanja, js bi pa bral naprej :)