JEFF SMITH ANNOUNCES NEW BONE PROJECTS

[Jesse Baer]

Jeff Smith has announced two new Bone projects on his Boneville site - Bone: Tall Tales and Bone: Quest for the Spark.

Smith describes Tall Tales as a major repackaging of a book he did with Tom Snigoski a few years ago called Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails. The new book, which takes place after the Bones have returned from Boneville, revolves around Smiley and Bartleby telling tales around a campfire to a group of young Bone Scouts.

Smith wrote, "One of the tales will be the long out of print story I did for Disney Adventures that was not in the Bone books, and will now be returned to the Bone cannon with a beautiful coloring job by Steve Hamaker. Another will be the The Adventures of Big Johnson Bone, Frontier Hero, which appeared in black & white as Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails. Tom Snigoski, who wrote SSRT, has written two new Johnson Bone stories, both of which are pretty incredible. All now in glorious Hamaker colors! I will be writing all the new Smiley and Bartleby stuff."

Smith says Bone: Quest for the Spark will not be a comic, but a novel - a series of three novels written by Tom Snigoski that follows a new generation of Bone characters into the Valley.

"I was a bit unsure about this project when Tom first suggested it, but when I read the first book I laughed so hard, I agreed to do it. Scholastic was so blown away by it, that they decided to make it available in hardcover and wanted the illustrations, of which I think I’m going to do about twenty, full bleed and in color.

"While not an official sequel to my comic, it will be fun to see some the characters again, like the stupid rat creatures, and Roderick the racoon."

BONE: Tall Tales is scheduled for Summer of 2010, with BONE: Quest for the Spark Book One set for Fall 2010, Book Two set for Spring 2011, and Book Three in Summer 2011.

[Anthony Devlin]

im so happy at this news. love some Bone (no puns please).

[Jos1988]

i just got a Bone from hearing this awesome news!

[Michael Regan]

Actually back issues or trade?