cover image Bone: Coda

Bone: Coda

Jeff Smith and Stephen Weiner. Cartoon Books, $14.95 trade paper (136p) ISBN 978-1-88896-354-0

Twenty-five years after Smith began his now-classic fantasy series, this epilogue picks up after the end of the saga as the Bone cousins make their way back home with the usual mishaps and trouble. Phoney Bone’s carelessness and braggadocio lead them into one last adventure. The new tale only spans 36 pages and is in black and white like the original comics, which may disappoint the many fans of Scholastic’s beautifully colored editions. The remainder of the book reprints Weiner’s critical and historical essays and a Smith biography and interview. This version includes spot illustrations of panels from the series. The articles do an excellent job of giving Bone its due but will have the avid reader impatiently flipping through the book to see whether there are any more comics. The new Bone story is slight in scale and short in length, less a saga than an anecdote. But Smith still delights with witty, sharp dialogue and fluid, vivid art that bring three of comic literature’s most beloved characters to life once more. (Aug.)