One of the most beloved all-ages comic books of the past 30 years is Bone, created by Jeff Smith. The story follows the Bone Brothers, who relocate to a magical valley after leaving their hometown of Boneville. Smith's sense of humor and inviting art style inform the enduring series. Smith reunites with longtime collaborator and co-writer Tom Sniegoski for the new anthology collection Bone: More Tall Tales as the Bone Brothers gather around a campfire to share some new stories.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski teased the stories and collaborators joining them for Bone: More Tall Tales, explained the long-lasting appeal of Bone, and shared their hopes for Bone to receive an animated adaptation.
CBR: Welcome back to the world of Bone! How was it putting together this new set of stories for the More Tall Tales anthology?
Jeff Smith: It was good! I love being in the world of the characters again, and working with Tom is more like going out and partying than working.
Tom Sniegoski: It is always an absolute blast coming back to the Bone universe and working with Jeff. My gears are always turning, trying to come up with new and cool ways that I can do it more often.
With this anthology, you've got Stan Sakai, Katie Cook, Matt Smith, and Scott Brown getting in on the fun. What was it about having them as collaborators on this project that appealed to you?
Smith: It was about having fun! Are you kidding? It was Snieg's idea to bring in collaborators. It's always a blast to see other people draw these characters.
Sniegoski: When I first came up with the idea, I thought how amazing it would be to have this incredibly talented group of artists putting their spin on characters and the world that Jeff has created. I specifically wrote stories that fit with these artists' strengths, and I have to say, it came out fabulous.
It's been over a decade since Bone: Tall Tales. What made you want to revisit the campfire premise? How has it changed?
Smith: It's changed in a couple of ways. First, cousin Fone Bone joins the scouts on their camping trip to assist Smiley. Second, we have all those cool artists working with us! Beyond that, one of the original reasons to do Tall Tales was to use up any orphan stories I had that were not officially canon yet, and I had a couple. A story I did called Coda featuring the three Bone cousins and Riblet by Sniegoski and Sakai. Both were published in black & white years ago and are now out of print. Here, they will be in color and published by Graphix, where many readers will see them for the very first time!
Sniegoski: I think I might've suggested something a little different to present these stories in my initial proposal, but Jeff thought a return to the campfire with the Bone Scouts -- along with Fone Bone -- would be cool, and he was absolutely right. It gave us the perfect way to introduce these further tales of the Valley. The story I did with Stan Sakai hasn't been seen since the original Bone comics, and now we get to see it in color for the first time! It looks amazing. Thank you, colorist Tom Gaadt!
You two have been working together for some time in the world of Bone. How is your creative shorthand?
Smith: It came right back. When we work together, there is a chemistry that takes over and pushes us, and we get something funnier or go further than we would on our own.
Sniegoski: It's like riding a bike! HA! I think we both have similar senses of humor, and we often attempt to top each other with our crazy ideas. It's incredibly fun and funny to see how far we can push some of these concepts. I can't tell you how many times I've thought to myself, "Nah, he'll never go for that," and then found Jeff thinking the idea was great and taking it even further.
What are some of the highlights from the stories in Bone: More Tall Tales?
Smith: Oh, man. There's the origin of the Rat Creatures' obsession with quiche [and] a reunion of the original cast. There's a nice payoff to the running joke about the Big Hat from the first Tall Tales. And, of course, more Big Johnson Bone! Tom Gaadt's coloring throughout is amazing -- especially on the Big Johnson Bone story about the moon. It's chef kiss perfect!
Sniegoski: Wow. That's tough. I think the whole book is a highlight. It came out so much cooler than I even imagined. Seeing each artist work their magic on my stories was breathtaking, and it's always an absolute treat to see Jeff drawing the original cast again.
I was sorry to hear about Netflix pulling the plug on the Bone animated series. Is there any hope for an adaptation elsewhere?
Smith: There's always hope. After the announcement, there was immediate interest from other studios, but Netflix owns the rights, so it's in their hands. We'll have to see.
Jeff, over 30 years into its legacy, what keeps Bone creatively fulfilling and exciting for you?
Smith: Mainly the characters. They've been with me since I was five years old, and they light up when they come on stage. And the readers! New ones pick up the books all the time! Barely a day goes by that I don't see someone on social media talking about the first time they encountered the story or sharing the books with their kids for the first time. It's hard not to love that!
Bone: More Tall Tales goes on sale Sept. 5 from Graphix and Scholastic.