Set Description:
Some of these are surprisingly tough to find in high grade. Considering how many have been graded, finishing this set may be impossible.
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| Slot: |
Bone 1 |
| Item: |
Bone 1 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0956188001
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Owner Comments
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
Reprint of the first issue from the Cartoon Books series with a different cover by Jeff Smith.
Highest graded Signature Series book! My raw book witnessed by Joel Elad at the Flying Colors Comics signing (Concord, CA) on December 6, 2008.
Estimated Copies Sold: ???
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| Slot: |
Bone 2 |
| Item: |
Bone 2 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2236225001
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Owner Comments
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
Reprint of the second issue from the Cartoon Books series with a different cover by Jeff Smith and published by Image Comics. There’s a cool pinup of Madman with the Bone cousins on the last page by Michael Allred.
Currently the highest graded SS! My raw copy signed by Jeff at the 2014 Boston Comic Con with a Ted sketch. Big thanks to dscott!
Estimated Copies Sold: ????
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| Slot: |
Bone 4 |
| Item: |
Bone 4 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2719535013
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Owner Comments
Jeff Smith story and art
Reprint of issue number four with different cover art by Jeff Smith and published by Image Comics.
Highest graded Signature Series copy! My raw book signed by Jeff at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con. Big thanks to Rich Henn for facilitating!
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| Slot: |
Bone 6 |
| Item: |
Bone 6 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2719535014
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Owner Comments
Jeff Smith cover, story, and
Reprint of issue six with new cover art by Jeff Smith and published by Image Comics. There’s a Jim Valentino sketch of the Bone cousins and a few rat creatures on the last page.
Highest graded Signature Series copy! My raw book signed by Jeff at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con. Big thanks to Rich Henn for facilitating!
Estimated Copies Sold: ????
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| Slot: |
Bone 21 |
| Item: |
Bone 21 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0956188007
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
*1st issue published by Image Comics*
Synopsis
The stupid, stupid rat creatures don’t get a paw on the heroes but Kingdok certainly does. After smacking around both Gran’ma Ben and Fone Bone, Kingdok is about to declare victory before Thorn appears bearing Gran’ma’s sword and lops off his right arm!
The Slab
Highest grade Signature Series book! My raw book with a Jeff Smith signature witnessed by Joel Elad at the Flying Colors Comics signing in Concord, CA on December 6, 2008. Also includes a sketch of Ted the Bug! Officially graded by CGC on January 20, 2009.
Inside The Comic
Twenty two pages of story, one page of letters and one page of for an ad. The inside front cover has a drawing of a surprised Smiley with a cigar popping out of his mouth from page 13. The brief prologue is still here but the credits have changed dramatically with the switch to Image Comics. They now say: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Elizabeth Lewis and Extreme Color (their first following David Reed). For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 8 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 9 showing a beaten Fone Bone lying on the ground in the woods.
Bone-a-Fides
Only three letters in the Bone-a-Fides section in this issue and they were all from fans. At least half of the content is Jeff explaining the move to Image Comics. He rightly said that more people will now have access to the story and that he’s still self-publishing the book collections/TPBs. The back issues of #1-20 from Cartoon Books would no longer be available but they will be reprinted by Image on a monthly basis with all new cover art. No new subscriptions would be taken by Cartoon Books but he encouraged readers to start a pull list at their local comic shops to make sure they get each new issue. He also included some URLs for various Bone content and interviews (unfortunately, none of them work anymore).
Ads
The last page has an all black background and says “The greenest hero in the Image Universe is very strong”. Below these words is a small drawing of Savage Dragon in a small bath saying “I can take a hint” along with a caption declaring “Don’t look for the free Sourcebook at your favorite comic shop!” (a nice play on the Bone ad from the last issue). The inside back cover has an ad for The Maxx.
Estimated Copies Sold: 47300
Back Cover Collectible
1995 Holiday Card from Cartoon Books
Another December issue brings another Holiday Card from the Cartoon Books staff. Signed by everyone on staff: President Vijaya Iyer, Assistant Publisher Karen Root, Archivist Andries Mulder, and Mr. Jeff Smith. The image here would become one of the illustrations used in the Bone Greeting Card set (colorized of course).
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| Slot: |
Bone 22 |
| Item: |
Bone 22 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1151475003
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art.
This was mislabeled as the first appearance of Bartleby. CGC corrected the error on 3/2023
Synopsis
The stupid, stupid rat creatures stop the bleeding where Kingdok’s arm used to be but decide to flee for fear of being blamed for his defeat. Meanwhile, Gran’ma Ben tells Thorn about the Dreaming and how she may be able to manipulate this power. However, she suspects that The Hooded One is in league with the Lord of Locusts who could use this power against her. Pissed off at the endless string of revelations, Thorn splits from Gran’ma and heads to Barrelhaven with Fone Bone.
The Slab
Highest grade Signature Series book! My raw book signed by Jeff at a Chicago Comics appearance on 10/5/2013. Thanks to mschmidt for facilitating. Officially graded by CGC on November 22, 2013.
Inside The Comic
Twenty pages of story, two pages of letters and two pages of ads. The inside front cover has a drawing of the two rat creatures running away from Kingdok’s broken body on page 4. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits are nearly the same as last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Elizabeth Lewis for Extreme Color (changed from “and” to “for”). For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 6 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 8 showing Thorn, Fone Bone, and Gran’ma Ben discussing the dreaming.
Bone-a-Fides
The Bone-a-Fides section is all fans once again. The first letter asks about the move to Image which the fan was in support of. Jeff had a long reply and addressed some of the assumptions made by the low information comic readers who proclaimed that Jeff had sold out. Jeff mentioned that he had turned down numerous offers for “movies, toys, stuffed animals, pajamas, POGS, TV shows, and even phone cards [these were used by people to make expensive long distance calls back in the day]. He reminds everyone that Bone #1 was released the same week as Spider-Man #1 back in 1991 and that self-publishing is NOT easy. He retains all of his rights and has complete artistic freedom with Image. He goes on to say that self-publishing itself isn’t an aesthetic and it’s the content that makes these books popular, which is all true.
Olav Beemer makes his 3rd appearance in the letters section with all compliments this time around (was critical of the Rose and Thorn revelations in #19’s Bone-a-Fides). He said the action and story blended together quite well which was a theme among the other messages. Just about everyone mentioned Image Comics but were confident that nothing would change. The last letter asked about future comics after Bone was finished and Jeff said that he had already committed to his next project (which wouldn’t be Bone-related). However, he had only completed the first act of Bone with two more to follow.
Ads
The first ad is for the Bone #4 reprint from Image Comics, showcasing the new cover by Jeff Smith (on sale in February 1996). The next is for 21 #2 from Top Cow (Marc Silvestri) which I honestly don’t remember at all. The inside back cover has an ad for the WildC.A.T.S. Animated Adventures appearing on the USA Network on Saturdays and Sundays.
Estimated Copies Sold: 47300
Back Cover Collectible
Image Comics Bone #4
As mentioned in the ads above, this is the reprint for #4 with new cover art by Jeff. It’s difficult to top the original cover but I still dig it. I honestly don’t know what I missed on this copy to keep it from 9.8. Jeff signed it at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con and the slab was facilitated by the fantastic Rich Henn. Graded on 7/23/22.
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| Slot: |
Bone 23 |
| Item: |
Bone 23 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1151475004
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art. 1st appearance of Bartleby.
*Pin-ups by Dave Sim and Gerhard*
Synopsis
Thorn & Fone Bone return to Barrelhaven and find Phoney & Smiley living large as the “dragonslayers”. Later, Fone Bone discovers an abandoned baby rat creature rummaging in the trash who Thorn threatens to kill.
The Slab
Highest grade Signature Series book! My raw book signed by Jeff at a Chicago Comics appearance on 10/5/2013. Thanks to mschmidt for facilitating! Graded by CGC on November 19, 2013.
Inside The Comic
Twenty two pages of story, two pages of letters, two Bone pin-ups, and six pages of ads. The inside front cover has a drawing of Smiley with a cigar and Phoney with a turkey leg from page 11. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits are the same as last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Elizabeth Lewis for Extreme Color. For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 5 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 11 showing Fone saying that he’s staying in the Valley.
Pin-Ups
Both pin-ups were drawn by Dave Sim and Gerhard of Cerebus fame and they are both beautiful. One has Thorn sleeping on a bed by candlelight with the Moby Dick novel partially opened (signed by Sim). The second page has two panels: Gran’ma Ben’s house, illuminated by the moon with rat creatures on approach, and an interior scene with Thorn and Fone Bone in shadow before a roaring fire in the kitchen, discussing something of importance (signed by Gerhard).
Ads
The first ad has the cover for Bone #24 with “War!” scrolled on the top (on sale in April 1996). The second ad has various Bone stuff including t-shirts and 13 different pins. The third ad is a ballot for the 1996 Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards. The fourth ad is for Ballistic Action by Michael Turner & Top Cow and the fifth is for five different comics being released in April by Image (including Bone and The Maxx). The last ad is for a Bone poster with Fone Bone walking thru the Dragon’s Stair with a shadowed Great Red Dragon behind him (cover for Image’s Bone #1). The inside back cover has an ad for the third and final Bone card series, Dragonslayer, with scenes from Bone #17-22 and 500 autographed cards.
Bone-a-Fides
The Bone-a-Fides has a new section called Olav’s Corner… with an outline around Olav’s fourth letter to the Bone series. He runs down the story from #22 and asks about the mysterious new project that Jeff alluded to in the previous issue. There’s no reply from Jeff. Unfortunately, this is the only time Olav’s Corner appeared but it was fun while it lasted.
The next fan mentions first reading Bone in the Disney Adventures magazine and being turned onto other independent work like The Tick and Cerebus thanks to Jeff. He also asked about the ads that Jeff has to run and he says that part of the deal of being on the Image imprint includes running at least two ads from other Image properties. He gets to pick them at least, so he hopes they won’t clash too much with the Bone genre. Jeff also made light of his “brilliant decision” to end subscriptions after #21 was released…to announce the glorious return of subscriptions! Just send a check or money order for $18 to Cartoon Books today for a full year of Bone!
A letter from France confirmed that Bone was being distributed to the French by a publisher named Delcourt. An Australian wrote in as well and told everyone that not only was the Dreaming inspired by the Aboriginal Australians but that the island continent also had an annual cow race (since 1974). In the final comment from Jeff, he promised that more pin-ups would come from other Image artists.
Estimated Copies Sold: 48800
Back Cover Collectible
Bone Dragonslayer Autographed Card
This is 1 of 500 autographed cards from the third Bone card series by Comic Images, called Dragonslayer. The series was released in 1996 while the Bone comics were under the Image Comics banner. As you can see, my card isn’t in the greatest of conditions on the edges but at least there aren’t any creases. I did not find this in a pack. The only packs I remember buying were from the first series (desperately wanted to find a sketch card). I bought this second hand on eBay.
I still haven’t figured out which page Jeff is holding in the image. If you got any ideas, please let me know!
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| Slot: |
Bone 24 |
| Item: |
Bone 24 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1151474004
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
Synopsis
Lucius Down returns to Barrelhaven and finds Phoney acting as town dictator. Kicked out of his own bar, he goes to sleep in the barn and finds Fone Bone & Smiley, who tell him all they’ve learned about the Harvestar family. Meanwhile, The Hooded One joins forces with the people of Pawa and declares war on the Valley.
The Slab
Highest grade in Signature Series! My raw book signed with a Ted sketch by Jeff at a Chicago Comics appearance. Thanks to mschmidt for facilitating! Graded on November 19, 2013.
Inside The Comic
Twenty pages of story, two pages of letters, two Bone pin-ups, and eight pages of ads. The inside front cover has a drawing of Smiley and Fone with a lit candle from page 7. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits are nearly the same as last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Drew (his first) for Extreme Color. For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 5 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 8 where Bartleby shows Smiley how smart he is.
Pin-Ups
The first pin-up is by Don Simpson with Fone Bone and Thorn among the Bizarre Heroes cast (Bizarre Heroes could be found at your local comic shop). The second was drawn by Frank Kurtz who was writing a comic named Creepsville at the time. It features Fone Bone reading Creepsville in bed while surrounded by various monsters from the comic.
Ads
There are five different ads for Bone stuff including a preview for Bone #25with the cover art and “Odd Man Out” scrolled across the top. The second has Bone-themed playing cards as well as magnets from Graphitti Designs. The third has the Fone Bone and Red Dragon poster, the fourth with t-shirts and pins, and the fifth with Bone: Dragonslayer collector cards. The non-Bone ads featured Big Bang Comics, the Spawn website, and The Book of Ballads and Sagas with scripts by Jeff in issue 2. One of the drawings in this ad has a nod to Jeff illustrating himself back in the Thorn comic strip days The inside back cover has an ad for the deluxe hardcovers of Out From Boneville and The Great Cow Race.
Bone-a-Fides
As the tradition continues for the Image Comics’ Bone-a-Fides, the letters are all from fans. One gentleman, who had a horrible last few months of real life, expressed his admiration for the Bone series which helped him through the rough times. He was also saddened about the subscriptions ending and not getting the Christmas cards any longer (the first mention of these goodies in the letters section). I’m sure he was ecstatic to hear that the subscriptions are back and that Jeff announced a new Randy Bowen statue of the Great Red Dragon, which he said is “massive”. There were also compliments for the Sim/Gerhard pin-ups and a fan from jolly old England called Jeff a “git” (for not beginning each issue with a rehash of the last). Jeff agreed ;-)
The last letter is from the wife of an obsessive comic buff who could never understand his world. That is, until he introduced her to Bone. Now they finally had something comic-related to talk about. He even bought her a Bone t-shirt for Christmas!
Estimated Copies Sold thru Diamond: 50700 (highest of any one issue)
Back Cover Collectible
Red Dragon & Ted Cold-Cast Statue by Graphitti Designs
As Jeff said in the Bone-a-Fides, this statue is massive! Official dimensions are 12” wide x 7" tall x 8" deep and approximately 10 lbs. The craftsmanship by Randy Bowen is top notch and Ted looks fantastic…even without legs ;-) The box also has the colored panels of the classic first meeting between Phoney, the Red Dragon, and Ted. The MSRP was $199 back in the day and this may have been a little too steep for most Bone fans at the time. From what I’m seeing, a little over half of these have sold (as of 4/2026). I assure you that if you buy one now, you won’t regret it.
They went on sale for its 25th anniversary (not sure this was intentional) when I finally picked one up. I think this is number 430 of 2000. I have yet to display it so the numbering may have been smudged by the styrofoam packaging.
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| Slot: |
Bone 25 |
| Item: |
Bone 25 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0216070001
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
*Name the Cub Contest starts in the letters section where readers send in name ideas for the rat creature cub. Winner gets the OA to a future Bone print*
Synopsis
As Fone Bone & Smiley care for the rat creature cub, Thorn leaves Barrelhaven for Grandma's farm and Phoney starts collecting taxes from the villagers. Lucius, of course, abstains.
The Slab
Highest grade Signature Series book! My raw copy signed by Jeff at the 2014 Emerald City Comic Con. Thanks to dscott for facilitating! Graded by CGC on May 10, 2014.
Inside The Comic
Twenty two pages of story, two pages of letters, and eight pages of ads. The inside front cover has a drawing of Fone Bone smuggling an armful of food to the barn from page 6. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits are the same as last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Drew for Extreme Color. For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 5 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 7 showing Fone delivering food to the stowaways, Smiley and Bartleby.
Ads
There are six different pages of ads for Bone stuff including a preview for Bone #26 with the cover art and “The Turning” scrolled across the top (on sale in September 1996). The second is a double paged ad with the title Bone: The First Trilogy. It has images for the covers of Out From Boneville, The Great Cow Race, and Eyes of the Storm, a couple choice panels from each, and a hand resting on the hilt of a sword with the medallion draped around it. The third is for the Bone-themed playing cards & magnets and the fourth is for the upcoming Fone Bone and Thorn poster (from the Image #2 cover). The non-Bone ads feature A Distant Soil #15 by Colleen Doran and New Men #21. The inside back cover has an ad for the deluxe hardcovers of Out From Boneville and The Great Cow Race.
Bone-a-Fides
The Bone-a-Fides make another indelible mark on the Bone saga when a fan from Australia (R.J. McCarthy, with his 3rd letter) suggests having a contest to name the rat cub. Jeff applauded the idea and asked everyone to send their ideas to the Name the Cub Contest at the Cartoon Books’ P.O. Box. The winner will get the original art for an upcoming art print which will include all three Bone cousins (info about the print will be coming in the next issue).
One fan mentioned the Tolkien elements in Bone with which Jeff agreed. He says that he often describes the series as “Bugs Bunny meets Lord of the Rings”. A couple fans mentioned a possible Bone movie but Jeff hasn’t said a word about anything just yet. A reader from Seattle congratulated Jeff on his Eisner wins in 1994. She said that she had some friends who were also nominated that year but they all knew that Jeff would win because “BONE was such a great book!” She had never read it up to that point but binged everything by the time she got back from San Diego. She met Jeff at the 1995 SDCC and was happy to find him “as enthusiastic and fresh as his creation!”
Estimated Copies Sold thru Diamond: ????
Back Cover Collectible
Comic’s Buyers Guide #1153 & #1182
CBG had a history of helping to promote the Bone series through the early years and these two issues were the first to have Bone images on the actual cover. The #1153 issue has very little Bone content. All that’s described is that the cover was drawn by Jeff for the Christmas on the Green charity cartoon art auction. They mention that it was about the same size as the magazine (14” by 11”) and was fully inked over blue pencil. Bids were accepted by fax, mail, and phone until noon on January 5, 1996. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it displayed anywhere over the years so I have no idea where it ended up. Hopefully it still exists.
The #1182 issue has an article called Bone’s five-year plan and, exactly as titled, Jeff thought that the entire series would end in five years [2001] rather than the eight it actually took [2004]. A quote from this story appears on the second-to-last page of the Bone Reader where Jeff explains that he’s always seen the saga as a set of three trilogies. He also said that the Dragonslayer chapter would end with #28 (actually #27) and that Thorn would appear in Rock Jaw (only Fone Bone, Smiley, and Bartleby would be featured). This particular CBG came out between Bone #24 and #25.
Neither of these are in fantastic condition and both were purchased at a comic store. I’d say they’re VG at best.
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| Slot: |
Bone 26 |
| Item: |
Bone 26 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2815225004
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
Synopsis
Phoney gathers the townsfolk for their upcoming battle with the dragon while Fone Bone & Smiley attempt to take Bartley back to the mountains. Meanwhile, Thorn meets the Great Red Dragon once again but this time in a dream. Some Venu crossed her path while she was asleep and left her a sword, which she takes with her on the journey to Gran’ma Ben’s farm.
Note: This comic marked the start of some release delays due to a vision problem that Jeff experienced in the winter of 1996/1997. He said that it took him away from the drawing table for 5 months. 1997 only saw the publication of 3 issues as opposed to the usual 6.
The Slab
Highest grade! Bought from an auction as a CGC 9.8 and had it signed by Jeff Smith at the 2023 Heroes Con. Big thanks to Rich Henn for facilitating! Graded by CGC on June 29, 2023.
Inside The Comic
Twenty two pages of story, two pages of letters, and eight pages of ads. The inside front cover has a drawing of Phoney barking commands at Jonathan Oaks from page 5. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits are nearly the same as last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Elizabeth Lewis for Lewis and Wilson Studio. For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President, Karen Root as Assistant Publisher, and Andries Mulder as Archivist. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 5 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 2 showing Fone Bone, Smiley, and Bartleby vainly waiting for Thorn before taking off.
Ads
There are six different pages of ads for Bone stuff including an all black page with just the URL for Boneville.com, marking the first month of its existence (December 1996). The second is for a Bone poster with the cover art for #24 and the third is for another Bone poster with the cousins under a giant tree in the forest. The fourth is a double paged ad for The Bone Reader which features preliminary sketches and scripts from the story so far. It will also have the famed Flip Book in the top right corner of some of the pages so people could see the animation for themselves. The last ad is for the official 1997 Bone calendar which not only contains panels and hilarious quotes from the saga but also birthdays of Jeff’s favorite cartoonists. The non-Bone ads feature A Distant Soil #17 by Colleen Doran and The Wizard’s Tale from Kurt Busiek and David Wenzel. The inside back cover has an ad for all three deluxe hardcovers of the first three Bone chapters.
Bone-a-Fides
The Bone-a-Fides was all fans once again. A 14-year old asked what Pogo was after seeing it mentioned in the letter sections numerous times in previous issues. Jeff wasn’t surprised he hadn’t heard of it before since it hasn’t been in the newspapers for 25 years at that point. Another gentleman referenced Jeff’s announcement that he already knew how the story will end and begged him not to conclude the saga like the Quantum Leap TV show which “inflicted unmeasurable harm on the viewers all over the country”.
People continue to mention Bone becoming an animated movie or Saturday morning cartoon. Jeff still had not addressed these speculations but did reveal that the next storyline after The Dragonslayer would be about a humorous villain named Rockjaw, Master of the Eastern Border. He also hinted that the “Name the Rat Creature Contest” would be updated in #27 and encouraged everyone to keep him sending potential names.
Estimated Copies Sold thru Diamond: ????
Back Cover Collectible
1996 Holiday Card from Cartoon Books
With the December 1996 issue of Bone, here is the Holiday Card that the Cartoon Books crew sent out to comic shops and subscribers. It’s signed by the entire staff listed in the credits: President Vijaya Iyer, Assistant Publisher Karen Root, Archivist Andries Mulder, and some guy named Jeff. Proof that they’re still alive with plenty of work to do (and not sellouts to Image)!
This is the last issue with Karen Root in the credits. I do not know where she ended up but I hope she’s doing well. Her work was certainly appreciated.
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| Slot: |
Bone 27 |
| Item: |
Bone 27 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0236225004
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Owner Comments
Label Notes
Jeff Smith story, cover, and art
Synopsis
The final chapter in the Dragonslayer storyline has Phoney capturing the Great Red Dragon and Thorn returning to Barrelhaven. One of my top five favorite covers and the coloring by Drew is fantastic!
The Slab
Highest graded Signature Series! My raw book with the signature and Ted sketch obtained by facilitator Doug Peters at the 2014 Heroes Con. Officially graded by CGC on August 11, 2014.
Inside The Comic
Twenty two pages of story, one page of letters, and one page for an ad. The inside front cover has a drawing of Phoney pointing at Ted from page 4. The brief prologue is on the top left and the credits have a few more changes from the last issue: Written and Drawn by Jeff Smith, Cover Color by Drew. For Cartoon Books: Vijaya Iyer as President. For Image Comics: Larry Marder as Executive Director and 5 additional names for staff positions. The back cover has a panel from page 2 where Wendell identifies the Dragon’s Stair while Phoney isn’t impressed.
Ads
The single page ad is for Dusty Star by Joe Pruitt and Andrew Robinson. The inside back cover has an ad for Amanda and Gunn by Jimmie Robinson and Soulwind by Scott Morse.
Bone-a-Fides
The Bone-a-Fides has no fan letters. Just an email interview between Jeff and Brad Cook (from the Comic Club newsletter) about the 1997 Alternative Press Expo in San Jose. Everyone appeared to know that this was the last issue under the Image imprint so Brad asked Jeff if he still felt like a self-publisher while he was there. As he’s said a few times before, the amount of work was still the same for he and Vijaya and the printer’s bill came out of Cartoon Books’ pocket. He described “Image the publisher” as more of a technicality that didn’t really affect the process. The last pertinent question that Brad asked had to do with the “point of self-publishing: creative control and ownership”. Jeff correctly replied that Image allowed all of its creators to retain creative control and ownership so Brad’s definition of “self-publishing” may be a bit misplaced.
No update for the Name the Rat Creature Contest but Jeff did announce that the winner will be revealed in the next issue.
Estimated Copies Sold thru Diamond: 32649
Back Cover Collectible
Limited Edition Fone Bone Mug
This is certainly one of the most unique collectibles that was sold in the Bone Stuff line. I won’t say I’m a big fan of the product itself but I do applaud the effort. Lisa Bare was the sculptor and I think her & Jeff “signed” each one. I bought this example on eBay many years ago and it didn’t come with the original box. There were 300 total and this is numbered 87/300. The colors haven’t been altered, faded, or worn. This is how they originally looked.
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