Jeff Smith’s much loved and award-festooned fantasy comic BONE wrapped up its story line 10 years ago. Since then Smith has moved on to other projects like RASL and the ongoing webcomic Tüki Save The Humans.

Thus the announcement of a new Bone story — one that takes place AFTER the main Bone storyline — is pretty exciting news. Bone: Coda is described as a “completely superflous” story featuring the Bone cousins and Bartleby the Rat creature on the dangerous journey back to their home in Boneville.

Superflous or not, this sounds like something I very much want to read, especially since its 25 years since Bone debuted in black and white, and I look forward to seeing how the intervening years have affacted Smith’s relationship to the story and characters.

Smith actually blogged a sneak peek at some of the pages a few days ago, tuoting it as a mystery project:

Described as a graphic novel. Bone Coda will also include the full text of Steven Weiner’s The BONE Companion, which will be fully illustrated for the first time. Historical matter, behind the scenes photos and an afterword by Smith round out the volume.

Bone was originally published by Smith’s own Cartoon Books, however a color serialization as a 9-volume series of GNs was published by Scholasic and has become a kids classic since they started publishing it.