REVIEW: The Journey really matters in ‘Bone: Coda’

Jeff Smith’s BONE series is considered as one of the best, if not the greatest, all-ages comic book genres ever created. This is no exaggeration at all. Critics often cite BONE as one of the most accessible, heartwarming, and adventurous comics ever conceptualized in the 1990s, when that decade in American comic book history is often associated with decay in visual and intellectual quality in the medium. It started in 1991, almost the same time Todd McFarlane’s SPAWN came out, and ended in issue #55. It is since then collected into nine volumes, released in both trade paperbacks and/or hardcover editions. Furthermore, the entire BONE series is released in one humongous volume, again in trade paperback and/or hardcover versions. In short, BONE continues to exist after more than a decade later it finished. However, the ending is a little bit hanging. Do the cousins ever come home in Boneville or what?

To fully give closure to this nagging question, Jeff Smith releases his “coda”, BONE: CODA. It has two parts, the first one chronicles the cousins’ journey in the middle of nowhere, alongside with the creator’s Moveable Pizza Party; and lastly, A BONE Companion, written by comic book historian and librarian Stephen Weiner. Bone: Coda is itself a monster read, clocking more than 130 pages. Similar to previous works, it is still a black-and-white colored opus, including the other features. Perhaps, it will be given a colored treatment sooner or later, similar to the Scholastic Bone versions. Cross-fingers, fellow Bone readers!

Indeed, it picks up where the beloved trio left out, where they are still “lost”, and then squabbled on trivial matters that resulted to a near catastrophic moment. But ultimately, everything is fine except answering the question above. Perhaps, the true core of this LOTR-inspired tale is the journey itself, not the end per se. Despite the rather disappointing outcome on my behalf, I find the rest of the book more satisfyingly rewarding because I can now fully comprehending the hardships and joys of the creator in conceptualizing, creating, and cruising his creation in the course of its entirety. One also reads the behind the scenes and some of the historical tidbits and regarding the inspirations and inspirations; and to those who kept the creator pushing his limits to fulfill his magnum opus (proof of this, he won six Eisner’s awards along the way). Almost every page after the main story has some additional artworks and rare photographs to give the readers and fans a visual treat on the evolution of the series. In other words, Bone: Coda is literally a huge THANK YOU for fans and readers around. This is truly an all-ages opus!

Aside from the abovementioned beef I stated, the book’s spine is entirely glued, making reading so uncomfortable that I have to hold the pages from start to finish, seriously speaking. Well, it is the “journey” that counts, right?

Bone: Coda is literally the finale of the beloved Bone series of Jeff Smith. Sure, it targets essentially with “completists” around, but its overall quality undeniably great that is worth sharing it with our young counterparts and even our loved ones. The problem is that the creator applies the word “coda” in the most unconvincing way possible, almost akin of watching the final episode of Lost and even Sopranos. But the content inside what makes this book more meaningful than the “coda” itself, making this one worth your time to reflect as a Bone fan/follower, and the insights of a true comic book creator/artist/writer.