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Netflix is turning the classic comic book 'Bone' into a series
One of the comic book world's best-known series is finally coming to screens. Netflix has secured the rights to Jeff Smith's classic Bone, and intends to create an animated kids' series that covers the Bone cousins' trek through the desert. Smith touted the episodic format as "exactly the way" to adapt his work. The story unfolds "chapter by chapter and book by book," after all.
Bone comic now available on Comixology
Jeff Smith's Bone comic is one of my favorite series ever -- it skillfully combines an epic fantasy story with some hilarious cartoon characters, making for a really solid tale that will appeal to all kinds of readers. And now the series is fully available in a digital format for the first time, thanks to iOS app developer Comixology. Comixology has been making a lot of great deals on their Comics app, and this Bone deal, selling all 55 issues of the series for just a buck each, is one of the better ones they've made lately. The first issue of the series is also up for a free download, and another series by creator Jeff Smith called Rasl is also available, with the first issue for free, and subsequent issues on sale until July 19th. We knew a lot time ago that comics on the iPad would be one of the tablet's greatest assets, and the Comixology app has a lot of great funnies to read, from all kinds of different publishers. The app is free on the App Store right now.
No Bone about it: new Bone game NOT coming (curses!)
Despite the fact that we wrote about it, and our hearts yearned for it, Jeff Smith has dashed our hopes to pieces on the sharp rocks below by confirming that a new Bone game is not indeed coming out anytime soon:"You know, I don't know what the video game thing is all about. There is no new Bone video game in the works. I think it may be refering to something Scholastic is planing for its website - - a little flash game, maybe, or it could just be an internet rumor that made it onto the list!"It's too bad, because if you've read this magnum opus comic book, you'll know how cool another Bone game would be. Or rather, a good Bone game. We'll cross our fingers in the hopes that someone will start work on something that brings Bone to life in a video game setting, preferably in the original black and white. With all the indie game action at SXSW, it seems ripe for the developing.[Via VGTribune]
Rumor: New Bone game coming in this spring
Here at Joystiq we hear a lot of rumors, but few that point and click on our hearts like news that Bone may be making a return visit to video games. This according to trade magazine Publishers Weekly, which casually mentioned a new Bone game while listing the final colorized take on Jeff Smith's renowned series amidst March's top selling comics. While unconfirmed, the publication notes the game will be released this spring, leaving us more than a little skeptical given that it's already March and nothing has yet been announced. Even so, we've reached out to developer Telltale Games for more information. Besides, since Telltale cast aside Phoney, Smiley and Fone Bone in 2006 for a lagamorph and a macrocephalic boxer, our gaming habit has been sorely lacking. Though mostly in stupid, stupid rat creatures. [Via VGTribune]
Bone: The Great Cow Race drops in April
Telltale's first foray into episodic distribution was last year's Bone: Out from Boneville, based on Jeff Smith's epic comic of the same name. While nostalgic gamers were ecstatic that classic point-and-click adventure gaming lived on (in the capable hands of the ex-LucasArts crew at Telltale no less), they were disappointed with the title's short length and beginner's difficulty. Luckily, the whole idea of episodic gaming allows for this sort of thing: in their press release CEO Dan Connors says, "We identified a number of things we wanted to improve upon–such as the length of the experience, the nature of the mini-games and nuances in a number of areas–and the team is doing an outstanding job exceeding our expectations."We're watching to see how the second installment of the first major episodic series goes, if episodic content lives up to the promise of adapting to user's demands. More importantly perhaps, this is what we can expect with their their handling of the Sam & Max franchise... don't let us down Telltale!
Telltale gets funding for episodic adventures
Next Generation reports that Telltale Games, creators of the episodic adventure game Bone and the proud home of the upcoming episodic Sam and Max game, has received $825K in funding "to expand its technology development, marketing and investment efforts." The investment brings their total seed funding to $1.4 million.The purview of Telltale Games was to reduce costs attributable to publisher overhead by delivering games directly to audiences episodically. The point and click adventure game genre was thought to be unprofitable leading, in part, to the continued delays and cancellations of the Sam and Max games. Thanks investment group for helping to get our favorite dog and rabbity-thing duo back on track!See also:Telltale, Bone, and Sam and Max at WonderconSam & Max stage a comeback -- for real this time
