B7 Comics has announced it is to publish Iqbal Ali’s much-praised independent 12-issue comic book series “Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones”, drawn by Priscilla Grippa, over two graphic novels.
Set in 1867 in England and India, offering a heady mix of murder, mystery and secrets societies, Volume 1 collects the first seven chapters of “Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones” and will be released in November 2025.
The adventure opens just as The East India Company has fallen, and a smoking skeleton is killing ex-company members. A drug-addled Indian detective with a deep-rooted hatred of the British Empire is drawn into the investigation and enters a world of secret societies and the occult.
Fortean Times describes “Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones” as a series “… where science and the occult met in the shadow of the British Empire… An excellent comic told from a different perspective to others set in this
era.”
BSFA, Eagle and Hugo Award winning writer Paul Cornell says: “An extraordinary work, an afterlife mystery approached almost as science fiction, with layers of politics and history. It feels like nobody’s written any previous comics and a master stylist has started anew without reference to genre or medium. In other words, Iqbal Ali is the new Alan Moore.”
Iqbal Ali says of his new partnership with B7 Comics: “I’m delighted to be partnering with B7 Comics to publish Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones. I’ve been a fan of their work on radio and comics for a while, especially the incredible audio dramas on Audible. So, to have my work alongside that catalogue is an honour. B7’s commitment to boundary-pushing work makes them the perfect partner for this project.”
Publisher, Andrew Mark Sewell, says: “I was immediately struck by Iqbal setting his story during a fascinating period in British colonial history, melding a supernatural mystery story, with the politics of the time, not shying away from the inherent racism. It’s a story that intrigues and demands your attention from the first page, with hints of science fiction, and not a superhero in sight, which is refreshing. It’s exactly this kind of rich, character led stories that defines what B7 Comics is all about.”
Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones (Volume 1) featuring a cover by Alex Ronald, will be available from GetMyComics/B7 from 1st November 2025 and available now to pre-order from B7Media.com
Iqbal Ali is a Bangladeshi Muslim writer and creator of graphic novels and comics. For Iqbal, comics were a path to communicate when words failed him. He’s self-published numerous works over the years, and his graphic novel XYZ earned a top 10 indie book distinction in 2019. His latest project, Mr Jones’s Smoking Bones, is an occult mystery set across British Raj-controlled India and Victorian London. Known to nod politely if cornered, Iqbal is dedicated to crafting work that entertains,
challenges, and leaves a lasting impression.
B7 Comics is the publishing division from indie film and audio drama producer B7 Media, offering new comics spanning SF, mystery and adventure. Under the B7 Comics imprint, titles include sci-fi thriller Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies, written by John Freeman (Doctor Who) with art by Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four); and Keith Page and Stephen Walsh’s acclaimed graphic novel Hancock: The Lad Himself, charting the rise and fall of legendary comic Tony Hancock. Blending classic comic storytelling with a modern style, and also looking to spotlight comic gems from around the globe both past and present, B7 Comics will offer a range of series spanning science fiction, action-adventure, spy-fi, steampunk, fantasy and gothic horror.
Head downthetubes for…
• Three Million Years: Michael Nimmo chats with Iqbal Ali in 2024
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, downthetubes News
Out This Week: SHIFT Volume Three, featuring the lost “Terminal Man” 
Graphic Novelists Mollie Ray, Helen Bate lined up for Lancaster Litfest 
Red Dragon racks up the 2000AD action! 
Braddock bounces into danger in latest new Commando tale