SMASH Takes the ALS Icebucket Comic Challenge!

Smash has accepted the ALS Icebucket Comic Challenge!

Now he's passing it on to our fellow panelists from this year's Emerald City Comic Con: Shelli Paroline of Adventure Time and The Midas Flesh; Jake Parker of Missile Mouse and Skull Chaser; and Chris Giarrusso of G-Man fame! Warm up your pencils, guys — the icewater is coooooooold!

The Icebucket Challenge is a fun way of raising awareness about the fight against ALS, also called "Lou Gehrig's Disease," which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Click here to donate money to the ALS Association to help win the fight!

Update, 8.22.14: The brave, talented, and soggy Chris Giarrusso has answered the call of the Icebucket Challenge on Twitter.

SMASH Picked by the Children's Choice Book Awards!

It's been nearly a year since SMASH: Trial by Fire was published by Candlewick Press. And what a year it's been!

In just nine short months, we've received a flurry of fantastic reviews and numerous award nominations, including winning the 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award.

And now comes word that SMASH is a winner of the 2014 Children's Choice Book Awards! From their website:

The reading list kids pick! Each year, 12,500 children from different regions of the United States read newly-published children's and young adult trade books and vote for the ones they like best!

The Children's Book Council has overseen the awards for over 70 years.

Kyle and I couldn't be more honored to be selected by the most prestigious group of judges in the world — actual kids!

Huge thanks to the Children's Book Council for promoting such a worthy endeavor — and, of course, to all the young readers who voted.

If you haven't gotten a copy of SMASH: Trial by Fire for yourself or a young reader in your life, click on one of the links in the right-hand margin and order now. It's the perfect summertime read. And if you don't believe us, just ask the kids who voted!

SMASH Meets the New BATGIRL!

SMASH artist Kyle Bolton was so excited about the redesign of DC's Batgirl that he just had to introduce her to our caped hero! Looks like love at first kick.

View fullsize

Batgirl Smash-Up

To see more of Kyle's artwork, visit his website.

Or follow him on Tumblr.

SMASH Wins the 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award!

We are thrilled to announce that SMASH:  Trial  by  Fire  has  been  named  the  winner  in   the  Graphic  Novels  category  of  the  2013 Oregon  Spirit  Book  Award  by  the  Oregon  Council  of   Teachers  of  English.

  The  Oregon  Spirit  Book  Award  is  given  yearly  to  the  author  of  a  distinguished  contribution  to  picture   books,  middle  reader,  young  adult,  graphic  novels,  or  non-­fiction  literature...reflecting  the  spirit  and  values  help  by  Oregonians.

This is a tremendous honor for us. Kyle and I are hugely flattered, and want to thank the Oregon Council of Teachers of English, as well as all our wonderful readers. We couldn't have done it without your support!

SMASH Is a Top Ten Most Circulated Book!

The school librarian blog 100 Scope Notes has compiled a list of the Top 10 Circulated Books of 2014:

As we approacheth the end of the year, I like to take a look back at the books that really moved in my K-4 school library. These are the books that my students couldn’t get enough of during the 2013-14 school year.

And guess which book is #10? We'll give you a hint:

We're honored to sit right next to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Amulet on the list!

We like to think Smash, Wimpy Kid, and the Amulet heroes all hang out on school library shelves, swapping wild tales about how excited kids get when they read them.

SMASH meets Super-Kyle!

We received a fan letter from Matthew Dixson, who brought his son Kyle by our table at the Emerald City Comic Con. We found out Kyle has his own superhero character named Super-Kyle ("Great name!" says my brother), and real-life Kyle promised to show us his team-up with Smash. Well, here it is! (Click on the picture for a larger version.)

Matthew writes:

After watching your panel, my son, the artist, was extremely excited to meet you, he kept saying he should make a comic of his own... We went to your booth to purchase Smash... We talked briefly with you about a Super-Kyle (that he has been drawing for years) vs. Smash team-up, where they both mistakenly thought they each were the villain, then after an epic battle they realized they were both friends.... So included is his "Smash vs Super-Kyle".... Enjoy!!! On the bottom it took me a minute to figure out what the little Superman getting bitten was.... Kyle explained that Superman bites Super-Kyle to give him his powers... Gotta love those 8-year-olds! Thanks for inspiring him. — Matthew

Thanks for sharing, Kyle — we're already huge fans, and we can't wait to see more of Super-Kyle!

If you have fan art, kids' comics, or anything else you'd like to share, please email us at smashcomic@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!