Booted!
More coming soon...
Loki Lends a Hand
Kyle is hard at work inking new SMASH pages -- with a little help from Loki, of course.
SMASH Reading at Isaac Stevens School
Kyle gave another reading of our graphic novel, SMASH: Trial by Fire, for the excited kids at the Isaac Stevens School in Seattle. More than 100 elementary schoolers delighted in the adventures of our 10-year-old superhero.
To find out how to book Chris or Kyle for a reading at your school or library, click here.
Sketching...
More to come!
Something BIG Is On the Way...
We can't tell you what it is yet. But when it arrives, Smash might need your help fighting it!
Watch this blog for more information soon!
SMASH Reading at Gatewood Elementary
We're pleased to present some pictures from SMASH artist Kyle Bolton's recent visit to Gatewood Elementary School in Seattle.
A gaggle of excited 4th and 5th graders watched a panel-by-panel slide show with Kyle performing voices and sound effects from SMASH, Book One: Trial by Fire. Then Kyle answered a LOT of fantastic questions from these eager readers. Huge thanks to Gatewood's super-librarian Jackie Snyder for arranging the event and taking pictures!
To find out how to book an event with Chris or Kyle at your school or library, visit our Events page.
Every Good Bad Guy Needs a Robotic Hand...
For more SMASH artwork, follow Kyle on Instagram.
There Will Be a SMASH Book 2!
We are thrilled to announce that we've just finalized a contract with Candlewick Press to publish SMASH BOOK TWO! And, as you can see, we're flying in circles over it.
For now, the title and plot of the book are sealed inside an underground vault in the Magus's secret lair and guarded round-the-clock by his Minions. While we don't have a publication date yet, rest assured we're working as fast as we can to bring new adventures of SMASH to all our fans.
Candlewick Press also published SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE, our first all-ages graphic novel featuring 10-year-old superhero Smash, and we couldn't be more excited to work with them again.
In addition to creating a gorgeous book that's a pleasure to read, Candlewick has worked tirelessly to promote SMASH, leading to glowing reviews, literary prizes like the Oregon Spirit Book Award and Children's Choice Book Award, and a legion of young readers who have let us know they can't wait for more SMASH.
We're especially excited to collaborate again with our fearless editor, Mary Lee Donovan, whose guidance and enthusiasm helped us develop our webcomic into a finished book we can be proud of. And we want to thank our agent, Bernadette Baker-Baughman at the Victoria Sanders Agency, for her patience, support, and all-around awesomeness.
We'll keep you updated as Book Two progresses. For more information, sign up for the mailing list in the margin at the right to get all the latest news while it's hot!
Thank You for a SMASH-ing 2014!
Happy New Year to all our SMASH readers! As the calendar switches over to 2015, Kyle and I can't help looking back at a wonderful year for our 10-year-old superhero.
Some highlights:
- Numerous awards for SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE, from the Oregon Spirit Book Award to the Children's Choice Book Award and a nomination for the Black-Eyed Susan Award.
- A wonderful experience at the Emerald City Comic Con, including panels with other kids' comic creators and a demonstration on how kids can make their own comics.
- More fantastic reviews for our graphic novel, including notices from Horn Book, Bookslut, Library Media Connection, and many more. The blog 100 Scope Notes even called TRIAL BY FIRE one of the Top 10 Circulated Books of 2014.
- Readings at schools like Laurelhurst Elementary and Broadview-Thomson in Seattle, where we encountered wide-eyed fans full of great questions who were bursting for more Smash adventures. (Coming soon — we promise!)
- Inktober 2014 featured a month of Kyle's artwork, showing a wide range from the spooky and macabre to the hilarious and fantastical. (If you haven't seen it yet, take a look!)
Most of all, we're grateful for all of you! By buying our book and sharing our creation with friends and family, you've helped spread the word about SMASH in ways we could only have dreamed about.
We have exciting announcements coming in early 2015! But first, we want to reflect back on 2014 and say thanks again. May you all have a wonderful and joyous New Year celebration!
Oregon Spirit Book Awards Presentation
You may have heard that SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE won the 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award for Graphic Novel.
On Saturday, October 4, SMASH writer Chris A. Bolton attended the awards ceremony at Wilsonville High School. Sponsored by the Oregon Council of Teachers of English, it was a wonderful day that kicked off with a rousing keynote speech by author Brian Doyle.
Then the winners were each presented a beautiful plaque onstage and given a few minutes to speak.
Afterward, they had a chance to sign books and mingle with teachers and other nominees. Chris heard from several teachers who were phenomenally excited to introduce SMASH to their classroom.
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank the OCTE for this honor. Their award highlights a variety of children's books from Oregon writers and helps introduce the value of stories to young minds that crave them. We are deeply grateful for this award and a wonderful ceremony!
And, if you'd like to watch Chris's acceptance speech: