Tribute to Steve Ditko—artwork by Kyle Bolton

R.I.P. Steve Ditko

July 09, 2018 by Chris Bolton in Blog, In Memoriam

The comics world recently lost a legend. Steve Ditko was the artist who co-created Spider-Man with Stan Lee. He drew the first-ever Spidey comic, Amazing Fantasy #15, and the historic first 38 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. Along the way, he helped create some of Spidey's most iconic characters and villains, including J. Jonah Jameson, the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and more!

SMASH writer Chris Bolton's first exposure to comics was a Pocket Books paperback reprinting some of those early Amazing Spider-Man issues by Lee and Ditko, which he read until the covers fell off. He would find clumps of pages around the house for many years afterward. SMASH has often been described as "Calvin & Hobbes meets Spider-Man," which is the precise balance Chris and Kyle were hoping to achieve when they created the series.

Without Ditko’s astounding work, Chris never would have developed his lifelong love for comics and dynamic storytelling. Rest In Peace.

Preorder Book 2 Right Now!

February 26, 2018 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Book One, Book Two, Coming Soon, Kids' Comics, Publishing, Publicity, Press

Have you heard? SMASH BOOK 2: FEARLESS is coming out in trade paperback and hardcover editions on May 9, 2018!

The long-awaited trade paperback edition of SMASH BOOK 1: TRIAL BY FIRE will go on sale then, too! To make sure you get your copy in time, preorder it right now!

Just ask your favorite local comic book store to order your copy using one of these ordering codes:

MAR181377 — Book 2 trade paperback
MAR181378 — Book 2 hardcover
MAR181379 — Book 1 trade paperback

They'll be happy to make sure your copy is waiting for you the day it comes out!

Smash Webcomic Page 22: Boom!

October 13, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Webcomic

You'll find lots of surprises in store for little Smash in the latest page of our webcomic, "Monstrous." Click here to read it all!

New Webcomic Page!

September 29, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Comic, Webcomic

At last… Smash meets Crimson Fist, face-to-face! And here comes the punching and kicking stuff.

Only seven pages/weeks left of our webcomic "Monstrous!" We hope you’ll follow along on our fast-paced adventure –- and if you aren’t caught up, now’s the perfect time.

New Webcomic Page Is Up!

September 15, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Webcomic

It's all talk in this week's Smash webcomic. But it's the kind of talk that leads to more action soon! Click here to read "Monstrous" from the start!

How (Not) to Head-Butt a Monster!

September 08, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Webcomic

The newest page is up for our weekly webcomic, "Monstrous!"

Each week we present a new page and they're all free to read! (Although, if you want to help us make more comics, your support on Patreon is always appreciated.)

We recently heard from a fan who worried that reading "Monstrous" would spoil Book 2. Not to worry! The webcomic is all-new, online-only material that will NOT be in Book 2 and doesn't spoil a single surprise -- we promise! So, feel free to read "Monstrous" as you please.

The Merc with a Mouth -- and a Right Hand of Doom!

Deadpool Meets Hellboy (Sort Of!)

August 05, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Warm-Up Sketch

Excited for the Deadpool movie? SMASH artist Kyle Bolton was inspired to do a Deadpool/Hellboy mash-up.

However, Mike Mignola himself pointed out on Facebook that the hand is wrong: it should be the right hand, not left. I think it's Deadpool's fault for picking the wrong hand (SUCH a Deadpool thing to do!), and here's proof that Kyle knows the Right Hand of Doom...

Daredevil Vs. the Punisher

August 03, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Sketchbook, Warm-Up Sketch

How much is SMASH artist Kyle Bolton looking forward to the next season of Netflix's "Daredevil" series?

So much that he's already drawing it.

We're especially excited about the addition of the Punisher, which will hopefully work better than in any of his movie attempts. C'mon, Netflix, don't let us down!

Warm-Up Sketches: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

July 31, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Sketchbook, Warm-Up Sketch

SMASH artist Kyle Bolton has been feeling a tad nostalgic lately. Here are his sketch tributes to the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Can you guess which is which?

Athough they're better known for their movies and TV cartoon series, Kyle and I are longtime fans of the old-school Ninja Turtles comics. Waaaaaaaaay back in the 1980s, we used to collect the original black-and-white TMNT comic series that was nothing like the silly, light-hearted tone of the TV or movie versions.

When we were kids, we thought the Ninja Turtles comics were gritty and hardcore. Only years later did we learn they were intended as a tongue-in-cheek spoof of beloved comic series by Frank Miller, especially RONIN and his ninja-heavy DAREDEVIL issues.

This Week's Webcomic Comes Early!

July 20, 2015 by Chris Bolton in Blog, Comic, Webcomic

We're so excited about this week's page of our SMASH webcomic that we couldn't wait until Tuesday to share it. So here it is, a day early!

At last… Smash meets Crimson Fist, face-to-face! And here comes the punching and kicking stuff.Only seven pages/weeks left of our webcomic "Monstrous!" We hope you’ll follow along on our fast-paced adventure –- and if you aren’t caught up, now’s the perfect time.

At last… Smash meets Crimson Fist, face-to-face! And here comes the punching and kicking stuff.

Only seven pages/weeks left of our webcomic "Monstrous!" We hope you’ll follow along on our fast-paced adventure –- and if you aren’t caught up, now’s the perfect time.