Happy 1st Anniversary, SMASH!

Today marks one year since the publication of Smash: Trial by Fire! And Smash brought some cake to share with all of you...

Uh, hmm, sorry about that. We'll get that mess cleaned right up. Anyhoo...

Our graphic novel has had a remarkable first year, earning rave reviews and prizes like the 2013 Oregon Spirit Book Award and a Children's Choice Book Award.

Kyle and I have made appearances at classrooms, bookstores, and comic conventions, where we've gotten to meet enthusiastic Smash fans and introduce our 10-year-old superhero to some eager new readers, as well.

From the bottoms of our hearts, we want to thank all of our readers and fans for making this first year so fantastic. Thanks for reading! And huge thanks to everyone who's helped us get the word out about Smash — we couldn't have done it without your support.

We're excited to see what the future brings!

To celebrate our first anniversary, here's the blog tour we took to kick Smash off:

Random Chalk Talk — Guest Post on the evolution of SMASH from webcomic to book.

Powells.com Book Blog — Guest Post on the birth of Smash, featuring the scandalous true story how we designed and created the character.

Who R U Blog — Q&A with Kyle and me talking about what it's like to work together as brothers and other titillating tales.

Book Bitch — Exclusive interview with none other than Smash himself! (Plus a surprise guest.)

Cynsations — Guest Post, "Graphic Novel 101" — how we make the comic.

Green Bean Teen Queen — Guest Post about the magic of libraries and how they helped create a certain pint-sized superhero.

Charlotte's Library — Guest Post featuring a comic titled "The True Origin of the Brothers Bolton." Yes, it's all true!

Hooked On Books — Guest Post featuring the SMASH playlist, for the perfect soundtrack to accompany the book!

Bildungsroman — Q&A with Kyle and me.

— Chris A. Bolton

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.

It's Oh So Quiet...

Sorry we haven't posted much the past couple of weeks. Things may stay quiet for a little while as we work behind the scenes to create some great new SMASH material. We're also building toward a big announcement that we hope to make VERY SOON. So, please be patient!

And if you want to make sure you don't miss anything, add your email address to our newsletter signup on the right-hand margin. Yep, right over there! ---->

We'll keep our newsletter subscribers updated on everything new and exciting in the world of SMASH! (And no spam!)

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!

ZITA the Spacegirl Meets SMASH!

We've been looking forward to a team-up of Ben Hatke's fantastic Zita the Spacegirl with our super-powered 10-year-old hero. Let's hope the combined powers of Smash and Zita can keep the galaxy safe!

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Zita Smash-Up

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

Or follow him on Tumblr.

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.

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Batgirl Smash-Up

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

Or follow him on Tumblr.

SMASHbusters!

We're over-the-moon excited about the new season of Mythbusters! Especially the episode where the hosts — Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman — decide to test whether Smash's flying powers are real... Myth CONFIRMED.

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Mythbusters

Happy Smash of July!

Wishing a safe and happy Independence Day to all our U.S. readers! And please be very careful with fireworks... (Click the image for a bigger version.)

SMASH Sketchbook: THE SUB-MARINER

SMASH artist Kyle Bolton's take on Namor, the Sub-Mariner. (Click the image for a bigger version.)

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

Or follow him on Tumblr.

SMASH Reading at Green Bean Books

We can't stop singing the praises of Green Bean Books in Portland, Oregon. It's a wonderful children's bookstore — and even though it occupies a relatively small space, it feels like you could be lost for days in there.

Last Saturday, writer Chris A. Bolton read from SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE for a bunch of excited kids and eager parents.

Kyle couldn't be there to read with him, so Chris's friend (and longtime Smash fan) Craig Fitzpatrick stepped in to provide voices for the Magus, Gareth, and other characters.

Ordinarily, Kyle and Chris use a laptop to project individual panels onto a screen for their live readings. But since Green Bean has a simple outdoor setup, the audience had their own books to read along with Chris and Craig. Well, not everyone got her own book...

But they all managed to find a way to share!