Congratulations are in order for the Bolton brothers and their web comic Smash. They just signed a fantastic deal with Candlewick Press, and we soon will have the opportunity to read Smash in print! Hurray! I’m a huge fan. Here is the press release.

In her enthusiastic review for the School Library Journal blog, Elizabeth Bird wrote, “If [Smash] follows the lead of such other successful webcomics as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Jellaby in print form, I will be well pleased.” And now, they’re doing just that!

Chris and Kyle Bolton, the creators of Smash (www.SmashComic.com), are thrilled to announce that they’ve signed a deal to have Season One of their webcomic published by Candlewick Press, the home of such acclaimed children’s books as the Judy Moody, Girl Detective series and the novels of Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux).

Smash is an all-ages webcomic about a ten-year-old boy who absorbs the powers of his superhero idol — along with his greatest villain! The entire first season is still available for free online, and the Bolton brothers are hard at work on Season Two, which they expect to debut in September. No publication date has been set for the book.

Their editor at Candlewick is Mary Lee Donovan, who loved and believed in this project at first glance. The Bolton brothers are represented by Bernadette Baker-Baughman of the Baker’s Mark Literary Agency.