The Specialists

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, I used to fantasize about being a superhero constantly. Yes, I loved Spider-Man, but what I really wanted was to be Spider-Man. My friend and I used to patrol the school playground looking for wrongs to right. We rarely found any, and when we did stumble upon some mild bullying or some such, our efforts to rescue the victim were less than heroic. In retrospect, we probably made things worse and our failure to conceal our identities left us vulnerable to disciplinary action from teachers, reprisals from bullies, and ridicule from everyone.

The webcomic Smash seems like it was written specifically for my inner child. It’s the story of Andrew Ryan, a 10-year-old boy who inadvertently gains the powers of his favorite superhero. Naturally, once Andrew discovers his new abilities, he dons a disguise and gets down to fighting evil.

In a comics landscape that has become increasingly dark and angsty as the average reader has aged, Smash is refreshingly light and whimsical. To put it simply, it’s just fun. The art by Kyle Bolton is reminiscent of cartoon animation, with super-expressive faces and a bright palette. The writing, by Kyle’s brother Chris, is fast-paced and funny. Best of all, it’s an all-ages comic. It’s kid-friendly, but not dumbed-down so that adults can’t enjoy it.

Smash updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are currently just under 150 pages, but it’s a pretty quick read. Check it out, especially if you have kids!