IMAGE COMICS TEAMS UP WITH DELUXE SKATEBOARDS TO CELEBRATE SKATESHOP DAY 2026
- Byron O'Neal
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
The Skateshop Day crew will team up with Image Comics, Deluxe Distribution, and this year’s featured artist Brett Parson (IG: @blitzcadet) for the annual Skateshop Day, which will be held on Saturday, February 21.
Parson is a lifelong Massachusetts-based skateboarder and cartoonist. He is best known for his work on multiple Tank Girl titles, as well as work for DC/Vertigo, Boom!, 2000 AD, Albatross Funny Books, and more. Most recently Parson has received critical acclaim for his work on Image Comics’ smash hit ’80s skate comic, Grommets, co-created with writers Rick Remender and Brian Posehn.
“When I was growing up, drawing comics and skateboarding were the things I cared about most; the two have always gone hand in hand. And in this weird, lonely, online world we’re living in now, skate shops and comic shops are more important than ever. A place you can still go and meet like-minded people, hold physical objects in your hands, and support local family owned businesses,” said Parson.
"Skateboarding, as the saying goes, changed my life. Grommets is a love letter to the scene that gave me a home, and a snapshot of being a skater in the mid-’80s, told with honesty and authenticity. Seeing the book find its way into the skate community and help promote Skate Shop Day is a genuine thrill for the entire team." - Rick Remender
The popular series went on to catch the attention of legendary skate icon, Tony Hawk, who praised Grommets for its authentic portrayal of “the raw feeling of being an outcast kid in the 1980s, and why skateboarding became such a sacred salvation to a lucky few. The graphics, attitudes and language of that era are represented with a rare authenticity that will leave you wanting more.”
For Deluxe Distribution’s Jim Thiebaud, bringing skateboarding and comics together was a no brainer. “I've done a couple things almost my whole life: skateboard and read comics,” said Thiebaud. “My local comic shop, like my favorite skate shops, is a fun, welcoming hub for the community. Bringing both communities together for Skate Shop Day with the Shop Keepers decks by Brett just makes sense; two communities where independent shops are the backbone of the culture.”
Posehn added: “As a former employee of two skate shops (a long time ago) and wearer of Vans since '83, it is not lost on me how cool it is to have the Grommets crew involved with Skate Shop Day 2026. Stoked to be a part of an incredible event that gets people into skate shops. Hope you find what I loved about skating, the great friends.”
Parson’s SSD ’26 artwork is an ode to our fallen brother, Jeffery Blain Grosso, and will be featured on the annual limited edition @dlxsf ShopKeepers’ deck as well as on custom @yeti Yonders & Ramblers as well as @quantumbearings.
Additionally, each ShopKeepers’ deck will include a limited edition, polybagged reprint of Grommets #1 with the SSD Baby Blain art on the cover (courtesy of @vansskate). Issue #1 has sold out and been reprinted numerous times and, as such, this limited, 3,000-copy print run of the Skateshop Day reprint is sure to hit big with comic book collectors.
Skateshop Day co-founder, Chris Nieratko, is a life-long skateboarder and comic books fan, who began his writing career at age 17 writing comics for Disney, under the mentorship of comic book industry luminary, Heidi MacDonald. Nieratko’s goal is to help grow skateboarding through the commonalities of comics and skating. “I can’t draw to save my life, so I have always been blown away by the artistry of comic books and skateboard graphics,” said Nieratko. “I’m really excited for Grommets fans and collectors to see all the cool art on skateshop walls and for skaters around the world to fall in love with Grommets!”
The Grommets trade paperback (ISBN: 9781534366480, Lunar Code 0125IM460) collects the complete series, issues #1-7 and is available at local comic book shops, independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones.
Grommets can also be read digitally across many platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
ABOUT SKATESHOP DAY
The annual retail holiday, Skateshop Day (founded in 2020 by Scotty Coats and Chris Nieratko) is the day that the skateboard community celebrates our cultural hubs, the foundations of every skate scene, the places that bring skaters together and act as the glue for skateboarding as a whole. Skateshop Day is meant to get skaters into the shops to show love to the unsung heroes that do so much for skating 365 days of the year. We support skateshops every day but we celebrate them on the 3rd Saturday in February.
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