Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey

[cornerofmadness]

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've been hearing about this for years now and when I saw the library had it, I needed it. I wasn't sure I'd like a contemporary story about hockey players but you have to give it props for being the highest funded crowd funded webtoon.

Bitty is down right cute as hell. Eric Bittle formerly of Georgie is more figure skater than hockey but he makes the Samwell hockey team. A tiny boy (Bitty is a good name for him), Bittle lives in fear of being checked by the much more brawny players so much so he's barely non functional on the ice.

This covers his first two years on the team with all his other players, Shitty, Ransom and Holster (nicknames are a thing here) and Jack Zimmermann who is sort of hockey royalty, his dad a pro legend. Jack is the only one without a nickname.

Most of the story is told through Bitty's eyes and more often than not his vlog on baking. The boy can't stop baking his team pies. Bitty is openly gay now that's up north and feeling more able to be himself in college than he could in high school (a feeling a lot of us will jive with).

This omnibus comes with a bunch of afters like illustrated hockey terms and pages upon pages of Bitty's tweets, all of which are every bit as much fun as the comic itself. I loved it. The art is fun. the story is sweet as Bitty's pies. I want the next volume.

The only thing that fell a little flat for me is Jack himself. I didn't see in him what Bitty does. He's very reserved and laconic which means he doesn't really get to say much and it's harder to connect with him. His saving grace is his concern for Bitty and trying to help him past his mental blocks about being checked because if he doesn't he'll be cut from the team, lose his scholarship and probably won't be able to continue at Samwell. Bitty is a sweetheart of a character and you just don't want to see him (or his oven) hurt. Looking forward to more.



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Comments

[cmk418]

First saw this mentioned in a few hockey RPF crossovers, then finally saw the book in a display at the American Writers Museum on diversity, and then, months later, finally broke down and bought it. It was so sweet and I loved it. (Side note, I never seek out graphic novels, but the subject matter drew me to it.) I did pick up the sequel. It's not nearly as good as the first, in my opinion, and is more of a coming out/relationship story than the first book.

[cornerofmadness]

I think I first saw it in a prompt community and didn't seek it out. While graphic novels ARE my thing sports aren't. I hope the library does get the sequel but I don't think I would buy it