Series Review: Check, Please! Volumes 1 & 2 by Ngozi Ukazu

Check, Please! Volumes 1 & 2

by Ngozi Ukazu

Volume 1 #Hockey

Finished reading: 08/08/21

My rating: 3/5 stars

 

Volume 2 #Sticks&Scones

Finished reading: 09/08/21

My rating: 5/5 stars

 

My overall series rating: 4/5 stars

Originally a hugely popular web comic series, Check, Please! is now a two-volume comic series that follows former figure skating champion, vlogger and amateur baker Eric ‘Bitty’ Bittle throughout his four years on Samwell University men’s ice hockey team.

As a British reader with very little knowledge of American universities/colleges or ice hockey, and very little interest in sport in general, I was surprised how much fun I had reading these two volumes! The artwork was so wonderfully bold and colourful. I loved learning about hockey-bro culture and vocabulary mixed in to such a cute and emotional tale of friendship and love.

All the characters were so loveable. I loved how creative the nicknames were and all their individual characteristics. The bonds between them were so admirable and the soft, gay, hockey-bro romance throughout was just so adorable and sweet.

Check, Please! is a beautiful portrait of acceptance. Both Bitty’s personal strength and journey of self-acceptance, but also how accepting and respectful his teammates and family are of who he is despite his differences to them. They are the supportive found family we all wish we had but aren’t all necessarily lucky enough to experience in reality. There is a beauty in how stories like these provide a glimmer of hope and positivity for what an accepting world could look like and I like to think that each person that reads them feel a little more hopeful.

I definitely enjoyed the second volume more than the first. This could be because I’d settled into the story and become more invested in the characters. However, I found volume 1 much more disjointed and episodic. This is understandable considering it was originally a web comic. But it definitely lacked a sense of over-arching plot and the chapters didn’t always flow together well. Having said this, there were still some absolutely brilliant scenes such as Bitty singing Beyoncé in the shower in the frat house and the final scene. I also loved Shitty as a character he had some great moments in volume 1 and definitely provided an important tone to the series that was somewhat missing in volume 2.

In contrast, volume 2 felt much better constructed in terms of plot and how it flowed from chapter to chapter. I really liked the focus on the two hockey teams and all the cute moments between our main protagonists that we lacked in volume 1, particularly with the challenges of a long-distance relationship and their media attention. The larger variety of locations throughout this volume made it feel much more exciting. There were also a lot more highs and lows throughout this volume and it made for a much more emotional read alongside the usual humour.

Bitty’s tweets at the end of each volume were a really nice addition to establish characterisation beyond the comic. It was the tweets at the end of volume 1 that really got me invested in these characters. I also really enjoyed reading Ngozi Ukazu’s forward about her experience as Nigerian-Texan woman who became infatuated with men’s ice hockey and how this led to this incredible story of at least 7 years in the making from the launch in August 2013 to the print of volume 2 in April 2020. I can also see how Alice Oseman was inspired by Ukazu to produce her Heartstopper series as there are definite thematic and tonal parallels.

Overall, I’m so glad I read this series. I thoroughly enjoyed following these characters across their four years and learning more about the ice hockey community.