[blog] Year 4, Comic 21 - Last Dance

★ Notes on Year 4, Comic 21 - Last Dance ★

☆ ☆ ☆ NOTES ☆ ☆ ☆

HIT. Perhaps Bitty knew this was coming. That his last game of his college career would be filled with the hardest hits he’s ever experienced. That’s just how it is, sometimes, isn’t it? And because he knows why they’re coming—because suddenly Bitty stands for something, as the first openly gay NCAA D-I men’s ice hockey captain—maybe that’s why he’s able to fight back. Just this time.

SLAM. It doesn’t mean the hits hurt any less. And it doesn’t mean that every time Eric Bittle picks himself up off the ice, he isn’t trembling. Each hit rocks him to his core. As much as his rational mind can tell him to keep moving despite the pain, it’s the emotional part of his mind, the part that turns on the valve of fear….it’s that part of his brain that tells him to crumple up into a ball and hide. That part of his mind is going off like a fire truck siren.

CHECK. But so many people are watching him. His mom, his dad, his boyfriend, his team, the teenaged goalie in Connecticut who wrote him a letter last week about being out on their club hockey team. Bitty has to tell himself to get up. But what happens when the pain is too much? When the hits are too hard?

★ Up Next: 4.22 - Check.

☆ ☆ ☆ Thanks!☆ ☆ ☆

So, this webcomic is ending next month.

As illustrator and writer, I’ve had time to come to terms with the ending, since I completed the story in July 2019. For you, a reader, I understand that the ending will be a big change. Many of you have been following Bitty’s story for years. So I’ll go ahead and thank you now (I’ll be profuse with gratitude in April), while hoping for the best for each and every one of you.

I’m spending 2020 delving into hobbies, drawing for myself, and working on my craft as an illustrator and story-telller. I hope to return with more engaging (and interactive?!) online narratives soon. So, while I’m marinating, fill up that hole that Check, Please!’s ending might leave in your heart. It’ll take a few months, maybe even a year, but I’ll be back with characters and stories that you will love.

<3

And also, like, postscript: There will be a Check, Please! Year Four kickstarter and Huddle 4, so who knows what content will get eked out 2020 and onward.

Right now I’m working on:

  • my next graphic novel to be published by First Second. It’s a story about a black girl who grapples with self-love and self-perception. It’s funny and has slapstick and many goofs, but also has parts that will hopefully make you cry. Also there’s a kooky magical element. (Though this might be the opposite of #blackgirlmagic, i love her so much but she’s so awkward. 😆) I’m HYPED for it.
  • Mad Rupert, known pal, is about 50 pages into our softball story. Art students must win one game of softball in order to get athletic scholarships. Maybe we’ll see the finished version of this in 2022!
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  • Ahhhhhhhhh, still thinking very seriously about superheroes.
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☆ ☆ ☆ News!☆ ☆ ☆

Will I See You On Tour?

  • I’ll be at Emerald City Comic Con 2020 at Table P7. I’ll also be doing the keynote speech for ECCC’s professional programming, so if you have a PROFESSIONAL BADGE, stop by the Seattle Public Library.
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  • I’ll also be at TeenBookCon AND the Texas Library Association’s Annual Conference, both of these events are in Houston, TX.
  • And from there??? TRAVEL. Check out ngoziu.com/events for more information.
  • The Pre-Order Push for Sticks & Scones continues! Pre-ordering a book shows a publisher that people are excited for an author’s story. Going to independent bookstores, heading to your local comic book store, and even chatting with librarians in your community—all of this helps! Ask them to stock up on Check, Please! So that you can grab a copy.
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tags: extras, blog
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