Can't stop thinking about how much of a relief it must have been for Ilya to realise how insanely predictable Shane is. Like, he's lived his whole life with a mother who had horrible mental illness, a father who was unstable and always angry, a brother who couldn't even hold down a job. He's had to keep secrets and lie and read between the lines just to survive.
And here's Shane. Shane who folds his clothes before sex. Shane who will always be happy with a cold ginger beer. Shane who has a stylist and an interior decorator because he likes things to look objectively nice.
Shane who answers "How many times can you cum in an hour?" completely literally. Shane who has no filter and comments on the bed being dirty within 0.2 seconds of cumming all over it. Shane who comes out to Ilya the moment he figures it out himself, and who tells him point blank that it's not just sex, because he never ever expects Ilya to read his mind.
Their relationship is far from simple, but it's probably one of the most predictable things in Ilya's world. Shane is a safe harbour throughout the years, even while the hurricane around Ilya only gets more and more destructive.
Ukazu says, a rising tide lifts all boats, including the S.S. Check, Please! She’s hopeful that the success of Heated Rivalry, as well as another queer romance graphic novel-turned-TV show Heartstopper, will make the dream of seeing her work onscreen into a reality: The book has been optioned for adaptation. — Vanity Fair
Check, Please! has been optioned for a film/television adaptation. A while ago, actually—and that’s lovely. Nevertheless, the vast majority of options do not become television because it takes a million things going right to get projects off the ground.
That being said.
Ahem.
Speaking of getting projects off the ground...
From when Bitty first stepped out into the rink at Faber, to when he kissed the ice at graduation, we've all been part of this fun, weird, magical world of Samwell hockey. But when I left the world of Samwell hockey, I left knowing Jack and Bitty's story was done. Bitty's journey as the first openly gay NCAA Division I hockey captain was done. We baked the last pie; we shut off the lights at the kegster; the story was complete.
…But as I looked around I realized, I had one more story to tell.
Which is why I'm thrilled to announce that a brand new volume of Check, Please! will be serialized in 2026. Dozens of new comics, exciting update drops, your favorite characters with brand new storylines, and characters you've yet to meet.
Hello, Internet Land—SMH is coming home.
This fifth year of Check, Please! will be filled with shenanigans, drama, hockey, pies, Haus parties, and a new message of acceptance that is near and dear to me. And it's been brewing over the last year and half! But with the latest boom in queer hockey stories, I figured, hey! ¯\(ツ)/¯ Here's another one to look forward to. :)
Marginalized athletes still face harmful bigotry, and for this reason, queer sports stories are more important than ever. I love Samwell hockey and how each of you has embraced this roster of athletes.
There's so much more to come.
Ngozi
🏒🥧❤️
=
MORE NEWS? SURE:
I’ll be at Emerald City Comic Con 2026, and yes, I will be dropping exclusive details about Check, Please! Year Fived uring my spotlight panel: Ngozi Ukazu - From Check, Please! to DC and Back! (Be there!)
Follow me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes on the making of Check, Please!: Year Five. I'm gonna livestream...a lot.
If only there were an original mm romance that you could read right now while you wait for more Year Five updates! Good news—John Rich & The Big Picture is very cute and laugh-out-loud funny and you can read it now, for free.
My latest graphic novel FLIP has made the best-of lists for the New York Public Library, the A.V. Club, Kirkus Books, School & Library Journal—and more. Get it here.
Dropping this artwork of Emily and Wendell from Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by @heather_fawcett, voted on by my lovely Patreon members for September!
Looking back, I had originally thought this scene took place in the middle of night, but forgot that it was right at sunrise. This immediately changed the color scheme of the piece (some mentioned it looked refreshing!). Coming on the heels of the recent 'Pledge Our Troth' piece I did of Jude and Cardan, how is it that a simple pledge and quick peck is so much more monumental than a multi-month lead up to a wedding?
This piece has been officially licensed and is available in both shops! (Link in bio) Steely-eyed Shopify customers may be able to snag some early Black Friday discounts!
Chapter 1 — The Fountain Incident ✏️
Chapter 2 — Big Fan ✏️
Chapter 3 — How to Flirt with a Cartoonist ✏️
Chapter 4 — Geoffrey Brenner ✏️
Chapter 5 — The Devil Wears Dada ✏️
or get it in your inbox every week at okjohnrich.site 😏
Ahh! Okay, I'm officially taking John Rich & The Big Picture down from AO3 so I can finish it, and revise it, and share it. (More on that later.)
The book has 12 chapters. With chapter 9 in an early draft form and haaaalf of chapter 10 revised, and Chapter 11 & 12 being fairly straightforward, I feel like I'm closing in on the end. I'm so impatient. I want to be done! But I'm SO CLOSE!
So no John Rich & The Big Picture updates for the foreseeable future, but when it does update, IT WILL BE SERIALIZED AND FINISHED AND FUN AND DONE. And please tell ppl.
janainaart
theartofmadeline
areudirty
yousharknotpass
pixelskylines
gummygunk
annaxmalina
