Putting it AO3-terms to honor its original male character/original male character origins:
Rating: Explicit
Category: M/M
Fandom: original work, Check Please!
Relationships: Tyler Hughes/John Rich
Additional Tags: enemies to friends to lovers, idiots in love, slow burn, everyone knows but them, a surprising amount of garfield lore, new york city, the-devil-wears-prada adjacent, viral youtube romance, love in your early twenties, romcom emphasis on the comedy
words: 99,000
chapters: 21/21 (complete!)
comments: 1,562 comments!!
hits: 171, 709
>>> start here ✏️
I'll be honest...was a little disheartened when this graphic novel was passed over for an Eisner nomination. But this completely makes up for that! It's such an honor to have this book nominated and included with other fabulous YA books! 🙏
If you're a:
- fellow comics creator
- publishing professional
- retailer
- educator/librarian
- member of the press (podcasters!)
then you can sign up to receive a ballot to vote here. For your consideration!
Not only will there be a new volume of CHECK, PLEASE! in the works...
But CHECK, PLEASE!: YEAR FIVE will be...
…THE YEAR OF THE FROG. 🐸 🏒 ✨
Below, find a summary of what the newest volume of CHECK, PLEASE! will have to offer… highs, lows, and a whole new SMH!!
Samwell mens hockey’s favorite baker—and championship-winning senior captain—has graduated! How will the team survive?
Problems abound as their new captain, Dex, learns that the effortless balance Bitty maintained on the team isn’t as easy as it looks. Then, ultra-aloof Nursey must finally drop his “chill” and get vulnerable in a senior poetry seminar. And to make matters worse, Chowder faces the dreaded ‘SSGS’ and is having the worst season of his college career.
But when change arrives at Samwell hockey, it not only threatens to rip the team apart, but could destroy Dex, Nursey, and Chowder’s friendship forever. Before they graduate, to save their team and themselves, the three seniors must come together and ask the question:
‘What does Samwell hockey mean to you?’
I can’t reveal any more spoilers, but I’ll leave you with that question—what does Samwell hockey mean to you? Look out for more Check, Please! news in the months to come!
Subscribe to the Check, Please! newsletter!
Follow me on patreon for more exclusive news and to see me draw this goddamn comic!!
Hi, if you're going to ECCC 2026
- come to my panel for teasers on Check, Please!: Year Five
- get a boxset of Check, Please! for your friend who loves hockey romance (and then get it signed by me at Third Place Books!)
- grab a sample zine of John Rich & The Big Picture, my m/m romcom novel! (map under the cut!)
At Emerald City Comic Con 2026, I will announce details on CHECK, PLEASE!: YEAR FIVE.
I'll also (first) be discussing John Rich & The Big Picture (read it now), and ORION (out this year from DC Comics)!
This is the first time I will speak publicly about Check, Please!: Year Five and I could not be MORE EXCITED!!! I'll tease the upcoming plot, share a few sketches, talk about why I'm doing another volume of Check, Please!, and...
...strongly suggest a release date?
Be there! And find Check, Please! merchandise at booth #28002
Ngozi Ukazu - From Check, Please! to DC and Back
From First Draft to First Edition with Ngozi Ukazu, Scott Wegener, Ru Xu, Tess Stone
Self-publishing, Small Press, The Big Two & Beyond with Ngozi Ukazu, Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota, Ru Xu, and Star Pritchard
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 during 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.
