This is such a cute, fun and well-represented graphic novel! I love everything about it. From the plot (yes, I'm a sucker for 'this is a new chapter of my life and I'll leave my past behind' trope), the bold characters that support each other, to the amazing art style itself! The diverse representations and the using of gender-neutral pronouns flow naturally in this book. And excuse me, but I still can't get over how good the art was! I'm a big fan of the color schemes and I love the using of creative layouts for the panel! I'm definitely waiting for Vol. 2!

Thank you BOOM! Box and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the quick-paced storytelling and top-notch art style of The Avant-Guards Volume 1. It’s a multifaceted story, showcasing a diverse group of college students as they navigate the everyday life of college, romance, and extracurricular activities. The characters are easy to relate to, with a little bit of each personality type continually clashing in a fun way. Between the high-energy of the team leader and the reluctance of the newcomer, you see the growth of an unlikely friendship as it blooms into something more. At the root of it all is a love of basketball and the escape of dribbling down a court, focusing solely on the game. It’s a fun, quick read filled with characters you’ll be excited to know.

loved the art style and the diversity!! it’s told a in vignettes and i enjoyed seeing each issue being told by a different perspective. the characters’ friend dynamic was great as well. the story wasn’t too special but i did enjoy the characters quite a bit.

This was such a cute story, and I really loved the whole team and the diversity and how they came together and Olivia and Charlie are the actual cutest things ever!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an eARC*

This was a really fun quick read filled with sports and all types of people. Queer romances. People with a variety of looks and interests. Highly enjoyable. Has minimal sports lingo, so is easily understandable.

I'm a huge comic nerd, and because I adored Carly Usdin's Heavy Vinyl I was incredibly excited to read this one. Sports? Queer girls? SIGN. ME UP. And this book delivered. The art is incredible, I loved the characters, and the storyline was so much fun to read. I can't wait to continue with this series.

I am not normally a sports book person but I loved this - the sports lingo was minimal and it focused more on the individuals! The mood was infectious and the was a lot of beautiful detail in the artwork. The pacing felt nice and I appreciated the way the interactions between characters played out. Super excited for volume two!

4 stars

This was such a cute book!

“The Avant-Guards Vol. 1” tells the story of Charlie, who transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics where a group of girls try to recruit her to their new basketball team. And while Charlie is reluctant to join them, especially Liv, the team captain, is hell bent on getting her on the team.

First of all, I loved how diverse the cast of this novel was - wether it be sexual orientation, gender identity, body type, or race. The characters were all completely different in their personalities, but made a great group of friends.
There’s the main character, Charlie, who has bad memories of her old college’s basketball team and who has to be convinced to join the “Avant-Guards“.
Then there’s the team captain Liv, who’s adorably quirky and cheerful without being overly annoying. And of course Ashley, Tiffany (who’s in a coven), the cynic Nicole, and Jay.

Another thing that I liked a lot was the art style. It was amazing - incredibly cute, and the color scheme with its soft colors was very pretty. There was a lot of focus on facial expressions and small details, which I really liked.

Keep in mind that this novel ends on a huge cliffhanger!

“The Avant-Guards” was a fun and lighthearted read with great lgbtq rep, perfect for people who love stories about friendship and sports with just the tiniest hint of romance. I’ll definitely pick up Vol. 2!

- I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. -

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to BOOM! Studios for the opportunity.

Three words to describe this graphic novel? Fun, cute and quirky!

I love how The Avant-Guards was set in a school setting with an up-and-coming basketball club. I was so happy to see queer representation, and the story was not just cute at all. From the moment I started reading, I couldn't put it down!

I'm lying if I'll say that I won't follow this graphic novel, because I really want to dive into the future volumes. I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels, but The Avant-Guards made me want to fall in love with it a little bit more.

Such a fast and perfect read for Pride!

I cannot scream loud enough about this graphic novel. I'm so. It's so. AHHHHH.

The Avant-Guards was absolutely stunning. A diverse cast, with POC, diverse bodies, diverse sexual/romantic orientations and gender identities.
This graphic novel centers on Charlie, a transfer student at Georgia O’Keefe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics. Lacking friends, she ends up falling for a misfit basketball team with a mixed group of friends. It was wholesome, lovely, and I need the second volume immediately.

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from NetGalley, thank you!

I wasn’t at first interested in The Avant-Guards as I am more into fantasy than contemporary most of the time but this graphic novel bought me with a promise of a diverse cast of characters and a lesbian romance. And it was absolutely worth it.

Charlie is a transfer student in the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatic (I actually copied the name from the synopsis because I wasn’t able to remember it). She struggles to find herself between new people, a wide choice of clubs and activities she’s not really interested in and on the campus overall. That is until she’s noticed by a yet-to-be basketball club that needs one more member to become a thing and the very enthusiastic team captain Liv and her band of misfits decide Charlie should be that member.

At first, Charlie is absolutely not amused by the efforts to get her on the team. She had bad experiences with basketball teams in the past and isn’t keen on going back to that life. Slowly, however, Liv’s charm and the work the other members put into convincing her starts paying off and Charlie opens up to her new friends and accepts the place in the club.

The plot of this graphic novel is pulled straight out from a sports anime and I absolutely love that about it. We have an enthusiastic character who is very energetic and passionate about the sport they’re playing, their “partner” who kind of don’t want to join the team at first and is a little grumpy and a band of lovable characters surrounding them. It’s casual and heartwarming and the end left me screaming for more because you just can’t dump all their hopes and dreams into the trash after everything seemed to go so well.

The characters are diverse and each one of them has their own personality and charm. Charlie is a quiet and a bit grumpy lesbian who isn’t sure about her place in the new school. Her bad experiences with basketball prevent her to accept the team’s invitation at first but as she learns more about them she decides to give her a chance. Despite that, her anxiety about games doesn’t go away just like that and she needs support from her friends to overcome those fears. Liv is a black lesbian who’s very passionate about basketball and goes out of her way to make the college team a thing but as it’s an arts college her initiative isn’t really popular. She’s very resourceful and basically organized a whole college basketball league on her own just to make her dream about playing come true. She’s also getting over a break up with another member of the team who seems to think they’d split up on good terms but Liv still seems hurt about it. She’s torn between feelings for the other girl and her growing attraction to Charlie who seems to also be interested in her. Their developing romance is really sweet and full of understanding and makes me so happy for them.

Besides that, there is a trans and bisexual character, a character using they/them pronouns and the team members come in all shapes and sizes, each one of them really amazing and with their own style and personality. Their personalities show especially well when they try to recruit Charlie, each one of them doing something they consider the best way of getting someone on their side. They’re an amazing cast of characters and I would love to see more of them in the next volumes.

The art style is lovely. Everything is in soft, pleasant colors, each character is drawn in a way that makes them diverse and incomparable to the others. The scenes when they play basketball are dynamic and clear. It’s just a graphic novel that’s really pleasant to look at.

Overall, The Avant-Guards is a great graphic novel about friendship and following your dreams. It has a diverse cast of characters and a cute lesbian romance. I’d recommend it for people looking for a pleasant, heartwarming read and also those who love sports anime. I will do my best to get my hands on another volume.

I LOVED this one! Oh my goodness, I want more volumes now! This was a super fun and inclusive graphic novel about females playing college basketball. It's a simple premise, and there's a love story that's quickly involved, but it's all sweet. I really enjoyed the characters, how they're all queer and how their personalities and ethnicities were all mixed. The friendship group reminded me a lot about my own friendship group from uni and how we were always together and sticking by each other's side. Although Charlie's character is a bit sullen at first, I love seeing glimpses of her happy side but also about her past--it seems like something big and bad happened to her that badly affected her trust, and I really can't wait to find out what her reason was for moving schools (I don't believe it's only because of no longer playing basketball?)! Liv's character, while mildly annoying, was also sweet and I loved seeing her vulnerable sides. She's such an exuberant, high energy character that seems confident 100% of the time but it's nice to read from her perspective as well.

I really enjoyed the artwork. The work gave me old(ish) school Archie Comic vibes, also with the text/speech bubbles. I loved the colors that are used in the comic, it lends the story an even happier vibe. I liked that there were some moments with a lot of text, but not too often, and that the text wasn't so squished into speech bubbles that they were illegible. Also, did I mention how much I love the name of the comic and the basketball team? Super cool!

There were four issues in this volume but I just want more now. I can't wait for people to read this one because it is funny, quirky and a little bit romantic! Thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. My review will be posted on my blog closer to pub date.

The cuteness! There are only four issues in this volume, but I'm so invested already. Give me more of these characters, please!

We follow the creation of a new women's basketball club, and all the team members are so interesting! There are a few that haven't been properly introduced yet (I expect this to happen in the next issues) but the ones we know are so charming and lovely! Charlie and Liv are adorable together, and I can't wait to know what's going to happen with them.

If you're into comics of girls being awesome, teamwork and sports... 100% recommended. Also, it features puppies, which is always a plus!

This is EVERYTHING. Everything I tell you.

I need the entire series.

Hilarious, relatable, relevant, sweet.. tons of fun.

Love the diverse cast of characters .. love the jokes, the texting features, the internal monologues.. this is so perfectly done I honestly don’t have the words right now. It’s basketball! It’s art school! It’s super queer and fluid! It’s fun/funny n’ cute. Sigh.

Also the MC is totally my mom. Spunky black girl with her own business card and rows of to do lists I stinkin love Olivia.

I am buying this ASAP and everyone else should too!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh, its so good. Just too short and I need the next one!! BRAVO to the team who worked on these!! (You’ll get my pun if you read these).

A fun graphic novel about queer team of basketball players (massive plus for BAME and LGBTQA+ representation) ! I enjoyed it although obviously it was really short (volume 1 only) - but I will definitely want to read volume 2, just to find out what happens. The main character Charlie has just transferred to an art college, after promising never to play basketball again. But the captain of The Avnt-Guards is very persistent! I enjoy the banter and dialogue. I admit I am not the biggest fan of this style of artwork, but this is just a personal preference.

The Avant-Guards is such a cute, fluffy graphic novel that follows Charlie who has just transferred to a new college. Charlie struggles at first but finds her feet with the colleges basketball team.

I found the romance between Charlie and Liv to be super cute and fluffy. Not only was the romance and friendship great but the illustrations were absolutely stunning!

It was a super quick read but one that I know I’ll find myself picking up time and time again when I want something quick and cute. I am so excited to read the rest of the series as I think it will be a great one to follow!

UGH, this was too short! And to leave off on a cliffhanger like that?! I'm almost sad I read it as an advance copy, because now I have to wait even longer. Almost. The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 alternatingly follows Charlie Bravo and Olivia "Liv" Bates as they form their college's first ever sports team. Liv is the brains and main motivation behind the cause. Meanwhile Charlie, a brand new transfer student who's trying to escape painful memories of her old college's basketball team, takes a bit of convincing before she joins.

Overall, this is a great setup to what I think will continue developing into an amazing story. Each of the characters in our main crew has such a distinct personality. On the surface, that seem as if they would clash as a team. Yet, they work together in such an effective way that doesn't feel forced to pull this team together and play their first game. My Virgo self connected a lot to Liv. I love Charlie so much (and wow, was my guess that she's a Scorpio spot-on). Tiffany is hilarious and Nicole must be protected at all costs. But I also really have a soft spot for Jay, because oh my gosh, they're such a sweetheart, and I wish they had more lines.

Honestly, I've never followed basketball or cared about it much, but this cast kept me engaged. So you definitely don't have to love or even know much about the sport to follow the story. It's about so much more than just them playing basketball. Yeah, that's the reason this group of six have come together. But there's already a lot of history between them, and you can tell they have so much more to make.

I also want to make some notes on the representation in The Avant-Guards. There is a developing romance between Charlie and Liv. Unfortunately for Liv, there's some romantic history between her and Nicole, which she's struggling to get over. Another note on Nicole is that she's transgender, as is apparent by the trans flag hanging in her dorm room. Lastly, for queer rep, Jay uses they/them pronouns, although they never say exactly how they identify. Plus, as you can see from the cover, the story shows a lot of casual racial diversity. By this I mean that this diversity is shown pretty obviously, but it's never discussed at any length.

Final Thought: I sincerely hope that if you're looking for a quick, graphic novel to read, you consider picking up The Avant-Guards! It was really an enjoyable book and a great start to the story!

I dont really care about sports, but I love the friendships that are formed when people are on a team together. We get plenty of diversity on the team without it being the focus. I liked that it was just a bunch of girls getting together to play basketball. Since no attention was called to it the different types of diveristy felt very normalized which I really appreciated. We get an interacial sapphic pairing that will probably develop into more of a romance in the next volumes. This volume was more about one of the girls crushing on the other and trying to gather the courage to ask her out. Their personalities seem like total opposites with one of the being bubbly and ambitous while the other was more cynical and reserved, but I think they would be really cute together. The art was pretty good, but I felt like some of the characters faces weren't as good as others. The cliff hanger ending had me turning the pages in disbelief that the comic was over.

Adorable, engaging, fun, and humorous, this comic really is delightful and I'm eager to see where it goes. The art style and palette is warm and welcoming. It's a perfect readalike for fans of the babysitter's club comics who have outgrown them and are interested a bit older fare. It's intentionally and effortlessly diverse; it spotlights sports and competition in radically positive ways. While it's set in college, I could see middle grade and teen readers enjoying the theater and basketball aspects, not to mention the will they/won't they potential romance between Charlie and Liv. I really hope there's more issues collected together so we can add them to our collections!

I loved this tale of an underdog basketball team and the friendships and romances within it. I didn't think I'd be interested in a book about team sports, but The Avant-Guards won me over. The characters and relationships were well written and I was left wanting to read more. The art is great too!