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!

Received through NetGalley


Oh my gosh was this so fun. This reminded me so much of Kuroko's Basketball and I'm really excited about future volumes. There is plenty of representation throughout the comic and I enjoy the flip in this where sports are really unimportant in the school (although it is a dramatic arts school). My only complaint was that it was mainly exposition and not a lot happens, but you get so much characterization of all the characters, it's not as bad.

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!

This was so cute. I loved the art style and color scheme. It fits perfectly for the whole story. There were a lot of representations and that was perfect. Thank you for this arc.

this is a graphic novel following Charlie who is a transfer student. she gets approached by a ragtag group of girls asking her to join their basketball team.

when i got approved for this, i was so excited. I've heard so many great things about The Avant-Guards and it did not disappoint. this was such a cute book. i loved the art style and the concept of the story. there was also so much representation it blows my mind and makes my heart so full! we have LGBTQIAP+ rep, we have so many people of color, mute rep, hijabi rep, anxiety rep...

i loved this book. Xx

My only reservation about this book is that Olivia seems more like a child than a college student. All of the other characters seem like college students but she acts like a child and is drawn to look more childlike than the other characters. It was kind of unsettling to me.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this comic!

Rating: 4 stars
Rep: POC, LGBTQ+ and mental illness rep. F/F romance, non-binary side character.
TW: panic attacks

This sports comic was such a quick, easy, feel-good read! It's so effortlessly diverse, with well drawn out characters. The art style and colours were beautiful. I can't wait to read the next volume!

I would 100% recommend this to anyone who loves graphic novels about sports and diverse characters with a very charming storyline.

This was such a cute book. Characters are in college, but it's teen appropriate. It's a sports GN the way that Brooklyn-nine-nine is a cop show; it is, but the majority of time is devoted to the characters, not the sport, so it's a really great read even if you're not into sports/basketball. The characters are amazing. They're casually diverse, they have non-stereotypical personalities, and everyone is so soft and cute! More Friendship is Magic than Riverdale. Also pretty gay.
Library-wise, would recommend for teen collections, especially if realistic fiction circ's well. If you're looking for something to add to your collection that is both diverse and lgbt-friendly, would heavily recommend this.

Avants-Guards is, simply put, everything I look for in a graphic novel. It is funny, beautifully drawn, relatable and actually contained a good story.

In this graphic novel, we follow Charlie, a new student that lost her scholarship in her previous school. She has anxiety and doesn't easily make friends. She is sarcastic, cool and broody. She also is a confirmed Scorpio sun Capricorn moon. The other main character is Olivia. She is the one setting up the girls basketball team. I loved Olivia because I felt connected with her. She is hard-working and knows what she wants and seems confident, but when you look into her head you see that she is totally panicking after that flirty line! The story is told from their perspectives and I actually felt it when the chapters shifted from one main character to the other. The change of mindset and perception of the world was visible and that can be tougher when you are drawing the environment and not describing it through words.

I adore all of the characters in the team. They were are very distinct and I actually cared about them, which already is harder in a graphic novel. You have the coach Ashley, who sings like Beyonce, parties like Rihanna and balls like LeBron. Her own words. You also have Jay. They don't talk much but they have a deep love for puppies. They are also non-binary! I also adored Tiffany, the witch, who definitely does not have any candles in her room. Finally, we have Nicole, the bi cynic, who also happens to be Olivia's ex.

The dialogue was realistic and so were the character dynamics. Nothing felt out of place. It was funny at times but serious when needed. Another thing that needs to be said: it was really diverse and I love it! We have lesbians, a bi character, a non-binary character... and it didn't feel forced at all.

This didn't feel like one big introduction and I'm very grateful. So many first parts don't actually contain a story but feel like one big introduction showing you main characters, side characters, this is the world that we are in and ... if you actually want a story read the sequel! Here, stuff actually happens and we get to know these characters along the way.

The art also stood out. It played a great part in the storytelling and the colours perfectly suited the mood. The characters are drawn in a beautiful style and I didn't confuse them with each other because everybody was so different! Definitely a must-read!

5/5 Stars

This month I decided I wanted to finally delve into the world of graphic novels. They always intrigued me, but I never knew where to start. When I first saw this graphic novel, I knew I had to give this one a try. And needless to say, I ended up loving it!

It’s safe to say that I am a white woman who knows virtually nothing about basketball. So going into this graphic novel I was a bit hesitant. However, from the second I started I knew I would have no issues.

This graphic novel surrounds a rag tag group of college kids trying to form a makeshift basketball team. One of my favorite things about this story is how incredibly diverse it is. Each character has such a distinct personality and interests yet they all blend so nicely together and really do embrace the idea of being a team.

The writing was perfect and really made you feel for these characters in such a short amount of time. The combination of dialogue and the inner feelings of the characters also helped play the fact that everyone is just trying their best, and even if things aren’t perfect, at least you are trying and having fun along the way.

As for the illustrations, they were perfect. The art style and color scheme complimented the story so well. I even found myself laughing at some of the expressions the characters would make. Additionally, I loved how they wrote the passage of time. You could feel the time moving in a way that made you feel like you were apart of the team as well.

Overall, I truly loved this graphic novel. I am honestly sad I have to wait for more! I can’t wait to see what happens next to this lovable team!

What an amazing comic book!!! I NEED MOOOOORE!!

It was such an awesome read. This story is about a newbie called Charlie, who was transferred to this new college, bringing with her a bit of "baggage" from the past, and she couldn't help but get acquainted in the best way possible, with this quicky girl called Olivia, who's persuasive maneuvers, and I'm using euphemism here rsrs, convinced Charlie to become a member of this peculiar non-existed basketball team. It might sound strange, but the plot is super funny and you simply can't put it down.

I loved all the characters. Their relationship dynamics was so on point. All of them have such unique personalities and you can't help but want to be BFFs with everybody. I appreciated so much that I saw so many different people here, such as immigrant descendents, LGBTQ, introverts, punks, it goes on... it's such an inclusive environment and that nowadays is so important. Ash is my favorite so far, and I really wish I could ask him to teach me how to sing like Beyonce, party like Rihanna and ball like Lebron... well, he can scratch the latter, I suck at sports anyway hahahaha!!!

I loved this story so much, it's just so funny and cute, BUT THAT CLIFFHANGER (*BANGS HEAD ON THE WALL)... WHY, WHY, WHY???? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT!!!
Highly, highly recommended it and I can't wait for the next volume!!!

Before I start, I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

The story follows Charlie Bravo who transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics. She stumbles across the sign up for the school’s new basketball team who need one more team member before they can officially compete. Liv, the team captain is adamant that she wants Charlie on the team and recruits the other members to help her recruit Charlie.

If you don’t know anything about basketball before reading this book don’t panic. The story focuses more on the friendships between the diverse group of characters.

Artistically I really liked this graphic novel. I liked how the montage was broken up to look different from the normal format of a comic book but I had so much trouble meshing with the story. The characters quickly got on my nerves (especially Liv who was presumptuous and extremely pushy in my eyes). The only character I liked was Tiffany with her coven and her crystals.

I liked how they portrayed a wide range of characters including having the main character suffering from anxiety but I was disappointed with how poorly they put it across. As some who has suffered and is still suffering from anxiety you tend to avoid the situations which cause you to panic. There is no way that she would put herself back into that situation so easily.

I didn’t find myself laughing out loud to the jokes and instead felt like it all fell flat which upset me because after reading the synopsis I really did want to enjoy it.

This comic really isn’t about basketball, but the relationships of everyone involved. This first volume really focuses on Charlie and Olivia specifically, and there potential budding more than friendship. We also get glimpses into their past, which adds to the character growth and their overall personalities.

Overall, the characters are the best part of the story thus far. They are diverse in multiple ways and all have their own distinct personality and stories. However, the overall storyline felt rushed to me in this first volume. To me, it felt like Charlie gave in a little to easy with her backstory of anxiety and panic. She was presented with such a tough exterior, I wanted her to be harder to crack. Also, for me, the Olivia and Charlie romantic relationship also happened way too quickly, particularly Charlie’s side of it. We just barely met these characters and had a single game, but already have these intense relationships and a lot of backstories presented. I know that since this is a volume it is multiple chapters put together, but it was just the first four chapters and so much already happened.

The volume did end on a cliffhanger, with the fate of the team at stake. The characters make me want to read more, despite the slight rushing of plot in my opinion. I’d definitely recommend this comic because its characters are already great and the story has its charm and intrigue, despite its small issues.

Charlie is a bit nervous about transfering schools to the school of Arts in Georgia. Despite being a school of arts, some kids want to start a sport club.

She feels a bit out of place and is not a team player so she is struggling to decide if she should join the basketball team. Apart from her story we also getto follow a bunch of interesting and cute diverse set of characters.

As soon as I see a graphic novel by BOOM Box, I know it's going to be quality content. I loved everything abut this even though I'm not a fan of basketball. This was a cute, light and funny LGBTQ story. I loved the artwork and can't wait for the next volume.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me early access to this cute comic! This was such a cute and fluffy read that had so much representation it made my heart feel so full! I can’t wait to read volume 2 and find out what happens next! Defo a different read for me but one that I enjoyed ☺️

I'm all for more sport based graphic novels, especially with female athletes. The art and vibe reminds a bit of Lumberjanes with its playful girl-positive elements. With a very broad cast of characters any reader is sure to find themselves represented somewhere within the story arc. It's more sparse on words but you'll definitely be ready for volume 2. Which when does that come out? I need to know the NCAA shaped up.

For fans of Slam! and Giant Days, The Avant-Guards focuses on a cast of characters on a women's college basketball team. Liv is the team captain and has just recruited Charlie to round out the first basketball team their art school has had. Along with Liv and Charlie, are Ashley, Nicole, Jay, and Tiffany. All the girls are vastly different making this an inclusive group of women. This volume collects the first 6 issues and we see the beginnings of the team and the beginnings of a relationship between Liv and Charlie. I look forward to more in the series!

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**