Check, Please! #Hockey!

Eric Bittle loves three things: skating, baking pies, and vlogging. Somehow, that combination has landed him a scholarship at Massachusetts’ Samwell University, where he joins the ice hockey team. Idiosyncratic teammates provide a surprising kinship network for Bittle as he moves away from his home state of Georgia, acclimates to college life, and comes out. But while his fellow players take to his pies and tolerate his resistance to being hit on the ice, they reach their threshold with Bittle’s singing throughout all hours of the day and night. This series opener collects the drama, mishaps, successes, and romance of Bittle’s first two years at college from Ukazu’s webcomic of the same name. The art relies on thick linework and facial shots to tell the story, playing to Ukazu’s knack for pithy, personality-showing dialogue. Ukazu blends a series of tropes (coming-of-age, coming out, an outsider finding acceptance) into one coherent, amusing tale. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)