On April 5, Alice Oseman surprised readers with an update on her bestselling Heartstopper graphic novel series through a video on Instagram. The Heartstopper universe will continue to expand with the fifth graphic novel, set to publish on December 12, featuring the hijinks of queer teens Nick and Charlie and their cast of friends. A sixth graphic novel is in the works.
The fifth installment to the series will focus on Nick and Charlie as they look toward the future, and Nick’s choices around university affect their relationship.
“When I started working on Volume 5, I was struggling with where the story was going but I finally figured it out—I was trying to fit too much into one volume!” Oseman said in the video, which was shared with her 1.7 million followers. “I realised that I needed to properly explore how Nick and Charlie’s relationship progresses and give all the characters their moment to really shine. So, that’s how we landed on Volume 5 and a surprise Volume 6—I really hope you’re excited to see a bit more from Heartstopper and I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on Volume 5!”
With more than eight million copies sold worldwide, the webcomic turned graphic novel series has struck a chord with readers searching for joyous queer characters and relationships. Last April, the graphic novel’s TV adaptation began streaming on Netflix. The 30-minute, eight-episode first season scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and shot to the streaming service’s top 10 most viewed shows the first week of its release. In 2022, Forbes reported that Heartstopper streams had hit more than 50 million hours.
