THe pacing of the Advent-Guards is delightful. We aren't thrown into any environment too quickly, and the art style conveys all the particularities of the characters. Great representation, no forced romantic plots, also PUPPIES

The Avant-Guards Vol. 1 provides the background of the diverse characters who star in this quirky new series. I enjoyed the illustrations and enjoyed some of the personalities, but I found the plot to be slow-moving.

This was a sweet, fun, gentle read. I especially enjoyed the aspect of finding oneself and friendship portrayed in this book. I loved the diverse cast of characters and immense amount of representation in this graphic novel. I have several people in mind that I know would like this book!

A new graphic novel series about college students at a super liberal art school who form a women's basketball team. The only sports team at the school.

The main character is Charlie, a transfer student with "mysterious new girl vibes." She looks like she's been to the gym a couple times, so Liv, the captain of the Avant-Gaurds tries to convince her to join their team. Liv also has a huge, adorable crush on Charlie. All the characters from the team are nicely developed with their own distinct voices.

The illustrations are big, bright, and fun. Beautiful, refreshingly diverse escapism. Big "Giant Days" vibes, and would be perfect for fans of New Adult fiction set at university.

This book gives children a glimpse into life at an art college which I find very original. Liv is full of energy and ready to check everything off her to do list before noon. Her initiative paired with fast talking jump off the page. Liv is the definition of the person I wish I could be. She is a go-getter that doesn't take No for an answer even when it comes to creating a whole league of woman basketball players. Our main character Charlie is a transfer student that Liv tries to recruit for the basketball team and maybe for something more as well(wink wink). Each character on the team is an individual and I hope we learn more about them in other volumes. Three characters on the team are queer but I was left wondering if that is a common thread that brings them all together. Love, dating, and crushes are definitely on their minds. The colors are perfect and each character has an individual look. When the story ended all I wanted to do was pick up Volume 2. I want more of every character, more basketball, more parties, just more in the best way possible. Middle school kids and older will love this Queer Graphic Novel. Side Note: The term "hooking up" is the only thing that kept me from saying 5th/6th graders.

★★★★☆ || Funny and fresh story about a bunch of art students playing basketball!

From the casual queer & PoC representation to the basketball emotions this story was a blast!

There were lots of obstacles to get this team going but the organisation goddess Liv never gave up and if she needs to stalk the grumpy transfer student Charlie she will do it. She's sure she can convince her and, hey, if she flirts with her while at it, who's to judge?

But the cute f/f romance is not the only good thing about this comic book! (Nor is it the only queer content present.) The team building is a great ground for the potential found family. The banter and the friendship between the players are amazing. The dialogue feels genuine and like I could overhear it at an actual uni.

AND BASKETBALL WAS FUN!! Sure, they played to win but also the fun and the team went first. And isn't that good to see in the anxiety-ridden world?

The Avant-Guards is an intensely cute comic that surprised and delighted me in so many ways. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I went into it because I basically associate basketball with middle school gym class rage, but it really hit the spot for me in ways I didn't anticipate.

The story is genuinely a fun one that pulled me in with a lot of different aspects. The basketball team plot engaged me in a way I didn't expect it to, and I was so excited to see them work out as a team, and I'm genuinely eager to see where that goes. I was also very invested in the f/f will-they-won't-they romantic plot, and I'm desperate to see more of that. I have a soft spot for any book that is so overwhelmingly queer and that understands that irl LGBTQ people aren't tokens and often flock together. All of the characters were super cute, and while they could be a bit much, they reminded me of people I know.

The art was super cute, and I felt like it suited the story pretty perfectly. It's one of those ones where if the plot and characters had been described to me before I ever saw the art, I would have imagined it pretty similar to how it turned out. The bubbly colours really work with the story and characters.

Overall, The Avant-Guards was a surprise and a delight, a truly fun and cute comic. I genuinely look forward to seeing where the story goes. I would definitely recommend it.

Charlie has just moved to Georgia O'Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics. She is new and doesn't quite know how to handle her arrival, so she starts going around school and finds young people who take care of a basketball team. A decidedly badly assorted group. At that moment, for a closed and shy girl like Charlie, finding herself in front of this noisy band of boys to force her to join their sports team seems anything but positive.
A first volume also crackles that leaves and brings with it many questions. What is Charlie's past hiding? Yet she seems to be a very good basketball player. Will the guys on the team be able to convince the young woman to take part in it? A particularly enigmatic character that we hope to know better in the next volumes.
A story for sports lovers, but also for all those who want to read an original, romantic and full of sports graphic novel. Definitely recommend.

This was ADORABLE!!! Carly Usdin crafts adorable and funny characters that you instantly root for. I can’t wait for the next volume in this series. I will read anything she puts out!

Charlie Bravo is a recent transfer to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics. She is determined to keep to herself and focus on her film studies. Charlie finds it hard to stick to her goals when she runs into a girl named Liv who sets her sights on getting Charlie to join her newly minted basketball team. Liv is full of energy, brimming with optimism, loves leading teams and incessantly tries to woo Charlie for her basketball team. Liv has a great heart, but she can come on way too strong so she ends up recruiting the rest of her ragtag basketball crew to convince Charlie—each in their own unique fashion—just before the first game. Ashley, Nicole, Jay, and Tiffany eventually wear her down with their numerous and humorous attempts, not only welcoming her to their team, but also into their circle of friendship. It takes Charlie some time to thaw and reveal some hurtful memories of her last university. At her new university, however, Charlie might rekindle her love of basketball with her new team and possibly find a new romance.

Avant-Guards is a fun, quick read that puts female sports in the front and center. The cast of characters are diverse in gender expression (one is nonbinary), race, and sexual orientation. There is also plenty of diversity in secondary characters too. The illustrations were bright and energetic just like the characters. There is a nice balance of humor, heart, and action, but I did feel that there is little plot for the first volume of this graphic novel. Overall a promising start to a new series that features diversity, inclusion, and female sports. I look forward to reading the next volume in the series.

This was so queer, so cute, and so perfect. I loved all these characters so freaking much. I can't wait to read volume 2.

This was such a cute book. I loved the art style and the story was...comfy for lack of a better term. I like the slow-burn friendship/relationship blooming between Liv and Charlie.

The book was good but it was overall incomplete. I found the art fantastic, character designs solid, formatting great, but the story was lacking in my opinion. While at its core it was a love story, I wanted it to progress a little more in terms of communication between our two leads.

A charming, funny and heartwarming read. Written with a lot of heart and accompanied by amazing artwork. I love the characters and the overall story following a group of delightful misfits as they form a basket ball team at the arts college.

Charlie, the main character, is such a likable main character, I also found her very relatable.

So looking forward to seeing where this goes. Thanks Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this stunning first volume.

The Avant-Guards is a charming introduction to an art school basketball team - making them the strange minority in a creativity-focused environment. It features a diverse cast of queer, gnc, and racially eclectic women and enby folks (in fact, I think there may be zero cis men in this volume?).

This volume focuses on the creation of the team, and the protagonist Charlie's connection to a new school and a fresh community. Every character on the page is an absolute dream, including the competitors and their intramural sportsball game (cue even more diversity, supportive attitudes, and cute pups!)

There's a budding romantic element, which is really cute. I'd love to see it woven more richly into the early scenes between the characters, but seeing as this is only the first among many volumes, I'm assessing the structure of a plot that is only just beginning. I can't wait to see where this leads.

The art has a sharp, stylized feel that actually made me read many of the characters as men before they were pronouned. Aside from their pronouns, little is explicitly stated about character genders or sexuality in this volume, but there are a few nudges here and here that give the impression that the characters all have rich identities and back stories that we'll discover in the coming volumes.

I also read the characters as entirely people of colour until about 2/3rds through, when I decided maybe Charlie is supposed to be white. It's a funny inversion of the white as default implications of many books out there, so I'll take it!

I'm relatively new to the graphic novel, and I often struggle to connect. This is the first graphic novel that I have utterly loved. It ended way too soon, and I can't wait to see the next volume!

I love the art work in this volume! The storyline seemed a little disjointed to me as there wasn't any background for the main character about the transfer. I would definitely recommend this to my YA and LGBTQ+ readers!

This is the perfect graphic novel for September. Charlie transfers to a new school, so we get to learn about the school through her new perspective. She was recruited to join the basketball team, where she found the perfect team.

I loved the variety of characters. Each one comes from a different background, yet they were all brought together by basketball. It was great to see how they found common ground in this sport.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m excited to see what happens next.

Thank you BOOM! Box for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Plot - 2
Art - 3

It is not what I expected.

What's up? New girl comes to college, and is chased by another girl who waits for a member to form a women's basketball team.

But in reality, it leaves the impression that she is pursuing her for more personal reasons.

It's funny, but just the other day I was reading an article about that old series "The Facts of Life" and about how the only lacking in it was the sexual diversity; well, in this story seemed like Tootie was pursuing Jo. (Yeah, Liv was kind of annoying and hyper) But, the problem is that it seems that the Liv has not forgotten the ex and wants just replace her with someone else (Charlie) to forget her.

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I actually expected something more focused on friendship and teamwork, and arts vs sports, and more than just a mention of "oh, by the way, I suffer from panic attacks but you know what never mind" ... what?

Anyway, not for me.

-----------------------
(This time in Spanish:)

No es lo que esperaba.

¿De qué va? Una chica nueva llega a la universidad y es perseguida por otra chica a quien le falta una persona para formar un equipo de baloncesto femenino.

Pero en realidad, deja la impresión de que la persigue por razones más personales.

Es curioso, pero justo el otro día estaba leyendo un artículo sobre esa vieja serie "Los hechos de la vida" (1979-1988) y sobre cómo lo único que faltaba alli era la diversidad sexual; bueno, en esta historia parecía que Tootie estaba persiguiendo a Jo. (Sí, Liv era un poco irritante e hiperactiva). Pero, el problema es que parece que Liv no ha olvidado a la ex y solo quiere reemplazarla con otra persona (Charlie) para que olvidarla.

De hecho, yo esperaba algo más centrado en la amistad y el trabajo en equipo, y las artes versus deportes, y por cierto más que una simple mención de "oh, por cierto, sufro ataques de pánico pero sabes que nunca te importe" ... eh??

De todos modos, no es para mí.

The Avant-Guards is a new series to come from Boom! Studios, and it’s a fun and relaxing series full of character-driven plots. Oh, and there’s a decent amount of sports as well, so there’s that!
The Avant-Guards Vol. 1 introduces us to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics (say that ten times fast) as well as the sports team (basketball, of course) and the characters drawn to it.
Charlie just transferred to this art school, and at first, she’s not so sure how she’s going to fit in. That is until she finds the group of misfits that is the school’s basketball team. They may not be the best out there (read: they’re not) but they sure do have a lot of fun on the court.

The Avant-Guards Vol. 1 was a really unique and fun read! It took no time at all to get invested in the characters, and even less time to start laughing and enjoying all of their antics and drama. This series is already proving to be the perfect escape for readers.
What I really love about The Avant-Guards is that it isn’t your typical comic book. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and instead is focused on capturing the lives of one very quirky basketball team. It’s fun and charming and is just a delight to read.
Carly Usdin (author) and Noah Hayes (artist) have done an excellent job of creating this world for us to enjoy. The characters are unique from one another, while easily falling into the realm of ‘real people’ status. So it’s easy to care about them and their adventures.
The artwork is brilliant, and is perhaps my favorite thing about the series (which is saying something). I love the colors used, as well as a lot of the throwback textural effects that were applied. It gives The Avant-Guards as cool and unique look about it.
I’m so happy that I found The Avant-Guards, as this is absolutely going to be a series I stick with. Though I might opt to read it by volume, instead of by issue. That just feels right in this case. But we’ll see how I feel as time goes by.

As a graphic novel, the art can be one of the most important aspects. And the art style here is great. It has a cohesive theme throughout, and was great to just stop and take in the beautiful artwork.

The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 is a graphic novel about a newly formed women's college basketball team.

Charlie is a transfer student who sufferes from anxiety. She's hesitant to join the basketball team but is eventually convinced to join. The banter between Charlie and her teamates is top notch. Each character has a distinct personality. The groups dynamics are great and as Charlie gets to know them more, we get to see deeper to the complex aspects of their relationships.

Speaking of relationships, in this volume we get the beginnings of a flirtation between Charlie and Olivia. Liv is just so cute and I can't wait to get more of Liv and Charlie in The Avant-Guards, Vol. 2!

After Charlie is convinved to join the team, the plot follows them through a day of training and then into their very first game, [which they win by a landslide - Charlie's previous experience really shows here and Olivia and Nicole are excellent players too. (hide spoiler)] The volume then leaves off on a cliffhanger, which will no doubt be a key topic in the next volume.

The Avant-Guards is also full of divesity, with a multiracial cast of various different sexual preferences and gender identities.