With sports, romance, being the newbie, and finding your groove and your group all as underlying themes, this book is perfect for teens or adults looking for sweet, positive, and heart-warming representation of young women of color and/or queer romantic relationships.

First thing first, the art style is so easy on the eyes. Super pretty, super cute and super fitting for the story.

I loved seeing such a diverse cast of females not only over multiple ethnicity's but also apperence's (plus LGBTQ rep). Every character is distinct, they have their own look and personality and they are all likable not only as a group but also as individuals.

Since this is only the first volume it did however go quite surface level. We don't get to know any of the characters that deeply, we don't get to know their aspirations or struggles. Which I hope we will see more of in future volumes.

I also really hope we get to see more of them playing actual basket. This is supposed to be a sport comic but still they only play for about one chapter. This is probably supposed to serve as their orgin story before they really get into the core of the story.

This is so cute, definitely recommend.

Representation: Representation: sapphic relationships (past/present); non-binary character (Jay); transgender character (Nicole); casual racial diversity

Content Warning: Panic attacks

A graphic novel about a basketball team that will endear even those who yell "yay sports", The Avant-Guards is a charming, fun, beautifully illustrated story that will leave you wanting the next volume as soon as you close the back cover!


What I Enjoyed


The dual point of view, from Charlie the new transfer to Olivia the leader of the Avant-guards, played out well. As the strongest personalities in this volume, their points of view set up the framework the brought the reader to the others, who brought a lot of joy and variety to the group.

I thought there was so much energy that played off one another. Tiffany, Ashley, Nicole, and Jay were separate entities that were still something of a family in this story. There were some "rough" edges, such as the romantic history between Olivia and Nicole, but these edges were still good in a way because it made for interesting interactions.

The basketball aspect is easy enough to follow for someone who isn't a huge sports fan (i.e. me lol) and whatsmore it's still enjoyable. The first game between the Avant-guards and their league opponent was fun and sportsmanlike. I actually look forward to seeing more action when generally I'm a "go sports" type person.

The cliffhanger is tricky because I thought it was good in terms of being what it was, but also I didn't enjoy it because now I have to wait until next February for the answer to that email? How am I supposed to do that? *weep for me*


What I Didn't Enjoy


There's not a lot to not enjoy about this! I suppose it was rather short, so there's that? :( I can't wait for the next volume, especially with that ending.

Avant-Guards is a charming sports comic with tons of queer people and an overall message of community, connection, and more. It is charming and the artistic style is IMMEDIATELY my scene. It's cute because not only are they trying to establish a basketball team, but each of them has their own individual personalities that anyone can quickly relate to. This is the perfect first introduction because it makes you care enough about the story and the characters before that cliff hanger! Talk about mutual support, dealing with our own journeys, and new experiences.

I loved every moment of it.
It was so cute and adorable.
I need more of it!
I cannot wait until we get next volum!
I want to see what happends with the team and Charlie and Liv <3

This was such an enjoyable and cute read!

What I liked:
The illustrations and the color palette were so beautiful and went so well together. The characters were so likable and so unique and you just couldn't help but love them and root form them. The diversity in the graphic novel was also really awesome!

What I disliked:
Though the plot was interesting, it did have some weak areas. It might be because it is the first volume, but I felt that the plot was quite repetitive and bland; since the cast of characters was so cool you didn't really notice it, which was what happened with me. But upon some pondering, I realized the conflict was kind of weak, and that the ending, which was meant to be a cliffhanger, didn't make me feel like I needed the next volume immediately.

Conclusion:
Since the characters were so well illustrated and written, I do look forward to reading the next volume. And even though I had my complaints I didn't really notice them while reading the graphic novel. It was only when I really thought about it that I found some weak areas. In the end, I really enjoyed myself and had some good laughs.

Happy Reading,
Jabnia

Loved this book! I was interested in this initially because I really enjoyed Carly Usdin's Heavy Vinyl, and Avant-Guards has a similar feel. The art is fun and the characters have lots of personality. I'm definitely ready to read more.

This was just okay for me… not bad at all. Just not stand out. However, I am interested to see where it goes.

The Avant-Guards is a fun and quick read. And it has it all! Diversity, blooming love, sports, friends, teamwork, PUPPIES.

I don't read much comics but they are a really good way to bring you back to reading after a slump. And this did exactly that. I loved all the characters and the fact that they were so different, diverse and yet still like of the same. But what I'm always left to miss is deeper character introductions in comics. I feel that I can't get a proper connection with The characters.

All in all this was a great read! It left me craving for more and with a cliffhanger ending. I kind of hate those but it kind of makes sense.
The artwork is amazing and really makes the experience even more pleasant since you have a great story and beautiful art to watch.

Charlie is a transfer student from State trying to find her place in her new school. Olivia is an extrovert trying to get a new NCAA division IV basketball league started including a team from their school. She very actively pursues Charlie to be a part of the team. Charlie has basketball history from high school. Will Charlie join the team? Will she find a group of welcoming and accepting friends? Will there be a team that will be able to compete?
My big complaint is that this book ended too soon! I'm already waiting for book two.

Charlie is a transfer student in Georgia O'Keeffe College of Arts. During the first day, she meets a group of friends, which offers her to join their basketball team the Avant-Guards. As it is a school of art, they cannot find many people interested in it. Charlie had a bad experience with a team in her old school so she rejects their offer right away. However, Liv a girl who was a founder of the team doesn't give up and try to convince her by introducing her into the team. It didn't take them much time until she accepted the offer but also become one of them.

An LGBT graphic book about friendship, love, and passion. I actually didn't know and notice the chemistry between the girls and I was nicely surprised me when it came out. Part I really like about this book is that all characters are very unique and different. The Avant-Guards is a nice fast reader to relax, laugh and run from reality. I can't wait to read a volume 2 and learn more about the characters of the book.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for sending me this ARC copy of the book.

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!