#Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes

[traeumenvonbuechern]

⚾ Books To Read If You Love "A League of Their Own" ⚾

I can’t believe Amazon canceled "A League of Their Own" 😭 Here are some books you should read if you miss this show as much as I do.

(Also, please remember that ALOTO wasn't canceled "due to the strikes". Amazon is the one to blame here, not WGA & SAG-AFTRA!)

Book titles:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (comes out September 19, 2023)

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise and Oscar O. Jupiter

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Joy, to the World by Kai Shappley and Lisa Bunker

The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

Running With Lions by Julian Winters

[wlwbookshelf]

PRIDE MONTH: READER’S CHOICE COMICS Thanks to everyone for sharing their favourites! The comics our readers wanted everyone to know about are:

A Gay Cinderella Story by EJ Chong (webcomic)

Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer (webcomic)

Chasing Stars by Alex K. Thorne

Dreadnought by April Daniels

The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes (Illustrator)

High Class Homos by Momozerii (web toon)

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, Brooklyn Allen (Illustrator), Maarta Laiho (Colorist), Aubrey Aiese (Letterer)

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan

Their Story by Tan Jiu,坛九

Note: For comics if they are available freely as a web comic or web toon we have tried to include links!

[guide-to-galaxy]

Top 5 (graphic novels) Tuesdays

Top 5 (graphic novels) Tuesdays

I’ll admit – I haven’t read many graphic novels 😥 But I’m trying! I think this year might be the year of audiobooks, but no one said the year can’t be 2 things! Maybe in the second half of the year? Or just maybe time should STAND STILL for a lil bit so we can catch up a bit with our tbr… But let’s go talk about some graphic novels I loved reading! If you want to see some other Top 5 Tuesday…

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Middle School Monday: The Avant-Guards Vol 1 by Carly Usdin & Noah Hayes

Charlie isn’t sure where she’ll fit in at the Georgia O’Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics. When she’s invited to join their brand-new basketball team she’s hesitant at first, because she wanted to leave the world of sports behind her. But little by little, the team captain Liv and the other girls convince her that joining this team will give her a new chance at friendship, at love, and at finding her place as part of a team.

Give this graphic novel to older kids and younger teens who are looking for sweet and hopeful stories about LGBT characters, friendship, and sports.

[thequeerblr]

Graphic Novel Review: The Avant-Guards, by Usdin, Hayes, and Nalty

I know this review is a touch late, but it's here at last! The Avant-Guards is a delightfully queer sports comic with one hell of a cliff hanger that will leave you rushing to your local comic book store to buy volume two!

by Brittany B. 09/09/2020

The Avant-Guards (written by Carly Usdin, illustrated by Noah Hayes, and colored by Rebecca Nalty) is a delightfully queer sports comic with an incredibly diverse cast of characters, interesting personal stories, and one hell of a cliff hanger that will leave you rushing to your local comic book store to buy volume two:

As a transfer student to the Georgia O’Keeffe…

[the-knights-who-say-book]

REVIEW: THE AVANT-GUARDS VOLUME 1

RATING: ★★★★☆

BLURB: A transfer student to Georgia O’Keeffe College, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her place amongst a student body full of artists who seem to know exactly where they’re going. When the school’s barely-a-basketball-team unexpectedly attempts to recruit her, Charlie’s adamant that she’s left that life behind…until she’s won over by the charming team captain, Liv, and the ragtag crew she’s managed to assemble. Just maybe, sinking these hoops is exactly what she needs to understand the person she wants to be.

THOUGHTS: It’s GAY and I LOVE THAT. I love how colorful and fun and sweet these comics are, but it felt like not much happened in this volume. Like, the team forming took almost the entire time. They played one game and the main (wlw!) relationship started, and that’s it.

I just hope the pace picks up in the next volume, which I will definitely continue with! I love these characters, I love their friendships, I love how gay it is, and I love the duel perspective.

[theheartofabookblogger]

What are your favorite sports books?

If you liked CHECK, PLEASE!, you’re going to want to read THE AVANT-GUARDS next! I love sports stories, and I especially enjoyed these because . . .

☑️ Graphic Novels

☑️ College YA

☑️ Sports!

☑️ Tight-knit teams

☑️ LGBTQ+ romances

[astreiants-archive]

do you have any wlw books that star women of colour?

i do!

girls of paper and fire by natasha ngan

girl serpent thorn by melissa bashardoust

take a hint, dani brown by talia hibbert

the bone shard daughter by andrea stewart

the space between worlds by micaiah johnson

the true queen by zen cho

empress of forever by max gladstone

falling into place by sheryn munir

waiting on a bright moon by jy yang

the avant-guards by carly usdin & noah hayes

that could be enough by alyssa cole

abbott by saladin ahmed

a dead djinn in cairo by p djeli clark

the stars and the blackness between them by junauda petrus

the henna wars by adiba jaigirdar

you should see me in a crown by leah johnson

burning roses by s l huang

yellow rose by yoshiya nobuko

don’t date rosa santos by nina moreno

clap when you land by elizabeth acevedo

shatter the sky by rebecca kim wells

the good luck girls by charlotte nicole davis

in the vanishers’ palace by aliette de bodard

once ghosted, twice shy by alyssa cole

afterlove by tanya byrne

buuza!! by shazleen khan

motor crush by brenden fletcher

not for use in navigation by iona datt sharma

ninefox gambit by yoon ha lee

a blade so black by l l mckinney

mangos and mistletoe by adrianna herrera

patsy by nicole dennis benn

escaping exodus by nicky drayden

we set the dark on fire by tehlor kay mejia

the weight of the stars by k ancrum

[comicweek]

GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Comic

The Avant-Guards, by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes, Tasha Neva, Jenna Ayoub, Rebecca Nalty, Kieran Quigley, Eleonora Bruni, Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)

Bloom, by Kevin Panetta, Savanna Ganucheau (First Second)

Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, Cardinal Rae (Image Comics)

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, by Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh, Carlos M. Mangual (DC Comics)

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (First Second)

Liebestrasse, by Greg Lockard, Tim Fish, Héctor Barros, Lucas Gattoni (ComiXology Originals)

Lumberjanes, by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, AnneMarie Rogers, Kanesha C. Bryant, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese (BOOM! Studios)

Runaways, by Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka, Andrés Genolet, Walden Wong, Matthew Wilson, Triona Farrell, Chris O'Halloran, Michael Garland, Niko Henrichon, Federico Blee, Dee Cunniffe, Jim Campbell, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, by Simon Spurrier, Emilio Laiso, Andrea Broccardo, Wilton Santos, Caspar Wijngaard, Marc Deering, Don Ho, Walden Wong, Chris Bolson, Scott Hanna, Elsa Charretier, Rachelle Rosenberg, Chris O'Halloran, Stephane Paitreau, Lee Loughridge, Edgar Delgado, Jim Campbell, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)

The Wicked + Divine, by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)

[queerical]

books of 2021

All-New Wolverine Volume 1

Alphonse Mucha: Masterworks by Rosalid Ormiston

America Chavez: Made in the USA by Kalinda Vasquez

Eat Your Heart Out by Dayna Ingram

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

Harleen by Stjepan Sejic

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Volume 1

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Jessica Jones: The Pulse by Brian Michael Bendis

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

Lovesickness by Junji Ito

My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

One Life to Lose by Kris Ripper

Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger, Sara Kipin

Restart After Coming Back Home by Cocomi

She-Hulk Volume 1

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle

Suggestivism: Resonance by Nathan Spoor, Ken Harman Hashimoto

The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes

The End of Summer by Tillie Walden

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water by Zen Cho

The Summer of You by Nagisa Furuya

The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes

The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono

Unspoken Vow by Eden Finley

Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito

Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries

[ohnoitsthebat]

What I'm Reading: Graphic Novels Edition.

I've been reading a lot of graphic novels/comics lately (Most of them of the indie persuasion), so I thought I would list the ones I've been reading and what they're about. I miss reading books, but at the moment all I can read are graphic novels, comics, and middle grade books. So, without further ado, here are the graphic novels I am currently reading.

The Final Girls (ComiXology Originals, a 5-part series)

Written by: Cara Ellison Synopsis: The world's most powerful working hero, Scathach, asks her retired peers to punish another hero for a crime. Her friends Kogarashi and Bavanshee secretly agree to pay a visit to this hero, Claymore. But Claymore is very popular and famous... And all the kids want to be him when they grow up.

This comic gives me Watchmen vibes. It's very dark, not at all like your average superhero comic. If you're looking for something cutesy and childlike, you certainly won't find that here. I'm still undecided as to how I feel about it. It takes place in Scotland, which I love, and the characters are all very different from one another. But I'm not loving the story so far.

The Backstagers, Vol 1 Written by: James Tynion, IV Synopsis: James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, The Woods) teams up with artist Rian Sygh (Munchkin, Stolen Forest) for an incredibly earnest story that explores what it means to find a place to fit in when you're kinda an outcast. When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he’s taken in by the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Hunter, Aziz, Sasha, and Beckett become his new best friends and introduce him to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain that the rest of the school doesn’t know about, filled with strange creatures, changing hallways, and a decades-old legend of a backstage crew that went missing and was never found. Collects the first four issues.

The Avant-Guards, Vol 2 Written by: Carly Usdin Synopsis: Welcome to the Georgia O'Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, an historically all-female school whose population is decidedly more drama geek than jock. Liv, aspiring actor and basketball enthusiast, doesn't understand why she can't be both, but she seems alone in that belief...until Charlie. Charlie is a recent transfer, a star basketball player, and the answer to all of Liv's problems. She'll stop at nothing to get Charlie to join the ragtag group of misfits that make up their fledgling basketball team. Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) and Noah Hayes (Goldie Vance) present a touching tale about finding what you're looking for... on and off the court. I'm really enjoying this one! I love the amount of diversity (characters of color! Queer characters! Bisexual characters! and so much more!), and i love how the story is building up. I'm not a big fan of the art, but the story is so good that it really doesn't matter.

And, finally.....

Heavy Vinyl, Vol 1. Written by: Carly Usdin Synopsis: New Jersey, 1998. Chris has just started the teen dream job: working at Vinyl Mayhem, the local record store. She's prepared to deal with anything—misogynistic metalheads, grunge wannabes, even a crush on her wicked cute co-worker, Maggie. But when the staff's favorite singer mysteriously vanishes the night before her band’s show in town, Chris finds out her co-workers are doing more than just sorting vinyl… her local indie record store is also a front for a teen girl vigilante fight club! Heavy Vinyl is my favorite of the bunch. As someone who is obsessed with music and record stores, the general aesthetic of this is music to my ears (pun intended). It also takes place in the 90s, and as someone who grew up during this time, reading this book gives me a much-needed shot in the arm of nostalgia. i can't wait to read the entire series. Hopefully you guys enjoyed! Maybe you'll even pick up one of these books and decide for yourself if they're good or not. Till next time!

[redgoldsparks]

Hey, if you don't mind my asking, I've been scrolling through your profile a bit and noticed you have some graphic novel reviews (I think?). Do you have any recommendations? Specifically about LGBTQ+, women, BIPOC or disabled folks? I want to support artists who are bringing more representation and light into the world.

Yep, I review everything I read! You can find all of my reviews on Goodreads. I have a shelf of all the books I’ve read with LGBTQ themes, whether by queer or straight authors. I also have a shelf of books that specifically include trans and nonbinary characters and a shelf of books by authors who are BIPOC and queer. Obviously these lists all have a lot of over-lap, but hopefully this will help you narrow down a few titles that look interesting! I don’t have a shelf yet of books by disabled authors/including disabled characters but that’s a good idea, I will work on that :) 

Here are a few highlight recs, all comics:  

Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni (a slice of life comic-  nonbinary main character) (author is also nonbinary)   Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy edited by Joamette Gil (anthology of short comics, all with nonbinary authors) The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes (an ongoing comic series, one nonbinary character, one trans character) Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell  (a slice of life comic - a nonbinary secondary character) Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (fantasy YA comic - a nonbinary main character)

Snapdragon by Kay Leyh (a trans secondary character) 

Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman (trans character, nonbinary author)

As The Crow Flies  by Melanie Gillman (trans character, nonbinary author)

The Deep and Dark Blue by Niki Smith (trans main character)

O Human Star by Blue Delliquanti (trans secondary, nonbinary author) On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (sci-fi comic - a nonbinary secondary character)

[rebeccanaltycolour]

The Avant-Guards #2 of 12

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Writer: Carly Usdin

Artist: Noah Hayes

Colours: Me

[anotheruniverse-com]

Avant-Guards #2 (of 12) Main

New Post has been published on AnotherUniverse.com

Charlie is done with team sports. Nope. Not happening. Never again. But Liv and the rest of the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics basketball team are determined to get Charlie to join them, and they’ve cooked up a ruse to woo her! For basketball. Nothing else.

See more great comic, games, toys, manga and TV/movie news at AnotherUniverse.com https://anotheruniverse.com/avant-guards-2-of-12-main

[graphicpolicy]

Make Your Move in The Avant-Guards #4

Make Your Move in The Avant-Guards #4 #comics #comicbooks

BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at The Avant-Guards #4, the latest chapter in the twelve-issue series from writer Carly Usdin and artist Noah Hayes about a ragtag group of friends who band together to build the first ever basketball team at their historic women’s art college, available in stores April 24, 2019.

Victory tastes sweet! The Avant-Guards have defeated their first…

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1276

Monday, August 26, 2019

 Sorry for the lateness. I went fishing this morning with my buddy David and he brought his fly rod that he got recently. He's a novice but he caught two sunfish using it. That made me very happy as they were the first fish that he caught that way. Penny and I went to see a matinee at our local theatre earlier and I had to have words with a teenager who talked and then took out his phone during the screening. The second time he turned on his phone after I had asked him to put it away the first time he showed me no respect so I went and got a staff member to deal with him. By the time we got back to the theatre he had left with his friend but he still abused me verbally while standing at the exit doors. The kid couldn't have been more than 13. The language and disrespect was what upset me the most. I suspected they snuck into the theatre and the fact that they left before staff could deal with him confirmed my suspicions. I didn't care that they snuck in. If this kid had just sat and watched the movie I would not have had a problem with him. I must be an asshole magnet because the kid and his friend were the only other people in the theatre and they sat close to us.

 I picked up a copy of Marvel's "Heralds" trade paperback while working at the store last week and while reading the credits I see that it was lettered by Virtual Calligraphy's Clayton Cowles. So that's what the "VC's" stands for.

 Batman #77 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin & Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Mikel Janin, Norm Rapmund & Tony S. Daniel (inks) Jordie Bellaire & Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). A death in the family and this issue is in super high demand because of it. Damian tries to fight Thomas Wayne/Batman while Bruce is recovering under Selina's care. The prospect of the Bat Family gathering has me all excited.

 Daredevil #10 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Jorge Fornes (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). We get a glimpse of real Daredevil action when Detective North is threatened by corrupt cops in his own precinct while Matt is there. Matt gets a visit from an ex that had me chuckling on the last page.

 Fearless #2 - This is an excellent anthology for young readers, particularly young female readers.

 "Campfire Song" part 2 by Seanan McGuire (writer), Claire Roe (art), Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters) sends Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel to the leadership camp where Captain Marvel, Storm and Susan Storm/the Invisible Woman are going to give keynote speeches. Something nefarious may be afoot.

 I liked "Night Nurse: A Cape of Her Own" by Karla Pacheco (writer), Iolanda Zanfardino (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters). It's always a treat to see Night Nurse mending super powered people.

 To help get over the end of X-23's book Eve L. Ewing (writer), Alitha Martinez (art), Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters) show us what Laura and Gabby are up to now.

 Ghost-Spider #1 - Seanan McGuire (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). So Spider-Gwen is now Ghost-Spider. She has dual dimensionship between Earth-65 and Earth-616. In her own dimension of Earth-65 everyone knows that she's Ghost-Spider but in Earth-616 where her secret identity is safe, she's just Gwen Stacy, freshman at Empire State University. Peter Parker helps to get her enrolled and now she can go back and forth taking classes and fighting crime. This is a good place to start if you're looking for another female super hero to follow but there wasn't anything really special in here to make me add this title to my every burgeoning pile of comics books that I want to read.

 Strayed #1 - Carlos Giffoni (writer) Juan Doe (art) Matt Krotzer (letters). In this new Dark Horse science-fiction book military scientist Kiara Rodriguez invents a device that allows her to talk to her cat Lou. The cat is special because it can astrally travel through space. Kiara's superiors are using her cat to conquer other planets and exploit their resources. They're the bad mans. This sounds familiar to me with Kiara's race being like Galactus and Lou like the Silver Surfer. I'm not much of a cat person so I'll pass on the rest of this story.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #8 - Donny Cates (writer) Cory Smith (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Rocket's back and we even get a mini origin story for the little furball. This issue also reveals what the Universal Church of Truth's very bad plans are. I loved seeing the cocoon. With the impending battle with Death, I'm wondering if Thanos is going to show up. This would be a cool way to bring the Mad Titan back.

 The Avant-Guards #7 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Eleonora Bruni (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The one and only basketball based comic book on the racks and it's a three points shot at the buzzer to win the game. I love the message about team work in this issue.

 Powers of X #3 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue clears things up for me. Nimrod is the big bad guy and Apocalypse is a good guy in this story. I'm so glad they took last issue to explain Moira's character and her mutant ability because she's crucial to everything going on. If you're not reading this and House of X, you're missing out on a major event in Marvel Mutant History.

 Marvel Action Spider-Man #7 - Delilah S. Dawson (writer) Fico Ossio (art) Ronda Pattison (colours) Shawn Lee (letters). Introducing Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat. Her bad luck powers have Peter, Gwen and Miles all tangled up. They're going to have to learn to work together to keep her from stealing again.

 The Superior Spider-Man #10 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Man, Spidergeddon sure did cast a wide net. So the super villain for this story is revealed to be the Norman Osborn of Earth-44145. He wants revenge for being humiliated by the Superior Spider-Man during the debacle with the Inheritors. But first Norman is going to kill everybody that Otto cares about. It's a tried and true basis for many a comic book story but it still works great.

 Superman Year One #2 - Frank Miller (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) John Workman (letters). Okay, so Clark trains to be a Navy Seal so that Frank Miller can set it up for him to meet and fall in love with Lori Lemaris and clash with her father Poseidon. It was a slog for me to read through this issue. I think Miller was trying for something epic like The Odyssey by Homer. I found that Clark's time in the navy was contrived, which soured my enjoyment.

 Valkyrie #2 - Jason Aaron & Al Ewing (writers) Cafu (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Why is it that the death in Batman #77 is bigger than the death in this comic book? Bullseye somehow got his hands on Valkyrie's sword Dragonfang and Jane Foster has to take it away from the killer or else a heck of a lot of innocent lives will be forfeit. The last line of this issue made me groan.

 Year of the Villain: Sinestro #1 - Mark Russell (writer) Yildiray Cinar (art) Julio Ferreira (inks pages 21 - 26) Hi-Fi (colours) Steve Wands (letters). A solo story of Sinestro doing Lex Luthor's bidding. This story uses sentient nanobots which to me was a silly concept. I thought they did a good job showing how smart and arrogant Sinestro is but unless you're a Green Lantern fan you don't need to read this.

 Year of the Villain: Black Mask #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Cully Hamner (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). This is a good origin story and sets up the villain for what's coming next. These Year of the Villain one shots are a good way for new fans to learn about these characters which should give them a better understanding of their involvement in the big picture.