Ngozi Ukazu’s Check, Please! series is one of the biggest success stories in recent comics history. The lovable tale of hockey player/pie maker Eric “Bitty” Bittle and his four-year course at Samwell University has been a massively popular webcomic, and then a Kickstarter campaign for the self-published print edition and finally as a series from First Second. 

The reason for its popularity is no secret: It’s a sweet story that’s funny, dramatic, exciting and mostly deeply human as Eric explores his feelings for the captain of the hockey team, Jack, and learns about life, just like we all do.

Ukazu wrapped up Eric’s story last year, but the Kickstarter for the crowdfunded edition of Year Four ends today — as we write this it’s at $491,336, but it might just make that last $8k to break the half a million mark.

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Each Kickstarter for Check, Please! has been quite successful:

Year One: $74,290

Year Two: $398,520

Year Three: $353,764

Chirpbook (a collection of tweets): $91,299

Year Four brings the story of Bitty and Jack to a satisfying conclusion:

Last but not least: Bitty’s senior year is filled with drama. Not only must Bitty lead his team to a national championship while adjusting to life as an openly queer athlete—he finally has to confront his family about who he is.  Eric Bittle has come a LONG way.

And so has Ukazu for sure. The Check, Please! kingdom has grown to include Huddle,  a series of saucier 18+ sketchbooks, pins, prints, slipcases, and with Year Four….jerseys.

https://twitter.com/ngoziu/status/1387065950483193858

There’s still some time to get in on the action – and a special T-shirt stretch goal will only be unlocked is the campaign hits $500,000…so beat the buzzer with a pledge. 

Comics are dying…oops, no they aren’t!