By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Check, Please! (previously known as OMG! Check, Please!) was, and perhaps still is, a popular webcomic series created by Ngozi Ukazu. It follows the story of Eric “Bitty” Bittle, a former figure skater turned college student and competitive ice hockey player at the fictional Samwell University in Massachusetts, USA.

The comic primarily focuses on Bitty’s experiences as he navigates college life, with close attention to his time within the hockey team at Samwell. Central to the story is Bitty’s journey towards coming out as a gay young man having grown up in a rural part of the US. Though the real focus is primarily on his friendships, romantic interest, and his passion for baking pies. Bitty, a talented baker, uses his culinary skills to connect with others and cope with the challenges he faces, both on and off the ice (not to mention his YouTube-channel-like frame where he talks to the audience). 

Notably, the comic amassed a significant following for its authentic portrayal of LGBTQ+ experiences early on. Given it’s themes of friendship and acceptance, as well as the way Ukazu wrote and planned the series, I believe that it makes for excellent focus in discussions on writing and visual storytelling, aided too by its realistic depictions of college life and sports. 

I remember picking up the series around 2014 or 2015. At the time, I was reading a lot of different webcomics on various platforms, and as a Tumblr-native who was already following ice skating and hockey tags, my feed started blowing up with Check, Please! art and reblogs. 

Instantly, it became a favorite of mine due to its familiar setting (as I was in undergraduate at the time) and hilarious commentary, particularly regarding hockey and figure skating. I was still at the point where my disengagement from figure skating was considered recent, so this aspect felt especially comforting. With that said, the comic felt incredibly “in-community” to me, which is why it surprised me to learn that the author and artist, Ukazu, had never played hockey herself. Instead, she heavily relied on research and interviews to craft this aspect of the narrative.

Since discovering it, Check, Please! has become a beloved favorite of mine. I continue to purchase merchandise and eagerly recommend it to others. Especially those seeking engaging storytelling featuring diverse character-types and heartfelt exploration of interpersonal themes such as friendship, love, and self-discovery through experiences.

If I were to teach a course on comics and creative writing in the future, Check, Please! would undoubtedly be one of the core texts I’d include. I highly recommend it to you all as well! Outside of a few extras, the entirety of the comic is available for free online. You can start reading the comic for yourself here: https://www.checkpleasecomic.com/comic/01-01-01

Developmental edits by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow