#gay main character
by Alice Oseman
What it is: a webcomic about two boys at an British all-boys school.
Why it’s on this list: The main boy is gay, having come out in the last year. The other lead explores his sexuality as the comic goes on. It’s a love story folks, and it’s great.
Where you can find it: It’s on tumblr at @heartstoppercomic, and you can also read it on Tapas here. Alice also has a few published novels, including a novella about Nick and Charlie, and you can find out more about her and those books on her website here.
Official Synopsis | Cast List (spoilers)
I stumbled upon this comic randomly, because tumblr actually suggested something good, for once. I read it all at once, and it’s such a well-told story. Beautifully simple at moments, I could read dozens of pages of Charlie and Nick just talking.
There’s a scene where they’re having a serious conversation, and I didn’t even notice that there was something in the background changing in each panel until it was almost taking over the next one. And it has to be one of my favourite pages. It’s also a great metaphor for the whole comic, little things told in the expressions of the leads and also of their friends, classmates, and teachers, as they become friends and maybe sometime more.
The way identity is approached in Heartstopper is really lovely, too. It’s very real, and it has a character who realized he was gay quite young and a character who is just starting to question his identity as the story happens, with neither being treated as more valid than the other.
There’s some classic tropes in here, like the pretending to just be friends in public, the pushy ex (who is thoroughly warned for, the author puts warnings at the top of any update that has anything potentially triggering, including said Bad Dude), and even plays around with the Jock and Musician kind of dynamic. Notice how I said classic - nothing about them felt cliche, and I really am enjoying how each of them are playing out in the narrative. It really does feel Classic, which is so exciting, because queer stories so rarely get to be that. We deserve every kiss in the rain we can get, and Nick and Charlie deliver.
The whole comic really does feel like getting to watch a flower slowly bloom, which is why it makes so much sense that that’s an ongoing motif for the comic itself.
Oh! Shout out to Charlie’s friends - often, the already out kid doesn’t get to have friends, but he has some really good ones. We’re just getting to know some of them where the comic is right now, but I’m excited to see more. One of the characters just introduced is a trans girl, and there’s also a side character who’s a lesbian and she has a girlfriend!
The author also treats us to some awesome alternate universe oneshots, including a Harry Potter one. I felt positively spoiled.
If you’re a fan of soft boys falling in love, or you just need something to make you feel warm on the inside, give Heartstopper a try.
Note: The author does talk about how eventually this comic will deal with some pretty heavy stuff, but that no one will die and that Nick and Charlie are made for each other. You can find more info about what exactly the comic will cover on the comic’s FAQ page.
Reading Heartstopper? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 9 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018. You can find all the reviews here.
