The Avant-Guards Vol. 1 (Mini-Review) by Carly Usdin

Series: The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 (Issue #1-4)
# of Pages: 112
Publisher: Boom Box
Publication: September 3rd, 2019
Source: Library
Genre: Slice of Life, Sports Comic
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When Charlie transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she struggles to find her feet, but winds up exactly where she belongs...in the school’s (terrible) basketball team. As a transfer student to the Georgia O’Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her classes, her dorm, and 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. And while Charlie may have left cut-throat competition in in the dust, sinking these hoops may be exactly what she needs to see the person she truly wants to be. From Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) and artist Noah Hayes (Wet Hot American Summer, Goldie Vance) comes an ensemble comedy series that understands that it’s the person you are off the court that matters most.

Written with the same dynamic characters and "slice of life" narrative as Giant Days, The Avant-Guards explores the budding friendship between several college basketball friends. When Charlie transfers to Georgia OKeeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she does everything in her power to avoid making friends and getting involved with the terrible basketball team. However, with the help of Olivia and some other dynamic characters, Charlie rediscovers her love for the sport, builds new friendships, and even finds romance.

One of the most rewarding and pivotal aspects of The Avant-Guards is the representation. While representation is FINALLY on the cusp of becoming the norm in publishing (sad that I'm making this statement in 2020), The Avant-Guards reaches so many different levels of rep. Some of the representations included are: trans characters, non-binary characters, queer characters, POC, and anxiety. And while this may come across as Usdin simply adding representation to add representation, it's actually done really well and in such a positive light. I prefer to read stories where different aspects of representation are normalized and don't necessarily have to serve as part of the narrative.

While I thought that the story was fun, engaging and easy to follow, it was the artwork that truly sealed the deal for the amazing beauty of this comic series. The vibrant colors used in the panels make the story "pop" and show the time, detail, and effort placed into making this comic. There are even panels where there is nothing in the background but a bright color and simple designs pushing the reader to engage more with the characters in the forefront. The colors balance so well together that something that typically appears to be simplistic actually becomes astonishingly beautiful. Each composition gives more to the narrative of the story.

Although I found the first volume (issues #1-#4) to be a relatively quick read, I was looking forward to the next volume. It should also be stated that the reader does not need to be a fan of basketball to appreciate and enjoy the sports aspect of this graphic novel. While it is at the core of the story, the narrative also does focus on the development and appreciation of friendships. If you're looking for a fun, interesting comic series to check out, I would definitely recommend checking this out.