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Note: These images are from Comixology previews
Cover of Issue 1 feat. Seiji
Fence is another one of those titles that I put on my hold list at my LCS the moment I heard about it and then.... didn't get around to reading it.
Thankfully, a podcast I highly enjoy, Top to BOTM (a male/male romance podcast), decided to do a month of COMICS, and Fence was one of their picks. YES!! This is my WHEELHOUSE. This is my PASSION. COMICS ARE SO GOOD.
And Fence is so good. BUT! It's absolutely, positively a sports comic with gay characters and not a romance at this point. A lot like 10 Dance, but if 10 Dance were more casually gay and was a bit more Prince of Tennis during all the matches.
Still a great read, though!
Fence, by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad, with colors by Joana Lafuente, published by Boom!, is about Nicholas Cox, a kid entering high school who adores fencing and aims to be better than his absent father (a secret to all but Nicholas), Olympic fencer Robert Coste. While pursuing this dream, he crosses epees (pretend there are accents there, I'm lazy right now) with Seiji Katayama, and is utterly defeated. Worse yet, months later and on scholarship to a fancy private boys school, he finds himself rooming with Seiji as they compete for one of the three coveted spots on the school's fencing team.
The first 12 issues are all about deciding that team. It's match after match, and while character moments are shown within those matches and a little between, if you have ZERO interest whatsoever in a sports story, this is probably not for you. Because it's a lot of sports. Like, a lot. A lot a lot. If that is something you're into, please read on...
Nicholas being angsty in front of his dad's old school photo
So what makes Fence (like many a sports comic) so great is the characters. We've got a wonderful cast (my favorites being Bobby, who likes to wear skirts and tie his hair up in cute ways, and Aiden, the playboy who'll have one night stands with all the boys, while having a massive one sided crush), and I'm so excited to see more of them. This was a big Yuletide fandom, I believe, and I can totally see why. It's pretty easy to find different ships with different combinations, though the canon ones, though subtle, are definitely signaled in the story (and cover art, as HamletMachine's cover for one later issue has Bobby and his roommate making a heart with their hands.) Also, this world is, much like Yuri on Ice, devoid of homophobia as far as I can tell, so the fact that boys are crushing on boys behind all the fencing in the foreground is no big deal.
Fence has moved from single issues to trade only, starting with volume 4, release date tbd. At least, that was last I heard (August 2018), and I'm hoping that the trade sales of 1 through the upcoming (August 2019) 3 don't make Boom decide to cancel it. Fence is REALLY hitting its stride with the wrap up of the team try outs arc.
Plus, if I don't get to see Nicholas and Seiji kissing eventually (though this promises to be a very... very... slow burn... because remember, sports comic, not a romance!) I'll be absolutely distraught.
I'll settle for the swooning over Aiden, in the meantime
Johanna the Mad's art is pleasant to read, with very attractive and distinct character designs, and I'm super into it. Lafuente's colors are bold, complimenting the tone and Johanna the Mad's art. I quite liked HamletMachine's guest covers, too, that was a lovely little surprise. (Also guess whose comic I SUPER need to read one day still...) I really hope Johanna the Mad keeps on - if she doesn't, it wouldn't be the first time an artist co-creator whose art I loved left and someone else took over, which is the only reason I mention this at all.
Once I started reading, I devoured all 12 issues, and now I'll have to wait who knows how long for more. *throws self dramatically onto a chaise lounge*
Fence is published by Boom! Studios and is available both digitally and in print.
Cover of Issue 1 feat. Seiji
Fence is another one of those titles that I put on my hold list at my LCS the moment I heard about it and then.... didn't get around to reading it.
Thankfully, a podcast I highly enjoy, Top to BOTM (a male/male romance podcast), decided to do a month of COMICS, and Fence was one of their picks. YES!! This is my WHEELHOUSE. This is my PASSION. COMICS ARE SO GOOD.
And Fence is so good. BUT! It's absolutely, positively a sports comic with gay characters and not a romance at this point. A lot like 10 Dance, but if 10 Dance were more casually gay and was a bit more Prince of Tennis during all the matches.
Still a great read, though!
Fence, by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad, with colors by Joana Lafuente, published by Boom!, is about Nicholas Cox, a kid entering high school who adores fencing and aims to be better than his absent father (a secret to all but Nicholas), Olympic fencer Robert Coste. While pursuing this dream, he crosses epees (pretend there are accents there, I'm lazy right now) with Seiji Katayama, and is utterly defeated. Worse yet, months later and on scholarship to a fancy private boys school, he finds himself rooming with Seiji as they compete for one of the three coveted spots on the school's fencing team.
The first 12 issues are all about deciding that team. It's match after match, and while character moments are shown within those matches and a little between, if you have ZERO interest whatsoever in a sports story, this is probably not for you. Because it's a lot of sports. Like, a lot. A lot a lot. If that is something you're into, please read on...
Nicholas being angsty in front of his dad's old school photo
So what makes Fence (like many a sports comic) so great is the characters. We've got a wonderful cast (my favorites being Bobby, who likes to wear skirts and tie his hair up in cute ways, and Aiden, the playboy who'll have one night stands with all the boys, while having a massive one sided crush), and I'm so excited to see more of them. This was a big Yuletide fandom, I believe, and I can totally see why. It's pretty easy to find different ships with different combinations, though the canon ones, though subtle, are definitely signaled in the story (and cover art, as HamletMachine's cover for one later issue has Bobby and his roommate making a heart with their hands.) Also, this world is, much like Yuri on Ice, devoid of homophobia as far as I can tell, so the fact that boys are crushing on boys behind all the fencing in the foreground is no big deal.
Fence has moved from single issues to trade only, starting with volume 4, release date tbd. At least, that was last I heard (August 2018), and I'm hoping that the trade sales of 1 through the upcoming (August 2019) 3 don't make Boom decide to cancel it. Fence is REALLY hitting its stride with the wrap up of the team try outs arc.
Plus, if I don't get to see Nicholas and Seiji kissing eventually (though this promises to be a very... very... slow burn... because remember, sports comic, not a romance!) I'll be absolutely distraught.
I'll settle for the swooning over Aiden, in the meantime
Johanna the Mad's art is pleasant to read, with very attractive and distinct character designs, and I'm super into it. Lafuente's colors are bold, complimenting the tone and Johanna the Mad's art. I quite liked HamletMachine's guest covers, too, that was a lovely little surprise. (Also guess whose comic I SUPER need to read one day still...) I really hope Johanna the Mad keeps on - if she doesn't, it wouldn't be the first time an artist co-creator whose art I loved left and someone else took over, which is the only reason I mention this at all.
Once I started reading, I devoured all 12 issues, and now I'll have to wait who knows how long for more. *throws self dramatically onto a chaise lounge*
Fence is published by Boom! Studios and is available both digitally and in print.
