Heartstopper (graphic novel)
Heartstopper is a British coming-of-age story in the form of both graphic novels and a webcomic series both written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. The story follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring as they meet and fall in love. The series is a prequel to Oseman's 2015 novella, Nick and Charlie, although the characters originally appeared in her 2014 novel, Solitaire.
The series was later adapted into the Netflix television series of the same name also written by Oseman and starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie, respectively. The series premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim.
Since 2021, the inclusion of the Heartstopper series in libraries has been challenged on multiple occasions due to its LGBTQ content and subject matter. This has included bans from school libraries in Florida, Oregon, and Mississippi.
Premise
Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, two British teenage boys who attend the fictional Truham Grammar School, as they meet and fall in love. The series explores teen LGBTQ romance, coming out, and dating. In later installments it touches on mental health and sex. The series also follows the lives and relationships of their friends, many of whom are LGBTQ.Characters
Main
- Nick Nelson, a popular Year 11 rugby player at Truham Grammar School seated next to Charlie in form class
- Charlie Spring, a Year 10 student at Truham Grammar School who was recently outed
- Tao Xu, Charlie's best friend and later Elle's boyfriend
- Elle Argent, Charlie's close friend and later Tao's girlfriend who transferred to Higgs Girls School after coming out as transgender
- Tara Jones, Nick's lesbian childhood friend who becomes his confidante when he starts to explore his sexuality. She is Darcy's girlfriend
- Darcy Olsson, Tara's extroverted girlfriend with a complex family life
- Aled Last, Charlie's gay demisexual close friend and one of the main characters in Oseman's novel Radio Silence
- Sahar Zahid, the group's new friend who starts sixth form at the same time as Nick
Supporting
- Tori Spring, Charlie's asexual aro-spec older sister and the main character in Oseman's debut novel Solitaire
- Ben Hope, a closeted, bisexual student whom Charlie was initially in a secret, toxic relationship with
- Harry Greene, a homophobic bully and member of the school's rugby team
- Sarah Nelson, Nick's supportive mother. She is divorced from her sons' father, Stéphane Fournier
- Oliver Spring, Charlie and Tori's younger brother
- Jane Spring, Charlie's mother
- Julio Spring, Charlie's father
- David Nelson, Nick's entitled older brother who denies Nick's sexuality
- Michael Holden, Tori's boyfriend
- Nellie Nelson, Nick's first dog, a border collie
- Henry Nelson, Nick's second dog, a pug
Development and release
Oseman started publishing Heartstopper as a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas in September 2016 and on Webtoon in August 2019. New panels are posted three times a month and illustrated by Oseman herself. The webcomic gained a significant following, leading Oseman to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the publication of a limited run of graphic novels covering the first two chapters of the series on 20 June 2018. The targeted pledge was reached within two hours.
In October 2018, Hachette Children's Group acquired the rights to physical publishing of the first two volumes of Heartstopper, and by January 2019, the third and fourth volumes. They were released on 7 February and 11 July 2019, 6 February 2020 and 6 May 2021, respectively. Volume 5 was later released on 7 December 2023 while a sixth and final volume has been announced. Additionally, a Heartstopper-themed colouring book was published on 11 June 2020, followed by The Heartstopper Yearbook on 13 October 2022.
Releases
Webcomic
Volumes
Related books
Reception
Writing for The National, Gemma McLaughlin praised the novels for being able to "capture the attention" through "the small stories that make up life" rather than plot twists and heavy drama. She called the story "infinitely welcoming with characters that seem like real life friends", singling out Charlie as "extremely likeable" and praising the novels' treatment of his mental health. Publishers Weekly said that the novels' "leisurely pace and focus on everyday events... allows the characters' relationship to develop in a natural, relatable way" and stated that the art style complemented the tone of the story. Imogen Russell Williams in The Times Literary Supplement called Oseman's illustration style "loose and flowing" and said of the novels that they " directly with shame, fear and anxiety, bringing them sweetly into the light". The A.V. Club included the webcomic on its list of "The best comics of 2018", with Caitlin Rosberg saying that it is "best defined by its kindness both to the characters and the reader". Metaphrog also included the comic on The Heralds 2019 list of "The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators".Terri Schlichenmeyer of the Washington Blade described Volume One of the novels as "one really sweet book" and praised the understanding treatment of characters struggling with their sexuality. She also felt that the realism of the novel was strengthened by the inclusion of bully characters. Kirkus Reviews stated that the placement of panels and their bordering in Volume One "prevent the visual graphics from going aesthetically stale" and that the hand-written lettering reinforced the story's human tone. They summarised the novel as "An adorable diary of love's gut punches". Summer Hayes reviewed Volume One in Booklist and praised Oseman's use of wordless panels to portray characters' emotions, although she felt that the illustrations were inconsistent. Overall, she concludes that "the romance and realistic fiction will draw readers into this sweet story". Kelley Gile reviewed Volume One in the School Library Journal, praising the dialogue, detailed facial expressions in the art, and "a font that mimics handwriting to the adorkability factor".
Alaine Martaus also reviewed Volume One in The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books in which she praised the "simple drawings" which she says "keep much of the focus on faces and phones, reinforcing a deeply interpersonal connection at the heart of the story". She described the story as being composed of "a series of charming vignettes". In a further review of Volume Two, Martaus reiterated her previous comments and said that the storytelling of the second volume "moves effortlessly from tearful poignance to laugh-worthy moments to stirring romance". Kirkus Reviews said of Volume Two that it retained the "distinctive style" of illustrations present in the first volume and that its transitions between panels were "creative" and "add creative flair". It praised the characters and described the story as "Incredibly lovable from start to finish". Sarah Rice reviewed Volume Two in Booklist and felt that Nick and Charlie's relationship was presented in a "heartfelt, gentle way" and praised the "loose art style is full of lovely details, such as embarrassment and romantic blush lines".
In a review of Volume Two, Tiffany Babb of The A.V. Club praised the book's reproduction of the webcomic's art, its use of white space, and Oseman's handwritten lettering, which she says is "expressive... in a way that feels both unique to her style and organic to the pacing of the comic". She felt that the treatment of Charlie and Nick's characters displayed "a level of understanding and care that elevates the story" and argued that the story "never devalued or ignored" the characters' other relationships with friends and family. Sarah Hughes of i included Volume Three in the newspaper's list of "Young Adult fiction: 25 of the best new books for 2020". Prudence Wade rated Volume Four 8/10 for The Independent and called it "a touching tale of teen love and accepting who you are". Fiona Noble also included Volume Four in The Guardians list of "The best children's books of 2021", describing it as a "joyful, tender look at first love and relationships with an inclusive cast".
The webcomic series received more than 52 million views and the novel had sold more than one million copies worldwide.
Restrictions and bans
In September 2021, Turkey's Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services labeled the publication "harmful" concluding that "some elements in the books might have harmful effects on the morality of those aged below 18." Following this decision, copies of the books are only allowed to be sold inside of sealed envelopes with the label "Harmful for children" in Turkey.In 2023, the Heartstopper novels increasingly became the subject of a wave of U.S. restrictions against books featuring people of color, racism, gender identity and/or queer individuals. The books were pulled from shelves in at least two school districts, Clay County, Florida and Canby, Oregon.
In July 2023, a Hungarian bookstore was fined 12 million forints for displaying the book without packaging.
Hungary passed a law in 2021 requiring books containing any homosexual or transgender content to be sold in closed packaging only. Oseman responded to the decision, commenting, "Queer young people deserve to see themselves in literature. Queerness is not innapropriate for kids".
In August 2023, the novels were temporarily pulled from shelves in the Marion County, Mississippi library system pending review by its board of supervisors following complaints of their LGBTQ themes and inclusion of boys kissing.