And we’re back! After a few weeks away, Comics Disassembled is here with a dense edition that looks at ten things I liked or didn’t like from the past week (and then some) of comics, with that slate led by a glorious return.

The Flow Must Go On…That’s Right, We’re Getting More Check, Please!

This week’s edition can only begin in one place, because cartoonist Ngozi Ukazu recently announced that her webcomic-turned-graphic novel series Check, Please! will return this year.

If you’re unfamiliar with Check, Please! and its game, it’s the story of Eric “Bitty” Bittle, a figure skater turned hockey player who goes to college for the latter. During his time there, he goes on a journey of overcoming his fear of coming out as a gay man and of getting checked (which is basically when another player uses their body and/or stick to physically dislodge you from the puck). It’s a lot more than that, of course. It’s a love story. It’s a story of friendship and sports life, somewhat in the vein of Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!! It’s also a story of baking, as Bitty is a vlogger/baker.

That’s what it’s about, but what it is is amazing. It’s one of the funniest and smartest comics I’ve ever read, one that takes readers and Bitty himself on a real journey as he goes from the new guy who feels he needs to hide who he is to his fully-actualized self, where he’s a captain and in a relationship and…*gasp* knows what it feels like to be checked. It’s a slice of life sports comic, which means it’s practically tailor-made for me. And now it will return, as Ukazu said a new chapter in Check, Please!: Year Five will be serialized in 2026, which is well-timed with the heat coming off Heated Rivalry.

I could not be more excited about this. Check, Please! absolutely rules, Ukazu’s one of the best cartoonists on the planet, and this is the type of story I’d love to see much more of in comics. So, consider this a great opportunity to get onboard, and you certainly have options to do that. The series is available on the Check, Please! website, or if you’d prefer to read it in print, First Second’s collections of it are dynamite. Now’s the time folks, as we all need to prepare for the return of Hockey Shit (although whether this comic’s delightful Ransom and Holster will return is still TBD).

Best Wishes to Michael Lark

I missed this until I read Greg Rucka’s latest Front Towards Enemy newsletter (which you should really subscribe to), but I’m glad I caught it because sadly, artist Michael Lark of Lazarus fame recently suffered a stroke. More specifically…well, I’ll just use some of what was said in the Instagram post that revealed this news instead of trying to poorly summarize it.

“Unfortunately, on December 10th, I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. It happened in the part of my brain that controls motor functions for my left side. While I do have some weakness and uncoordination, I haven’t suffered any paralysis or significant loss of motor skills or cognitive ability, but recovery has been very fatiguing and everyday tasks can get a bit overwhelming and exhausting.”

It sounds like he’s receiving excellent care and the hope is he’ll make a full recovery, which is all you can really ask for with this sort of thing. Strokes are tricky beasts, and the type of thing that can be wildly unpredictable in terms of recovery. It’s hardly a linear path. But I truly hope Lark has as smooth a path as possible. I’ve interviewed Michael several times over the years and he’s a great artist and a great guy. Every time I’ve talked to him, I’ve learned something about comics and comic art. So, best wishes to Lark on his road to recovery, and I hope he takes whatever time he needs before he gets back in the saddle with comics.