Heartstopper | |
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Date |
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Page count | 1578 pages |
Publisher | |
Creative team | |
Creator | Alice Oseman |
ISBN | 978-1-4449-5138-7 |
Heartstopper is an ongoing LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel and webcomic series written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. It follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring as they meet and fall in love. The series is an expanded adaptation of 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. [1] The series premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim.
Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson – two British schoolboys who attend the fictional Truham Grammar School – as they meet and fall in love. The series also follows the lives and relationships of their friends, many of whom are LGBTQ+.
The characters of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring first appeared in supporting roles in Oseman's 2014 novel, Solitaire, which features Charlie's sister, Tori, as the protagonist. [2] Oseman "fell in love" with the couple while writing the novel and decided that she needed to tell their story. [3] She initially released the e-book novellas Nick and Charlie and This Winter featuring the characters in 2015, but eventually realised that their story needed an episodic structure that was more suited to a webcomic or graphic novel format. [3] [4]
Oseman started publishing Heartstopper as a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas in September 2016 and on Webtoon in August 2019. [5] 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 (retroactively now Volume 1) on 20 June 2018. The targeted pledge was reached within two hours. [6]
In October 2018, Hachette Children's Group (HCG) acquired the rights to physical publishing of the first two volumes of Heartstopper, [7] and by January 2019, the third and fourth volumes. [8] They were released on 7 February and 11 July 2019, [8] 6 February 2020 and 6 May 2021, respectively. [9] [10] Volume 5 was later released on 7 December 2023 while a sixth and final volume has been announced. [11] Additionally, a Heartstopper-themed colouring book was published on 11 June 2020, followed by The Heartstopper Yearbook on 13 October 2022. [12]
No. | Title | Chapters included | Publication date | Publisher | ISBN |
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1 | Volume 1 | 1–2 | 7 February 2019 | Hachette Children's Group | 9781444951387 |
2 | Volume 2 | 3 | 11 July 2019 | 9781444951400 | |
3 | Volume 3 | 4 | 6 February 2020 | 9781444952773 | |
4 | Volume 4 | 5–6 | 6 May 2021 | 9781444952797 | |
5 | Volume 5 | 7 | 7 December 2023 | 9781444957655 | |
6 | Volume 6 | 8; epilogue | TBA | TBA |
Title | Publication date | Publisher | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
The Heartstopper Colouring Book | 11 June 2020 | Hachette Children's Group | 9781444958775 |
The Heartstopper Yearbook | 13 October 2022 | 9781444968392 |
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. [13] 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. [14] Imogen Russell Williams in The Times Literary Supplement called Oseman's illustration style "loose and flowing" and said of the novels that they "[engage] directly with shame, fear and anxiety, bringing them sweetly into the light". [15] 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". [16] Metaphrog also included the comic on The Herald's 2019 list of "The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators". [17]
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. [18] 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". [19] 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". [20] 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 [that adds] to the adorkability[ sic ] factor". [21]
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". [22] 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". [23] 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". [24] 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 [that] is full of lovely details, such as embarrassment and romantic blush lines". [25]
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. [26] Sarah Hughes of i included Volume Three in the newspaper's list of "Young Adult fiction: 25 of the best new books for 2020". [27] Prudence Wade rated Volume Four 8/10 for The Independent and called it "a touching tale of teen love and accepting who you are". [28] Fiona Noble also included Volume Four in The Guardian's 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". [29]
The webcomic series received more than 52 million views and the novel had sold more than one million copies worldwide. [30]
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 the those aged below 18." [31] 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. [32]
In 2023, the Heartstopper novels increasingly became the subject of a wave of U.S. restrictions against books featuring POC, racism, gender identity and/or queer individuals. The books were pulled from shelves in at least two school districts, Clay County, Florida [33] and Canby, Oregon. [34]
In July 2023, a Hungarian bookstore was fined 12 million forints (then approximately US$35,900) 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. [35]
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 LGBT nature and inclusion of boys kissing. [36]
A television adaptation of Heartstopper entered development after See-Saw Films acquired the rights in July 2019. [37] Production was greenlit in January 2021 by the streaming service Netflix as an eight-episode series written by Oseman and starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie, respectively. [38] The first season was released on 22 April 2022 and the second on 3 August 2023. A third is currently in development. Since its premiere, the series has received high viewership, critical acclaim and numerous accolades.
As a tie-in to the series' premiere, the first volume of the graphic novel was re-released on 28 April 2022 with an excerpt of the show's script and new cover art featuring Connor and Locke as Nick and Charlie recreating the original illustrated cover. [39] The graphic novel became the top-selling children's book in the UK following the popularity of the Netflix series. [40]
Nate Diana "Indy" Stevenson, known professionally as ND Stevenson, is an American cartoonist and animation producer. He is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the animated television series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which ran from 2018 to 2020. He is also known for the science fantasy graphic novel Nimona, as co-writer of the comic series Lumberjanes, and The Fire Never Goes Out, his autobiographical collection.
Sebastian Theodore Kemble Croft is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor on stage before making his television debut as Young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones (2016). He earned a BAFTA Children's Award nomination for his role as Atti in Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans (2019). Croft's voice work includes the film Where Is Anne Frank (2021), "Ice", an instalment of the Netflix anthology Love, Death & Robots (2021) and voice option one for the player character in the game Hogwarts Legacy. From 2022 to 2023, he starred as Ben Hope in the Netflix series Heartstopper.
Kit Sebastian Connor is an English actor. He gained recognition for starring as secondary school student Nick Nelson in the Netflix teen series Heartstopper (2022–present). He won the inaugural Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance for the role. He appeared in the films Get Santa (2014), Rocketman (2019), and Little Joe (2019). He had a recurring role in the series Rocket's Island (2014–2015), and a voice role in the series His Dark Materials (2019–2022).
Alice May Oseman is an English author of young adult fiction. She secured her first publishing deal at 17 and published her first novel Solitaire in 2014. Her novels include Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, and Loveless. She wrote and illustrated the webcomic Heartstopper, which has been published as multiple graphic novels and which she adapted into a TV series, earning her a BAFTA TV Award nomination and two Children's and Family Emmy Awards as both a writer and producer. Her novels focus on contemporary teenage life in the UK and have received the Inky Awards.
Dead End: Paranormal Park is an American animated fantasy horror comedy television series created by Hamish Steele for Netflix, which is based on the graphic novels series DeadEndia by Steele and Cartoon Hangover's Too Cool! Cartoons web short Dead End. Produced by Blink Industries, the series premiered on June 16, 2022. A second and final season premiered on October 13, 2022. On January 13, 2023, Steele announced that the series had been canceled.
Heartstopper is a British coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama television series on Netflix, written and created by Alice Oseman and based on her webcomic and graphic novel of the same name. The series primarily tells the story of Charlie Spring, a gay schoolboy who falls in love with classmate Nick Nelson, whom he sits next to in his new form. It also explores the lives of their friends Tao Xu, Elle Argent, Isaac Henderson, Tara Jones and Darcy Olsson.
Joseph William Locke is a Manx actor. He is known for his lead role as high school student Charlie Spring in the Netflix teen series Heartstopper (2022–present), for which he received a nomination for the inaugural Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.
Yasmin Finney is an English actress and internet personality. She is known for her role as Elle Argent in the Netflix series Heartstopper (2022–present), for which she was nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance. She also plays Rose Noble in the BBC series Doctor Who (2023–present).
Heartstopper may refer to:
Charlie Spring is a primary character in the Alice Oseman graphic novel series Heartstopper as well as its 2022 Netflix adaptation, where he is portrayed by Joe Locke. His first appearance was in the 2014 novel Solitaire.
Nick Nelson is a primary character in the Alice Oseman graphic novel series Heartstopper as well as its 2022 Netflix adaptation, where he is portrayed by Kit Connor. His first appearance was in the 2014 novel Solitaire.
Adiescar Chase is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer. She composed the soundtrack of the Netflix series, Heartstopper.
Corinna Brown is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Tara Jones in the Netflix series Heartstopper (2022–present).
Kizzy Edgell is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Darcy Olsson in the Netflix teen series Heartstopper (2022–present).
"Colours of You" is a song by British singer-songwriter Baby Queen. It was released on 22 April 2022 through Polydor Records and was originally composed for the Heartstopper soundtrack. The song features on the deluxe edition of Baby Queen's full-length debut studio album Quarter Life Crisis (2023). The song was written for the character Nick Nelson in Heartstopper when he discovers his bisexuality.
Heartstopper may refer to
Loveless is a novel written by Alice Oseman. Published by HarperCollins Children's Books on 9 July 2020, the novel follows Georgia as she begins university. Depicting her journey of self-discovery as an asexual and aromantic individual, the novel received positive reception from literary reviewers and media outlets.