Charlie is done with team sports. Nope. Not happening. Never again. But Liv and the rest of the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics basketball team are determined to get Charlie to join them, and they’ve cooked up a ruse to woo her! For basketball. Nothing else.

The Avant-Guards #2 continues the fun, cute, series, that continues BOOM! Studios and BOOM! Box‘s streak of winning sports themed comics.

Written by Carly Usdin, the second issue focuses on Liv and the rest of the potential team attempting to get Charlie to join. The comic is beyond adorable wearing the fun on its sleeve. But, what Usdin also makes the comic wear its progressive values on its sleeve as we learn more about each girl.

The second issue gives each a moment to shine as the “team comes together” and the presentation is adorable. There’s an energy about the comic, a vibe about it all, that’s hard to not enjoy and that’s partially the enthusiasm of the character Liv and what she brings to the series. Usdin has created a character that should be annoyingly perky but somehow doesn’t cross the line and instead sucks us into the story as that enthusiasm is infectious.

Noah Hayes‘ art with colors by Rebecca Nalty and lettering by Ed Dukeshire is fantastic. Each character, even if they’re in the background, has personality, and each is beyond unique in their own way. No two are the same and the designs tell stories by themselves. There’s Hayes also presents body language that gives each character a way to move that is subtle but also feels important in establishing each character.

The first issue was solid and second is just as fantastic. The Avant-Guards is the queer basketball comic you didn’t know you wanted but whose voice makes it hard to not get sucked into the excitement.

Story: Carly Usdin Art: Noah Hayes
Color: Rebecca Nalty Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review