Ngozi Ukazu

Ngozi Ukazu is an American cartoonist and graphic novelist. In 2013, she created the webcomic Check, Please!, which later became a New York Times-bestselling graphic novel.

Early life

Ngozi Ukazu grew up in Houston, Texas.[1][2] She attended Bellaire High School, where she contributed to the school’s newspaper, The Three Penny Press, as the comics editor. She is the daughter of Nigerian parents.[2] She studied computer science, obtaining a degree in Computing and The Arts from Yale University in 2013[3] and earned a masters degree in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2015.[4]

Career

Ukazu launched Check, Please! as a webcomic in 2013 after writing a screenplay about Eric "Bitty" Bittle, a gay college freshman and champion figure skater who joins a hockey team.[5][6]

Ukazu created a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 to print the first volume of the comic; the campaign resulted in the highest-funded comics project in Kickstarter's history.[7] In 2018, the first installment, Check, Please!: #Hockey, was published by First Second Books.[1] The sequel, Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones, was a New York Times bestseller in May 2020.[8]

In December 2025, Ukazu announced that a new volume of Check, Please! would be released in 2026.[9] She also revealed that the series has been optioned for TV adaptation.[10][11]

For DC Comics, she wrote and illustrated the young adult graphic novel Barda, based on the character Big Barda.[12] The sequel, Orion, which follows the character of the same name, is slated to be published in 2026.[13]

Her latest graphic novel, Flip, was published in September 2025.[14]

Publications

• 2018: Check, Please!: #Hockey
• 2020: Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones
• 2024: Bunt: Striking Out on Financial Aid (with Mad Rupert)
• 2024: Barda
• 2025: Flip
• (Upcoming) 2026: Orion

Awards and honors

• 2019 Ignatz Award - Winner, Outstanding Comic[15]
• 2019 Harvey Award - Winner, Digital Book of the Year[16]
• 2019 YALSA - Finalist | William C. Morris Award
• 2018 The Boston Globe - Best YA of 2018[17]
• 2018 Kirkus Reviews - Best Young Adult Books of 2018 That Explore Family and Self[18]
• 2018 New York Public Library’s Best Books - Top Ten Books For Teens[19]
• 2018 Best of Austin - Arts & Entertainment Critics Pick[20]
• 2018 Harvey Awards - Nominee, Digital Book of the Year[21]
• 2017 National Cartoonists Society - Winner, Best Online Comic: Long Form[22]
• 2017 NPR - 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels[23]

External links