Fence, Vol. 4: Rivals

I’ve waited so long for this volume and it just finishes so fast, I’m upset now because I want more of this amazing story. It was so interesting to see Jesse and Seiji’s dynamic and Nick understanding how untrained he is. I truly didn’t expect the team to be so flustered in the practice match against their rivals, but if this series is about anything, it’s about coming together at the right time and supporting each other. And that’s what the boys from King’s Row did. I loved the bouts, Nick’s joy when he gets to fence, Bobby’s cheerleading and Harvard’s leadership. But as always, Seiji continues to surprise and I really enjoyed what he did towards the end.

I really missed the simple and beautiful artwork of this show more series, so I was very happy to see it again. But now we have no idea when the next volume will come out, so I’ll probably have to resign myself for atleast a half year or more of waiting. But these characters will be closest to my heart and I can’t wait to read more about their fencing adventures and their wonderful friendships. show less

Fence – the sports comic of my dreams.

I love all these idiots, who are obsessed with an incredibly niche sport who the majority of people, including me, know nothing about. But it doesn’t matter! Sports stories are meant to make you feel pumped up, and boy does Fence make you incredibly invested in petty school rivalries, feverishly turning pages just to know if our favorite underdogs will beat their rivals.

Also can I love Seiji any more? My son is an intense weirdo who deserves only the best. And by “best” I mean finally getting into Nicholas’s pants, and then having a crisis when he finds out who Nicholas’s brother is. God, this is so delicious I want the whole story right now.

I really appreciate there’s nary a show more straight character in sight, it’s phenomenal.

Incredible work from Pacat and LaFuente, as always. show less

The first four volumes of the comic Fence, about Nick Cox, a talented but not well-trained high school fencer who wants to compete at a high level. He receives a scholarship to a school where he can fence, but he must make the team to stay on. The first four volumes follow Nick as he first arrives at school, begins practicing with the team, and nurses his rivalry (and friendship?) with elite fencer Seiji. This comic is a delight, with great friendships, lots of queer rep, and neat fencing sequences. I'm looking forward to more of it.

The individuals have been chosen for the Kings Row fencing squad, but the first practice match against a long-time rival school will test whether they have the ability to come together as a team.

There are nice moments of sporting action on the piste and some good moments of character development off it, but like all the slim volumes in this series it feels like it is over too soon with too little happening, leaving me impatient for the next one.

Still loving this cute YA comic set in a boarding school and focused on the dreams and issues and dramas of the school's fencers. Fence, Vol. 4 is still all about the fencing team forming a cohesive team as they have their first competition against their traditional rivals. There are personal problems to overcome and sports psychology in action. The queerness is low-key and not the focus so far in the series.

The best of the graphic novels so far. The art is still pretty good, and overall I loved seeing the extra tidbits of relationships in this story, particularly the supporting cast.

This volume of Fence was great! There's a lot of character and relationship development, so we're finally starting to really dig into some of the characters. Johanna's art is as pretty as ever.