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.
Ngozi Ukazu

Slowking4 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Awards
- "Digital Book of the Year" Harvey Award (2019) "Outstanding Comic" Ignatz Award (2019)
- Nationality
- American
- Occupation
- comics writer and comics artist.
- Fields
- graphic novel.
- Education
- Yale University, Savannah College of Art and Design and Bellaire High School.
- Known for
- Check and Please!
- Honours
- Ignatz Award, Harvey Awards and Silver Reuben Award.
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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.
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wikidata · Q66015238 · wikipedia · Ngozi Ukazu
In this article
Biography
Biography
Ngozi Ukazu studied at Yale University, Savannah College of Art and Design and Bellaire High School. The field of work recorded is graphic novel. Wodehouse and Jeeves and Wooster are recorded as an influence. Works named in the authority record are Check, Please! Distinctions recorded are Ignatz Award, Harvey Awards and Silver Reuben Award.

Author and illustrator Ngozi Ukazu at the 2018 Texas Teen Book Festival at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, United States.
Larry D. Moore

Ngozi Ukazu gives a presentation on the Teens Stage at the National Book Festival, August 31, 2019. Photo by David Critics/Library of Congress.
Library of Congress Life · 20190831DC0241.jpg
Key facts
Key facts
• Website — http: www.ngoziu.com • Awards — "Digital Book of the Year" Harvey Award (2019) "Outstanding Comic" Ignatz Award (2019) • Notable Works — Check, Please! • Write — y • Cartoonist — y • Nationality — American
Early life
Early life
Ngozi Ukazu grew up in Houston, Texas. 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. She studied computer science, obtaining a degree in Computing and The Arts from Yale University in 2013 and earned a masters degree in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2015.
Career
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. 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. In 2018, the first installment, Check, Please!: #Hockey, was published by First Second Books. The sequel, Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones, was a New York Times bestseller in May 2020. In December 2025, Ukazu announced that a new volume of Check, Please! would be released in 2026. She also revealed that the series has been optioned for TV adaptation. For DC Comics, she wrote and illustrated the young adult graphic novel Barda, based on the character Big Barda. The sequel, Orion, which follows the character of the same name, was published in 2026. In September 2025, she published the graphic novel Flip.
Other Recognition
Other Recognition
• 2018 The Boston Globe - Best YA of 2018 • 2018 Kirkus Reviews - Best Young Adult Books of 2018 That Explore Family and Self • 2018 New York Public Library’s Best Books - Top Ten Books For Teens • 2018 Best of Austin - Arts & Entertainment Critics Pick • 2017 National Cartoonists Society - Winner, Best Online Comic: Long Form • 2017 NPR - 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels
Publications
* * * * * *
Awards and honors
• Year — Work — Award — Result — Reference • 2026 — Flip — Harvey Award for Best Young Adult Book — Upcoming • Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics — Finalist • 2024 — Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid — Harvey Award for Best Young Adult Book — Finalist • 2019 — Check, Please! — Ignatz Award for Outstanding Comic — Won • Harvey Award for Digital Book of the Year — Won • William C. Morris Award — Finalist • 2018 — Harvey Award for Digital Book of the Year — Finalist
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Brenner, Wayne Alan. Ngozi Ukazu Hip-Checks This Year's Staple! Expo. Austin Chronicle. 2018-09-05.
- 2.Hagerty, Michael. Check, Please! How a Web Comic About Hockey and Baking Went Viral. Houston Public Media. 2018-11-01.
- 3.Check, Please!. Tumblr.
- 4.Ngozi Ukazu.
- 5.Romano, Aja. Why queer hockey webcomic Check, Please! is stealing the internet's heart. Vox. 2016-06-29.
- 6.Lehoczky, Etelka. Life, Love and Hockey (Oooh, And Pie) In 'Check, Please!'. NPR.org. 30 September 2018.
- 7.Get a first look at the conclusion to Ngozi Ukazu's 'Check, Please' books. EW.com.
- 8.Graphic Books and Manga - Best Sellers - The New York Times. The New York Times. 0362-4331.
- 9.MacDonald, Heidi. Want more gay hockey romance? Check, Please! returns in 2026. The Beat. 2026-01-12.
- 10.Move over Heated Rivalry, the internet's favorite hockey BL webcomic Check Please! is in development as a TV series. Popverse. 2026-03-08.
- 11.Wickman, Kase. 'Heated Rivalry' and the Big Business of Hockey Romance Novels. Vanity Fair. 2025-12-23.
- 12.FCBD Announcement.
- 13.Comments, Rich Johnston. Ngozi Ukazu On Her Barda Graphic Novel Sequel, Orion. bleedingcool.com. 2025-05-16.
- 14.Maughan, Shannon. Fall 2025 Children's Sneak Previews. Publishers Weekly. 6 February 2025.
- 15.Harvey Awards Unveil 2026 Nominees. www.harveyawards.com.
- 16.Staff, Beat. Finalists announced for 11th Annual DWAYNE McDUFFIE AWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN COMICS. The Beat. 2026-07-08.
- 17.Harvey Awards Reveal 2024 Nominees. www.harveyawards.com.
- 18.Staff, Beat. NYCC ’19 Interview: Ngozi Ukazu on CHECK, PLEASE!, fandom & upcoming projects. The Beat. 2019-10-09.
- 19.And the Winners of the 2019 HARVEY AWARDS are. Newsarama.
- 20.“Darius the Great Is Not Okay” wins 2019 William C. Morris Award ALA. www.ala.org.
- 21.The Harvey Awards Reveal Nominees for 2018 - The Harvey Awards. www.harveyawards.com. 2018-08-09.
- 22.Globe, The Boston. Best 2018 books for children. BostonGlobe.com.
- 23.Best Young Adult Books of 2018 From Kirkus Reviews – Children's Book Council. 3 December 2018.
- 24.The New York Public Library Unveils Its Best Books of 2018 for Kids, Teens, and Adults. The New York Public Library.
- 25.Best Reason to Care About Hockey (Besides the Texas Stars): Ngozi Ukazu. www.austinchronicle.com.
- 26.71st Annual Reuben Award Winners Announced!.
- 27.Weldon, Glen. Let's Get Graphic: 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels. NPR.org. 12 July 2017.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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