Description

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Storytelling team Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous’s first Grand Slam Romance is a queer, full-color graphic novel that’s equal parts romance, softball, and drama, where the balls are fast, the smooches are spicy, and the girls . . . magical—now in paperback

Mickey Monsoon is the hotshot pitcher for the Belle City Broads, and their team is poised to sweep the league this season. But Mickey is thrown off their game when Astra Maxima shows up to catch for the Gaiety Gals, the Broads’ fiercest rival. Years ago, Mickey and Astra were best friends . . . and maybe more. That was until Astra unceremoniously dumped Mickey to become a softball wunderkind at a private girl’s school in Switzerland. Now, Astra is flirty, arrogant, and reckless on the field—everything the rule-abiding Mickey hates.

Astra thinks Mickey’s cute and wants to fool around, despite their rocky history and the trail of jilted softballers that Astra leaves in her wake. Too bad the only thing Mickey wants is vengeance for their broken heart and wounded pride! But even they have to admit—Astra is a certified babe. And that’s not all: Astra isn’t just a softball superstar, she’s a full-fledged magical girl.

Full of wet mitts, hard hits, and a bevy of softball-playing babes, Grand Slam Romance: Book 1 is a flawless home run that is sure to knock readers out of the park.

About the Author

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Ollie Hicks is a Black British comics creator and editor who lives in the UK and has Jamaican heritage. They have a PhD in comics studies—focused on 20th-century British and American girls’ comics—from the University of Dundee, which is gently gathering dust. They like to write funny gay stories with their funny gay wife, Emma Oosterhous. Grand Slam Romance is their debut graphic novel. Emma Oosterhous is a cartoonist, animal enthusiast, and lesbian from Colorado. In 2018, she earned a Marshall Scholarship and then an MDes in comics and graphic novels from the University of Dundee. She now lives in the UK, where she makes comics with her wife, Ollie Hicks. Grand Slam Romance was her debut graphic novel.

Praise For…

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"Funny, tender, and magical, Grand Slam Romance captures the complicated messiness of an old romance reignited by a new rivalry. A comical and endearingly relatable story!"—Sloane Leong, author of a Map to the Sun

"Funny, flirtatious, and fantastical, Grand Slam Romance combines all the best parts of sports manga, magical girls, and romance for a satisfying home run of a story."—Nicole Goux, Forest Hills Bootleg Society, Everyone is Tulip, Shadow of the Batgirl

"Grand Slam Romance is hilarious, sexy, and joyful! Featuring a group of queer friends so funny and cool, you'll wish you were on the team."—Britta Lundin, author of Like Other Girls