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. 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. and earned a masters degree in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2015.

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.

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, is slated to be published in 2026.

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

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

2026 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics - upcoming 2026 Harvey Award - upcoming, Best Young Adult Book 2019 Ignatz Award - Winner, Outstanding Comic 2019 Harvey Award - Winner, Digital Book of the Year 2019 YALSA - Finalist | William C. Morris Award 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 2018 Harvey Awards - Nominee, Digital Book of the Year 2017 National Cartoonists Society - Winner, Best Online Comic: Long Form 2017 NPR - 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels