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Imogen Russell Williams Biography & Facts

Heartstopper is an ongoing LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel and webcomic series written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. It follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring as they meet and fall in love. The series is an expanded adaptation of Oseman's 2015 novella, Nick and Charlie, although the characters originally appeared in her 2014 novel, Solitaire. The series was later adapted into the Netflix television series of the same name also written by Oseman and starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie, respectively. The series premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim. Premise Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson – two British schoolboys who attend the fictional Truham Grammar School – as they meet and fall in love. The series also follows the lives and relationships of their friends, many of whom are LGBTQ+. Characters Main Nick Nelson, a popular Year 11 rugby player at Truham Grammar School seated next to Charlie in form class Charlie Spring, a Year 10 student at Truham Grammar School who was recently outed Paris Squad Tao Xu, Charlie's best friend and later Elle's boyfriend Elle Argent, Charlie's close friend and later Tao's girlfriend who transferred to Higgs Girls School after coming out as transgender Tara Jones, Nick's lesbian childhood friend who becomes his confidant when he starts to explore his sexuality and Darcy's girlfriend Darcy Olsson, Tara's extroverted girlfriend Aled Last, Charlie's gay demisexual close friend and one of the main characters in Oseman's novel Radio Silence Sahar Zahid, the group's new friend who starts sixth form at the same time as Nick Supporting Tori Spring, Charlie's asexual aro-spec older sister and the main character in Oseman's novel Solitaire Ben Hope, a closeted student whom Charlie was initially in a toxic relationship with Harry Greene, a homophobic bully and member of the school's rugby team Sarah Nelson, Nick's mother who is divorced from his father, Stéphane Fournier Oliver Spring, Charlie and Tori's younger brother Jane Spring, Charlie and Tori's mother Julio Spring, Charlie and Tori's father David Nelson, Nick's entitled older brother who denies Nick's sexuality Nellie Nelson, Nick's first dog, a border collie Henry Nelson, Nick's second dog, a pug Development and release The characters of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring first appeared in supporting roles in Oseman's 2014 novel, Solitaire, which features Charlie's sister, Tori, as the protagonist. Oseman "fell in love" with the couple while writing the novel and decided that she needed to tell their story. She initially released the e-book novellas Nick and Charlie and This Winter featuring the characters in 2015, but eventually realised that their story needed an episodic structure that was more suited to a webcomic or graphic novel format. Oseman started publishing Heartstopper as a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas in September 2016 and on Webtoon in August 2019. New panels are posted three times a month and illustrated by Oseman herself. The webcomic gained a significant following, leading Oseman to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the publication of a limited run of graphic novels covering the first two chapters of the series (retroactively now Volume 1) on 20 June 2018. The targeted pledge was reached within two hours. In October 2018, Hachette Children's Group (HCG) acquired the rights to physical publishing of the first two volumes of Heartstopper, and by January 2019, the third and fourth volumes. They were released on 7 February and 11 July 2019, 6 February 2020 and 6 May 2021, respectively. Volume 5 was later released on 7 December 2023 while a sixth and final volume has been announced. Additionally, a Heartstopper-themed colouring book was published on 11 June 2020, followed by The Heartstopper Yearbook on 13 October 2022. Releases Volumes Related books Reception Writing for The National, Gemma McLaughlin praised the novels for being able to "capture the attention" through "the small stories that make up life" rather than plot twists and heavy drama. She called the story "infinitely welcoming with characters that seem like real life friends", singling out Charlie as "extremely likeable" and praising the novels' treatment of his mental health. Publishers Weekly said that the novels' "leisurely pace and focus on everyday events ... allows the characters' relationship to develop in a natural, relatable way" and stated that the art style complemented the tone of the story. Imogen Russell Williams in The Times Literary Supplement called Oseman's illustration style "loose and flowing" and said of the novels that they "[engage] directly with shame, fear and anxiety, bringing them sweetly into the light". The A.V. Club included the webcomic on its list of "The best comics of 2018", with Caitlin Rosberg saying that it is "best defined by its kindness both to the characters and the reader". Metaphrog also included the comic on The Herald's 2019 list of "The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators". Terri Schlichenmeyer of the Washington Blade described Volume One of the novels as "one really sweet book" and praised the understanding treatment of characters struggling with their sexuality. She also felt that the realism of the novel was strengthened by the inclusion of bully characters. Kirkus Reviews stated that the placement of panels and their bordering in Volume One "prevent the visual graphics from going aesthetically stale" and that the hand-written lettering reinforced the story's human tone. They summarised the novel as "An adorable diary of love's gut punches". Summer Hayes reviewed Volume One in Booklist and praised Oseman's use of wordless panels to portray characters' emotions, although she felt that the illustrations were inconsistent. Overall, she concludes that "the romance and realistic fiction will draw readers into this sweet story". Kelley Gile reviewed Volume One in the School Library Journal, praising the dialogue, detailed facial expressions in the art, and "a font that mimics handwriting [that adds] to the adorkability [sic] factor". Alaine Martaus also reviewed Volume One in The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books in which she praised the "simple drawings" which she says "keep much of the focus on faces and phones, reinforcing a deeply interpersonal connection at the heart of the story". She described the story as being composed of "a series of charming vignettes". In a further review of Volume Two, Martaus reiterated her previous comments and said that the storytelling of the second volume "moves effortlessly from tearful poignance to laugh-worthy moments to stirring romance". Kirkus Reviews said of Volume Two that it retained the "distinctive style" of illustrations present in the first volume and that its transitions between panels were "creative" and "add creative flair". It praised the characters and described the story as "Incredibly.... Discover the Imogen Russell Williams popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Imogen Russell Williams books.