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The cozy season is once again upon us, and the brisk fall winds have brought the perfect reading material to match: more Heartstopper from creator Alice Oseman.
Amid the runaway popularity of the comic and its Netflix adaptation last year, Oseman announced they were placing Heartstopper on hiatus for at least six months back in December. It’s not the first time Oseman has done so, citing the need to take care of their mental health. But last month, Oseman announced the comic would resume updates for its eighth and final chapter, even posting some Spotify playlists she made for main characters Nick and Charlie.
Those fresh updates have actually been rolling out to Oseman’s Patreon supporters since July, but for everyone else, Heartstopper is officially back as of this week, with the first few pages of the final chapter, “Autumn,” released on Tuesday. New fans joining from the hit Netflix series will want to scroll back through the archives and catch up. Nick and Charlie have been through a lot more together than their live-action counterparts at this point: the painfully cute teen couple have confessed their love for each other, become sexually active, and confronted their fears about taking their relationship long-distance.
The latest public page rejoins the pair on the morning after Nick’s 18th birthday, as Charlie anxiously contemplates his application to be his school’s Head Boy (it’s a British thing), while Nick has more amorous early-morning intentions. Oseman’s artwork is as strong as ever, setting the quiet, contemplative mood perfectly while also conveying just how much these two adore one another.
It’s an incredibly stressful time to be young and queer anywhere in the world, let alone the U.K., and Oseman’s work is frankly a balm. The fact that the final chapter is both titled for and arriving in the fall is just (pumpkin spice-flavored) icing on the cake: Give me a cardigan, a hot mug of tea, and Heartstopper updates, and I’ll be ready for hibernation in no time.
There’s plenty to look forward to on the Netflix front, as well. Yasmin Finney, who plays fan-favorite transgender character Elle, recently opened up about a “PG-friendly” trans-affirming sex scene in the show’s third season — which, appropriately enough, just premiered on the streaming platform today, October 3. For those who’ve already sprinted through the new episodes (literally how?) and are hungry for even more Heartstopper, several of Oseman’s young adult novellas further explore the world of Nick, Charlie, and their friends and family, which should tide you over until the next updates pop up on the first, 11th, and 21st of each month.
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