Fence: Rivals

by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joanna LaFuente

Genres: Graphic Novels
Pages: 113
Series: Fence #4
Rating:

Synopsis:

The GLAAD Award nominated series Fence returns as a graphic novel series as best-selling novelist C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince) and popular online sensation Johanna The Mad present the next all-new thrilling chapter of the Kings Row fencing team! Just as Nicholas, Seiji and the fencing team at the prodigious Kings Row private school seem to be coming together, a deadly rival from their past stands in their way once more. MacRobertson is the school that knocked Kings Row out of the State Championships last year - but unless Nicholas and Seiji can learn to work together as a team, their school is doomed once again! And maybe those two can learn to be something more than teammates too...

The fourth volume of C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad’s Fence is still pretty predictable: having fenced as individuals so far, it’s time for them to fence as a team — which means they run smack into Seiji’s insistence on individual achievement. The event concludes satisfyingly all the same, of course.

What did surprise me, even though I kinda saw it coming, was Seiji coming to help Nicholas improve. I knew they were going to get close, but the scene kind of surprised me all the same, because it was intense and stood out as a quietly very emotional moment.

I wasn’t sure how this would move anywhere like a relationship between Seiji and Nicholas, but this volume managed a shift in their relationship that made it make sense.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)