Author: Joanna LaFuente

Review – Fence, vol 4

Posted September 8, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Fence, vol 4

Fence: Rivals

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

Genres: Graphic Novels
Pages: 113
Series: Fence #4
Rating: four-stars
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”)

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Review – Fence, vol 3

Posted August 10, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – Fence, vol 3

Fence

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

Genres: Graphic Novels
Pages: 112
Series: Fence #3
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

From the superstar team of C.S. Pacat (The Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad comes the third volume of this acclaimed, dynamic series.

C.S. Pacat’s Fence series continues to be fun in volume three, still illustrated beautifully by Johanna the Mad and Joana LaFuente. The stakes are high in this volume, with Nicholas’ scholarship hanging in the balance — and that cliffhanger at the end, of course!

I love the character interactions and insights in this volume (ah, Eugene, wow, you’re lovely), even if the beats are still pretty predictable. As I’ve said before, it’s a good kind of predictable, at least to me.

Also, let’s just enjoy Bobby, who just happens to dress in femme clothing, but nobody ever says a word about it. I do love all the character designs a lot, and Bobby’s adorable.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Fence, vol 2

Posted July 9, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Fence, vol 2

Fence

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

Genres: Graphic Novels
Pages: 112
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Tryouts are well underway at King’s Row for a spot on the prodigious fencing team, and scrappy fencer Nicholas isn’t sure he’s going to make the grade in the face of surly upperclassmen, nearly impossibly odds, and his seemingly unstoppable roommate, the surly, sullen Seiji Katayama. It’ll take more than sheer determination to overcome a challenge this big! From the superstar team of C.S. Pacat (The Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad comes the second volume of this acclaimed, dynamic series.

Book two of C.S. Pacat’s Fence (with art by Johanna the Mad) pretty much straightforwardly follows the first book, without a gap. The art is still gorgeous, the plot/character interactions are still predictable in a way I find pleasant (but won’t be winning points for originality), and it rattles along at a good pace.

I really love the relationship between Harvard and Aiden, which I’m guessing is heading to romance, but which is also just cute as best friends — especially when Aiden dropped everything to go chat to Harvard (and is so sensitive to his every shift of mood, even as he appears to care so little about everyone else).

Nothing startling happening here, but I’m having a lot of fun getting back into it.

Rating: 4/5

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