A queer graphic novel where the balls are fast, the smooches are spicy, and the girls . . . magical.

GRAND SLAM ROMANCE
Book 1
by Ollie Hicks & Emma Oosterhous
Abrams ComicArts, May 2023

In this queer graphic novel that’s equal parts romance, softball, and magical girl drama, Mickey Monsoon and Astra Maxima are best friends . . . and maybe more. That is, until Astra unceremoniously dumps Mickey to become a softball wunderkind at a private girl’s school in Switzerland. Years later, Mickey is the hotshot pitcher for the Belle City Broads, and their team is poised to sweep the league this season. But Micky is thrown off their game when Astra shows up to catch for the Gaiety Gals, the Broads’ fiercest rival. Astra is flirty, arrogant, and reckless on the field—everything the rule-abiding Mickey hates.
Astra thinks Mickey’s cute and wants to fool around, even despite their rocky history and the trail of jilted softballers that Astra leaves in her wake. Too bad the only thing Mickey wants is vengeance for their broken heart and wounded pride! But even they have to admit—Astra is a certified babe. And that’s not all: Astra isn’t just a softball superstar, she’s a full-fledged magical girl.
The only way for Mickey to defeat Astra is to betray the Broads and join the Danger Dames, a secret elite team, and start dating Astra’s ex! OK, that last bit wasn’t part of the plan . . . Mickey’s rapidly getting in too deep, but is she just in trouble or is she actually in love? Full of wet mitts, hard hits, and a bevy of softball-playing babes, Grand Slam Romance: Book 1 is a flawless home run that is sure to knock readers out of the park.

Ollie Hicks is a Black British comics creator and editor who lives in the UK and has Jamaican heritage. They have a PhD in comics studies—focused on 20th-century British and American girls’ comics—from the University of Dundee, which is gently gathering dust. They like to write funny gay stories with their funny gay wife, Emma Oosterhous. Grand Slam Romance is their debut graphic novel. 
Emma Oosterhous is a cartoonist, animal enthusiast, and lesbian from Colorado. In 2018, she earned a Marshall Scholarship and then an MDes in comics and graphic novels from the University of Dundee. She now lives in the UK, where she makes comics with her wife, Ollie Hicks. Grand Slam Romance is her debut graphic novel