Heartstopper Volume 5 gets new release date as Nick and Charlie’s sweet teen love story continues
Heartstopper Volume 5 will bring Nick and Charlie’s to a close when it’s released in February (Alice Oseman)
Fans have been obsessing over Netflix’s TV adaptation of the Hearstopper graphic novels since it hit screens in April 2022, but the story isn’t over yet, with Heartstopper Volume 5 set to be released later this year and a surprise sixth instalment also on the way.
The beloved story, which follows teenager Charlie Spring (played in the TV series by Joe Locke) as he navigates his burgeoning feelings for rugby-playing Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) at their all-boys grammar school, debuted as a web-comic in 2016 before the first volume was published in print in 2019.
Four volumes of Heartstopper have been published to date, with the last coming in 2021. As we wait to see the story develop further in Volume 5 and Volume 6, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming graphic novels.
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When will Heartstopper Volume 5 and Volume 6 be released?
As with previous Heartstopper instalments, the story will be available to read online as author Alice Oseman publishes pages on her platforms.
Fans will be able to continue reading Volume 5 from 1 April 2023 on Tapas, Webtoon and Tumblr.
The publishing date for the complete Heartstopper Volume 5 is 7 December 2023 for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It will be released in the US on 19 December 2023.
It’s available to pre-order from Waterstones, Amazon and WH Smith, while a signed copy is also available to buy from Waterstones.
Alice Oseman has unveiled the official cover of Heartstopper Volume 5, and it features Nick and Charlie hugging tightly, with their faces covered.
The author has also shared the news on Twitter, where she shocked fans with the news that Volume 5 would not in fact be the final Heartstopper instalment, and that a surprise sixth instalment is on the way.
Heartstopper Volume 6 is set to wrap up Nick and Charlie’s story for good. and mark the end of the series. A release date is yet to be confirmed, but is likely to arrive in 2024 or beyond.
Heartstopper Volume 5 was originally announced in May 2020, with Oseman originally confirming that there would only be five volumes in the series in total. Originally set to hit shelves in 2022, its release date has been pushed back several times as Oseman dealt with the unexpected success of the Heartstopper TV series.
While the series of graphic novels is coming to a close with Volume 6, viewers of the Netflix adaptation will be happy to know that the series has been renewed for season three, after season two was released in August this year – to very positive reviews.
Heartstopper season two saw a batch of newcomers join established cast members Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney and William Gao, including Bradley Riches as Truman student James and Bel Priestley as trans teenager Naomi.
How will Heartstopper end and will Nick and Charlie’s story continue?
Plot details for Heartstopper Volume 5 and Volume 6 are currently unknown, but Oseman has teased that she’s “known for ages exactly how Heartstopper is going to end.”
Speaking to Attitude, the writer teased: “It’s been really helpful to have that end point for me to kind of build towards. I’m not going to spoil anything but, it’s a happy ending – I feel like everyone knows that!”
Asked whether she might continue to explore the characters’ stories as adults, Oseman replied: “I think never say never. I don’t know what I’ll do after the main Heartstopper books are finished. I’m sure I’l continue to draw Nick and Charlie in some way.”
The series is a labour of love for Alice Oseman
Heartstopper author Alice Oseman has previously said that her graphic novel series – which has sold more than six million copies worldwide – and its subsequent adaptation for Netflix is “more than I ever could have hoped for”.
“Just being able to help someone in some small way on their journey [by representing them in her stories] is a really special thing as a creator and more than I ever could have hoped for,” she told PinkNews.
“I’ve always believed that in young adult fiction, we should care about all young people, and as a creative, I’m always trying to be careful about treating my readers with respect and giving representation where I can.”
She added that while fans have gone wild for Nick and Charlie’s love story, she’s happy that both the series and the graphic novels could “feature a diverse range of queer characters… because the series, as well as being a romance, is about queer friendships.”
Oseman, who is asexual, added: “When it comes to less understood queer identities, such as asexuality, it can be difficult for writers who aren’t those identities to tackle those stories, because they just might not really understand that experience.”
Where can I get the Heartstopper yearbook?
While you wait for Heartstopper Volume 5 to hit shelves, the Heartstopper yearbook featuring extra content from both the graphic novels and the Netflix adaptation, is already on shelves after being released in October 2022.
It’s available to buy from Amazon and Waterstones.
Oseman describes the yearbook as “a cross between an annual and an art book”, packed with “Heartstopper art old and new, stuff about the making of the comics, lots of behind-the-scenes information. There’s interactive stuff like a quiz and a drawing guide. All kinds of fun stuff that fans of Heartstopper will love!”
She added: “I have always wanted to create a book like this for Heartstopper, and I’m so excited to be making it a reality.
“I can’t wait to share full-colour Heartstopper artwork, new and old, with readers for the first time in book form.”
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