Fence Breakthrough: Quarter Clash #1

Fence (Single Issues) #28

by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad (Illustrator)

The competition heats up in the next installment of the GLAAD Award–winning sports drama!

The Kings Row fencing team has successfully made it to the quarter-finals, which puts them one step closer to their goal of beating Exton!

But Aiden, as usual, has started to check out, and worse—no one’s even surprised.

Can Harvard figure out how to keep Aiden’s head in the game before the team falls apart? Or will they be faced with the difficult choice to press on to victory without him?

Return to the high stakes world of Fence with the newest chapter from acclaimed writer C.S. Pacat and internet sensation Johanna the Mad!

Genres: Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Comics, Contemporary, Sports, Romance, Queer

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2026

About the author

C.S. Pacat is the USA-Today best-selling author of Dark Rise, the Captive Prince trilogy, and the GLAAD-nominated graphic novels Fence.

Born in Australia and educated at the University of Melbourne, C.S. Pacat has lived in a number of cities, including Tokyo and Perugia, and currently resides and writes in Melbourne.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

our long national nightmare (waiting for this issue of fence to be released) is over. unfortunately, i now have an urgent need for the next issue. also unfortunately, all of our other long national nightmares persist.

on balance i’ll still take it as a win

[Katie Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M CHEWING CARPET JUST LET AIDAN KISS HARVARD ALREADY

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg baby Aidan and Harvard are so cute!!

[Brigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god, the flashbacks at Aidan and Harvard's childhood.... crying, Please, these two need to confess and smooch already!!!

[Novels and Nummies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Screaming... Crying... Throwing Up..... MY BABIESSSS

Jan 9: OMG THE COVER CHANGED TO LOOK LIKE CHALLENGERS. I’m so excited!!!

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked getting to know Aiden more in this volume and getting more of his and Harvard's backstory. I'm excited to keep reading and see what happens with Kings Row at the tournament!

[Kaci · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. This one killed me dead. Literal tears over a fencing comic. wtf. The burn couldn’t be slower. The torture like a thousand flicks from that damn épée. NEXT!

[Nott · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh, boy...

[H.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's it? That's the cliffhanger they leave us on? How long am I going to wait for the next issue? I love this series, and I love Aiden and Harvard, but this series's release dates are so frustrating!

[yona!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

c quoi cette couv à la challengers mdrr nan par contre j'ai commencé cette série y a 5 ans quoi et relu bien 5 fois dcp mais my god comment ça avance paaas c de la folie et ça sort tous les 100ans c vrm des MIETTES!!! RAAH et où EST DARK RISE 3 CS PACAAAT

[Emily✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A win for the Aiden lovers. This felt like a strange place to slow down the action in favor of backstory, and I didn't find it very interesting if I'm honest.

TW: parental abandonment, sick/dying parent, hospitalization

[AJ Easterday · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5

Loved getting an issue that was from Aiden's point of view and finally getting to learn about his past! Honestly one of my favorite issues of the series. The slow burn romance continues to torture me though (in the best way).

[Vivian Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the blast from the past, but I don’t know if I like Aiden.

[agustina · Rating 4 out of 5]

por qué re mil carajos sus subtramas personales son tan tristes???? vos queres que me quiebre otra vez???

ah, y mención especial a esa portada por favor🙏 necesito imprimirla y colgarla en la pared... que grato es el arte por dios

[Janusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aiden 😭

[Taryn Palmisano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me level with you. I really like Fence. I like a lot of the characters and I’m here for the ride. But it’s been a long ride (28 issues!). And sometimes not a lot happens in an issue to progress the story. I thought the Harvard and Aiden friendship backstory was an odd placement but I didn’t mind reading it exactly. What I do mind in how long Sej and Nicholas are taking to be anything romantic. Because honestly, honestly, HONESTLY - that’s what I’m really here for and I feel like I’m being toyed with a bit; and it’s making me lose interest. As always the illustrations are dope.

[abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

once again questioning how the fence novels fit into canon but here for the ride regardless

[Baldeón Kristhel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que le hicieron a Aiden, DIOS COMO LLORE.
La verdad este capítulo fue escrito y diseñado para quebrar mi estabilidad y hacerme llorar a mares; no tengo pruebas, pero tampoco dudas.
En esta ocasión nos centramos en Aiden y su pasado, como antes era ingenuo y poco a poco tuvo que empezar a cubrirse para que no lo lastimaran más, el abandono de su madre, el quemeimportismo de su padre y las constantes madrastras que fingían interés en él, todo esto acabo con mi niño; y en medio de toda esa tormenta estaba Harvard, quién lo sostuvo; tal y como él lo cuenta, con Harvard tuvo muchas primeras veces y almacenó cada una de ellas en un lugar especial en su memoria.
Todos ya sabíamos (pero ya lo confirmamos) que Aiden está profundamente enamorado de Harvard, pero tiene miedo de perder el único afecto real que ha tenido en su vida, y darme cuenta de eso me golpeo fuerte, porque siento que alguna vez todos nos hemos sentido así.
De los momentos que más me dolieron fue cuando explica cómo sería la cita perfecta para Harvard y que en algún momento el fantaseaba con que esa cita perfecta sea de ambos. Espero que Aiden logre confesarle a Harvard lo que siente, no quiero que mi niño sufra más, porque les aseguro que yo sufriré con él.

[Danielle Gonçalves · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good chapter, but... I really can't empathize much with Aiden 😔🫢... At least not in relation to the fencing team... I find the character funny, I like him, I understand he has his traumas, but... that's no excuse for how irresponsible and selfish he is at VARIOUS times with others... It's a shame he acts like that, while Eugene, Bobby, and the other guys would give anything to be in his place on the team...

Aiden has a good heart, but he's the typical playboy 😮‍💨😔... I hope that soon he finally evolves and matures a bit 😕

And about his feelings for Harvard: it also bothers me that he always runs away from it... I understand the reasons, but it's ALWAYS the same cycle - dating other guys, discarding them, and still not getting over his feelings for Harvard... And repeating it all again... 😮‍💨 In the end, he neither moves on nor acknowledges what he feels 🫩

It's tiring... Anyway, Aiden is a character who, when he's not being funny, irritates me too much 🥲 (yes, I know I'll be murdered for saying this ☠️, so I'm running away, bye! 😅😘)

[tinynightingales · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of: All for the Gam

This is like if All for the Game was less toxic and more realistic. Story is so so cute and I love the dynamics between all the boys.

Includes:
- fencing mania
- Rivals to Friends,
- sports boarding school
- SLOW Burn
- Concealed Identity,
- Forced Proximity (they're roommates!!)
- LGBT
- Found Family
- lowkey toxic Friend Group

Love and have already read like 24 for issues in the series. Can't wait to read the rest of the series. I recommend this manga even if you aren't a traditional manga reader.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, C.S. Pacat, Johanna The Mad, and BOOM! Studios for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6... and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightin... and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightinga...

[Babybell024 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the series, but it is very annoying how long we have to wait for the releases. Like I started this series in high school, finished 3 universities, and I am working for 2 years now, and still I feel like we are nowhere near the end or perhaps even the middle. I loved the books, so I am hoping that the story will be finished by those.

[coriolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Fence, Vol. 1 NINE DAMN YEARS AGO, and Aiden and Harvard still haven't kissed.

I love a slow burn but OH MY GOD. At this rate I'm going to be DEAD before anything happens.

Now I return to hell and go back to wondering if we'll even GET a volume 9.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[Maelle]

i'll give anything for young aiden

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a million and one feelings about Aiden in this one... as always ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT FOR MORE BUT DOING MY BEST TO BE PATIENT AND GOOD!

[klaying]

JUST REALIZED THIS EXISTED WOI AIDEN MY CHILD LOOKS SO BADASS

[Janessa Paun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aiden, I love you so much and I need you to believe in yourself more!!! Also I loved getting to see more of Aiden and Harvey, I need them to make out immediately

[Elaja]

is it bad that im almost more interested in Aiden and Harvards story?

[Sylvia Rhett · Rating 5 out of 5]

please release the next volumes quickly 🙂

[Kristel (hungryandhappy)]

Apparently I forgot about the first issue of Breakthrough but since I got this on libby I still read it and now my heart is in pain.