I was lucky enough to be offered an advance copy of the first installment of SUFFRAJITSU, a three part graphic novel by Tony Wolf and Joao Vieira, for
review. In early twentieth century Britain the phrase “the battle of the sexes”
took a literal turn when, after forty years of peaceful protests failed to gain
women in the UK the right to vote, the suffragettes under Emmeline Pankhurst lost
faith in words and began taking action. SUFFRAJITSU is an alternative history
based on the true story of Pankhurst and “The Bodyguard,” her elite security
force composed of kickass women trained in the martial arts.
A solid grounding
in the actual events of the day makes for an excellent springboard into a tale
of international intrigue and adventure. There’s a big twist in the first issue
that moves the story from canonical to alternative history. I can’t tell you
what it is, but I can tell you it left me breathless. The artwork is fabulous, the storytelling
tight. My greatest disappointment is that since I received the first issue
early, I now have a longer wait than most for the next. SUFFRAJITSU debuts January
2015.
Learn more about the project here: http://suffrajitsu.com/
