Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst's Amazons

The cover of Suffrajitsu, Issue #1.

Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst's Amazons is a graphic novel trilogy published by Jet City Comics, portraying the adventures of an all-women secret society of bodyguards who protect the leaders of the radical suffragette movement during early 1914.[1]

Publication history

Suffrajitsu was written by Tony Wolf, with art by Joao Vieira, colors by Josan Gonzales and lettering by Ed Dukeshire. Artwork, colors and lettering were supervised by Jasmine Amiri and Dafna Pleban of BOOM! Studios. Issue #1 was published on January 28, 2015, with Issues #2 and #3 being released on February 25 and March 25.[2]

Initial publication as a serial was via the Amazon Kindle app, with individual issues also becoming available to both US and international readers via comiXology.com.

The Suffrajitsu trilogy is part of the Foreworld Saga, a shared-world secret history transmedia franchise initiated by speculative fiction authors Neal Stephenson and Mark Teppo via the Subutai Corporation in 2010.[3]

Plans to issue a printed collector's edition, also including two other Foreworld graphic novels, were announced in January 2015.[2]

Premise and historical basis

The Suffrajitsu trilogy is set during the height of the English women's suffrage protests of the early 20th century, which included acts of mass civil disobedience, non-violent sabotage and even riots as pro- and anti-suffragists battled over the right of women to vote in national elections. During this period, many suffragettes were imprisoned on charges ranging from vandalism and assault to sedition.

In response to the so-called Cat and Mouse Act legislation, which allowed hunger-striking incarcerated suffragettes to be temporarily released from prison and then re-arrested when their health had sufficiently recovered, the Women's Social and Political Union established an all-women bodyguard team. Trained by Edith Margaret Garrud, the team - known within the WSPU as "The Bodyguard" and dubbed "jujitsuffragettes" and "Amazons" by the media - frequently clashed with the police, employing decoy and subterfuge tactics as well as hand-to-hand combat to protect fugitive suffragettes from arrest and assault.[4][5]

Issues

Issue #1 of the trilogy follows Amazon leader Persephone Wright and her team as they engage in escalating conflicts with the police in London and Glasgow during early 1914. Most of the key events depicted in Issue #1 are closely based on real history, including sections of speeches by the politician William Cremer and both Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst.[2]

In Issue #2 the Amazons embark on a daring rescue mission in the Austrian Alps, battling with members of a eugenic cult called the Order of New Templars and in Issue 3 they must race to prevent a terrorist attack that may have dire consequences for the entire world.[2]

Kindle Worlds stories

The Suffrajitsu graphic novels have inspired a series of licensed short stories and novellas published via Amazon's Kindle Worlds platform, including:

Characters

References

  1. ↑ Kindle Post US: Guest Post by Tony Wolf Author of Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst’s Amazons
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.suffrajitsu.com
  3. ↑ http://www.foreworld.com
  4. ↑ Suffrajitsu – The Jiu Jitsu Teacher of the Woman’s War « Women's History Network Blog
  5. ↑ Suffrajitsu: The Amazons of Edwardian London

External links