History is full of forgotten tales of bravery and heroism, and that’s the inspiration behind The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu. This new graphic novel from writer Clement Xavier and artist Lisa Lugrin tells the story of a group of suffragists who turned to martial arts to help fight for their rights.
IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of this fascinating story. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:
The Bodyguard Unit is published by Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. Here’s the official description for the book:
In the early 20th century, women in England were demanding the right to vote—and often faced violent retaliation. Rather than back down, the suffragist group the Women’s Social and Political Union formed an all-women security unit. Activist leader Emmeline Pankhurst asked Edith Garrud, a pioneering instructor of women’s self-defense and a pivotal figure in British women’s suffrage, to train them. These “jujitsuffragettes” fought against abuse and arrest while pursuing long overdue rights, and this graphic retelling of Garrud’s life reveals the resilience and (sometimes physical) resistance of her era’s voting-rights activists.
“With The Bodyguard Unit, Xavier and Clement have created a comic that is both timeless and timely—a feminist story plucked from history that remains strikingly relevant today; an inspirational tale about the necessity and cost of resistance,” said Graphic Universe’s editorial director Sean Tulien in a statement.
The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu will be released on Tuesday, August 1.
In other comic book news, IGN recently got a first look at IDW’s TMNT: The Last Ronin sequel and at BOOM! Studios dramatic Power Rangers storyline “Darkest Hour.”
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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