“Championess” by Kelly Zikas, and Tarun Shanker with art by Amanda Perez Fuentes is a graphic novel based on a true story out of 18th century London.

Elizabeth Wilkinson’s passion is bare knuckle boxing and she’s quite good at it. She hopes to use her skills to help her sister pay off her substantial debt. She finds a trainer and a match to train for but the world of boxing for her is complex. Will she be able to free her sister?

I really enjoyed the story. It’s one I didn’t know. The plot was compelling and the art is pretty good.

This was a fantastic graphic novel. I liked the fact that this was based on a true story - I had never heard of this woman before and it was really interesting to learn about her start in boxing. I loved the art style too, the fight scenes were done especially well. I think that this would be a great read for anyone to check out.

This was a good story, but it took me a while to read it. I became easily distracted when reading it. I would like to read the print version to see if that will make a difference. I had very little background knowledge of the characters or area, so that also was a bit of an issue as I felt I was thrown into the middle of a story.

What an interesting historic graphic novel. I was not familiar with Elizabeth Wilkinson or the history of female boxing and really enjoyed this medium to tell her story.

I enjoyed getting to learn about a female boxer fighting the system in 18th-century England, and experiencing the story as a graphic novel gave it a fun film-like quality. An interesting way to learn about quite a few different social issues of the time period, including debtors prisons, racism, sexism, etc.

A fascinating slice of history that was new to me. The style of the illustrations really complimented the story and made it a zip to read.

Where was Elizabeth Wilkinson in my history books when I needed to see a strong, fearless woman in history? This is a definite pick for Women’s History Month and very well organized in terms of layout and storytelling. I had to tell all my writer friends about Lizzie as soon as I finished to provide them with a strong female character if they needed the inspiration.

that book made me feel exhausted when i read
The story is as good as other books could be. But i don't know but always i felt tired and bored reading this.
2.0

Thanks to NetGalley to provide me this copy and thanks to Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker

I wasn’t sure what to make of this book by the title and cover alone. It’s about women’s boxing in the Victorian era. It wasn’t something that was done. But for a “half-bread” Indian (from India) that may be the only way she can raise enough money to get her and her sister out of the Mist and keep them away from debtors prison. This graphic novel started out quite slow. I almost DNFed it, but am happy that I read to completion. Once the story starts to build it moves pretty quick. It shows how prejudice was alive and well other places than just America. This book was about so much more than boxing, but the boxing is what makes it so intriguing and worth the read.

The idea for this book was excellent, however, I found it very hard to follow. I think part of it is that I do not have enough background knowledge about this topic/theme. It is also above the reading level of the students I work with.
Thank you for the opportunity to read the book though.

*Many thanks to Legendary Comics and NetGallery for the eARC of this graphic novel*

TW: Violence, racism, murder, physical trauma triggers for main character, strangling, cockfighting

The cover of this graphic novel blew me away and me hooked right in. I already knew what I was getting, and wasn't disappointed after reading! The art was crisp, clear, and very reminiscent of classic comic book styles, but with its own flair and unique aesthetic.

The historical aspects seem on point, and though I'm no expert in the subject, what I did already know the story seemed to follow.

My only complaint would be there were moments that dragged on a bit too long, or could have been mentioned in afterthought, rather than take us through each step, but the slowness didn't hamper my enjoyment.

Loved this graphic novel. The art style and the characters were amazing and I really enjoyed reading historical fiction with some diversity. The plot was great and I like how the main character had flaws, such as how at first she was trying to help her sister, but it manifested into something where it was for her own benefit and her sister was suffering because of it.

I’ve never read a book about a female bare-knuckle let alone a historical fiction one. I ended up liking this one more that I thought I would.

I received an arc of this.

Summary:
Elizabeth Wilkinson learned how to fight while growing up, and now she's fighting to survive. Her sister Tess has narrowly been avoiding being jailed in debtor's prison, and Lizzie is hoping that her fights will help pay off the debts- once and for all. She is determined not to settle, and approaches the renowned Mr. Figg to prove herself and seek training. Reluctantly, the renowned Mr. Figg agrees to a one-time deal. But what beyond that? With help from her trainer Stokes, Elizabeth grapples with her past, throws punches at her present, and eventually unravels the future for herself.

------
Remarks on context:
I was drawn to this book as an 18th century reenactor/costumer, so I am critical of some of the 18th century details. First, there were some great costuming details and others that weren't so great. Some pictures of shoes, caps, and gowns were on point, but things like Elizabeth's jacket didn't seem necessarily correct, which admittedly bothered me as a costumer. Furthermore, the modern language/cursing often bothered me. Cursing doesn't bother me, however, in the historical context, the modern language/cursing/slang (I think there was an instance of "go shove it...") really brought me out of the 18th century setting and pulled me out of the novel. I would have loved more historical insults to keep in line with the overall mood and setting of the book.

Championess by Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker is an action-packed story of mixed-race street-fighter Elisabeth Wilkinson, who has all the cards in life stacked against her. Elisabeth tries to earn money by boxing, in order to pay off her sister's debt. She wants to be trained by the famous boxer James Figgs but she refuses to lose fights on purpose. Set in 18th century London, this historical graphic novel is losely based on the real-life boxer Elisabeth Wilson, who we don't actually know much about. In this novel, she is characterised by strength and ambition, constantly fighting the racism and sexism she faces.

With a great set of characters and a truly stunning art style, this graphic novel managed to tell a meaningful story in a short time.


I'd like to thank Legendary Comics for providing this copy via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Based on a true story about Elizabeth Wilkinson's attempt to become a boxing champion in 18th century London in hopes of getting her sister out of debt and away from prison. Unfortunately it is the 18th century and Elizabeth is a woman, so it takes some serious dedication and hardship for her to get chance. The main character is a delightfully headstrong character with a heart that only softens for her sister. As a noticeably dark-skinned child of an Indian sailor and a white British woman, what options she has is even more diminished due to the color of her skin. The racism and misogyny is portrayed in a way that hits hard, but doesn't bog down the larger narrative of overcoming hardships.

The art uses heavy lines to create weight and depth to the story, portraying Elizabeth in shadows as the darker sister to the thinner lines and cleanliness of her white-passing sister. The white men with the power are often indistinguishable, making them feel more like a force than any single entity. The art also portrays the movement of bare knuckle boxing very well and the characters' expressions are engaging.

This is a really fun black and white graphic novel with awesome female characters and a great deal of action that I would recommend to anyone looking for a historical novel.

<i>I received an ARC from the publisher to review as part of the Texas Library Association Maverick committee.</i>

This was an interesting part of history I was not aware of. I had a bit of a hard time getting into the main character but by the end I was rooting for her and everything she fought for. This was a fantastic feminist book that isn't about feminism. I loved the art, and the intensity the author brings to this story.

This comic is very loosely based on the real Elizabeth Wilkinson but since not a lot is known about the real woman much of this appears to be fabricated from what is known about the time period.

The B&W art by Illustrator Amanda Perez Puentes works very well for the story--giving the entire graphic novel the grime & darkness I imagine London of the time had.

My one complaint is that I wanted sections at the beginning & the end with historical notes since this is a book based on real people & time periods. I'm a sucker for end-papers as I like to learn but sometimes in short bursts.

Still-overall I'd recommend this book as I'm a fan of strong & take charge of their destiny women & Elizabeth Wilkerson appears to have been that!

I have been excited to read this book since I first heard about it. Elizabeth Wilkinson is a bare knuckle boxer in 18th century London. Her sister is in debt and she fights to earn money, but is unable to earn enough money to keep her sister out of the debtor's prison with her current matches. When Figg refuses to train her, she challenges another boxer to force Figg's hand.

This is a great graphic novel. The art is fantastic. The storyline is also great. The characterizations were really good and very fleshed out. The pacing was good, but dragged out a little in the beginning. There was some commentary of the racism and sexism of the time period that it was set in. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank Legendary Comics for providing me with a copy.

I loathe boxing, MMA, anything where people beat the hell out of each other for fun. That said, I actually enjoyed this graphic novel tale based on a real woman who paved the way in what has always been a male dominated sport with all the odds stacked against her.