Sally Heathcote, Suffragette

A story of loyalty, love, and courage, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette follows a common housemaid swept up in the feminist militancy of Edwardian Britain. Costa Award winners Mary and Bryan Talbot and acclaimed illustrator Kate Charlesworth craft a gripping inside story of depth, drama, and detail that brings history to life.

When I first came upon this book, two thoughts came to mind.  Firstly, that it was actually neat to mix it up with a more reality grounded comic for once.  Secondly, it’s a good thing that this came out now and not when I was younger.  If I had encountered Sally Heathcote, Suffragette in my youth I probably would have ignored it.  Fortunately, the years have allowed me a more open mind to give something like this a chance.

I will admit the book took a bit for it to really grip me.  Now in all fairness, so do a lot of books, movies and other pieces of fiction.  With this being a historic one though, there wasn’t much in the way of action or other spectacular events to drive the interest.  Once you can get further into the series, it does find itself with more dramatic happenings to pull you in.  Naturally, the story itself gets more opportunity to open up as you go on and ends up being a pretty interesting read.

The title follows along with our primary hero Sally Heathcote, initially seeing her later in life and then turning into flashbacks to produce the bulk of the story.  Along the journey, we see her go from a lowly maid working for a main figurehead in women’s suffrage, all the way to becoming a very active suffragette herself.  The story does a really nice job of educating those of the many hardships women in this time faced, including police violence at rallies and barbaric force feedings in jail.  By the end, you’ll have a better idea of the history of the movement, and hopefully even an appreciation for it.

The artistic style that was used within this title is one that I think worked well.  The linework itself compliments the time period that the story is set in and was a great choice.  Color wise it features a prominently grayscale, watercolor feel to it.  When necessary to add the appropriate flair, colors were mixed in from time to time, especially with Sally herself and her vibrant red hair.

While many of us need our regular fix from the bevy of “typical” comic heroes, Sally is one that is a refreshing detour from the norm.  Although it’s not an epic adventure of tremendous proportions, in the end it proves to be a riveting adventure that I feel value in reading.  So, put down the latest retcon of whatever title you’re reading and check it out.

For more on Sally Heathcote, Suffragette or other Dark Horse titles, check out Dark Horse.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.