Two of my favorite genres merged into one: Graphic Novels and History! I really enjoyed reading this and had no idea about Elizabeth Wilkinson's existence till now.

The historical texts are well-written and Elizabeth's spunk and doggedness is enjoyable as the narration unfolds.

The writers did add some fiction where Elizabeth is depicted as a mixed-race person (Indian and English) and showed some racism faced by her and fellow inhabitants of that era.

If you are a history buff and/or enjoy graphic novels, you will like this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Legendary Comics for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to @netgalley @legendarycomics for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Empowering. I’ve never heard of Elizabeth Wilkinson before reading this. And why not?! Seriously, she was one of those pioneering women I wished I’d heard sooner because she was just cool. This graphic novel was based on Elizabeth Wilkinson’s story, but because I have not done further reading, I’m not sure how close, this book was, to the true story. It doesn’t matter, because I was hooked from the beginning by the black and white illustrations, the script, the characters and the history. I was impressed by the illustrations of 1700s London, the social commentary of the time and Elizabeth as a woman boxer. You’ll definitely read about pure motivation, passion and determination here.

I loved this book and I am so thankful that I was given the chance to read and review it. This comic tells the story of female boxer Elizabeth Wilkinson. I had never heard about her before and now I want to do more research on her and read more about her. Zekas and Shanker wrote an excellent graphic novel.
The story was interesting and kept me wanting to read more and learn what happens next. I also loved the art style and how the panels were in black and white.
The entire story kept me engaged, but the final fight was something else. I needed to continue reading till the end and find out what the outcome was. I loved the action and the outcome of the fight. I’m happy with the choices Elizabeth made during that fight. The ending scene right after the fight was also beautiful and I was smiling during the last couple pages.
While some of my favorite scenes in this book happened during the fight scenes, this book was so much then boxing. This book also included scenes surrounding family, trauma, betrayal, etc. The fighting was also not just physical, but also internal as Elizabeth struggled with how she should help her sister.
I appreciated how Elizabeth was written and I loved how strong of a character she was in both ideals and physical strength. The relationships in this book were also amazingly written. Elizabeth and Tess’s relationship was wonderful and I love their bond. Philip’s bond with the sisters was also a highlight of the book and I loved him. I could tell that they all loved and cared for each other. I also liked the enemies to friends to lovers trope that Elizabeth and Stokes had going on.
Overall, this was an amazing graphic novel and I would definitely recommend it.

Championess is an interesting story, told in quite excellent art, that then is hampered by being overly long. I enjoyed the characters, especially the spirited outsider Elizabeth Wilkinson, but then halfway through the plot felt like it was in a holding pattern, repeating story beats.

On a sidenote, I can't find anything suggesting the real Wilkinson was of mixed race, and I also can't find anything she wasn't, which means that this is an interesting choice on behalf of Tarun Shanker. It adds another layer to the story.

I always have a soft spot for art that renders expressions well, and that is what we have here. There is also a caveat to the art - in a lot of frames there is no background, which can be done stylistically, but here feels like another possible victim to the length of the book.

3.5 stars.

I picked this up because I thought a story based on true facts about a mixed-race street fighter would be a very interesting read and, thankfully, I was right. This dealt with a wide range of topics—from racism to debt—in a very beautiful way in a short time. The depiction of relationships, mixed with the intelligent pacing and gorgeous art made this a very engaging graphic novel.

My favourite part of this story has to be the relationships. We see our protagonist, Elizabeth, try to constantly protect her sister, Tess, from the debt collectors. In turn, we also get glimpses on how and why Tess ended up with such a large amount of debt to take care of Elizabeth. Besides this sisterly bond, we also see Elizabeth establish an unlikely alliance with a fellow street fighter, who acts as a mentor and friend. There are many types of relationships in this short graphic novel, and they’re all treated with the same care.

Additionally, I thought the pacing was just right. We have quite a few flashbacks where we discover more and more about Elizabeth’s life. In present-day, the book is structured as various countdowns to important events, which helps keep the reader engaged and wanting to read more to get to that point.

Finally, I need to talk about the art style. Championess is entirely drawn in black and white, which helps place yourself in the past as it immediately feels that we’re being pushed back in time. I really enjoyed the art style and I thought it worked perfectly with this story.

All in all, Championess is a highly enjoyable graphic novel. The fantastic representation of the different types of relationships, the clever use of flashbacks and pacing, and the stunning art style all work in unison to create this story. I would highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and graphic novel readers!

Championess by Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker is about a half Indian, half English girl that loves to box. Elizabeth has always loved fighting, so when she and her sister are forced to support themselves and pay off debts, she does everything in her power to set up real fights. However, this is England in the 1800s? and Elizabeth has to fight not only sexism but also racism in her quest. When a problem from her past reappears, Elizabeth has to find a way to stay true to herself and fight for her family.

I really enjoy this plot. It was longer than I expected it to be, so that was nice. I loved the main character, as well as all the side characters. The world building was cool and the time period was well portrayed, I thought.

The art was beautiful. The action was well drawn too. I liked that the illustrator used “noodle” arms to portray the strength and speed of some of the punches. I thought it was well thought out in that respect. In my opinion it didn’t take away from the seriousness of the novel. Though I can see some people thinking that the characters suddenly became Luffy.

There’s a surprising amount of dialogue for this action heavy novel. But overall it wasn’t bad. I really did like learning about this world. I’d be interested in maybe a companion novel about Jo, or even a sequel.

In this historical fiction graphic novel set in the 1800’s we see Elizabeth Wilkinson fight her opponents in the boxing ring and the structures of sexism, racism, and classism outside of it. I really enjoyed it although the flashback format in the beginning was a bit choppy. Overall, a great story I’m glad I read.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Come here for a very typical story of a person, hard on their luck and forced to face training up to one vital boxing match, with the dream of a life-changing victory in the ring to get all their demons and debts off their shoulders. Except here you're getting the very aytpical, with the main character a British Asian woman, daughter to an Indian sailor, in 1720s London. These are days when boxing for lasses is very rare, often stuffed into a back alley or brewer's courtyard at best, where bare-knuckle aggression rules the day, and where a coin must remain in each tight-shut fist until no longer possible is the only rule. Only, the higher up the ranks you get, the worse the rule-breaking becomes...

Allegedly based on some historical fact, the main characters only really aid to make this quite a melodramatic piece. Early on, you have a deadline where the training montage builds up to the first key fight, intercut quite cleverly with flashbacks to what has motivated our lass through her life. After that, in what might well have been Book Two, you get a second, much more spurious deadline to drive the narrative – until the creators just drop it for something more interesting. The milieu is well defined, with poverty, racism and how a female achieves something in a corrupt, male world all themes and plot events besides.

But the mish-mash of poorhouse, budding romance and rampant underdog story all adds up to something that was a lot more soapy than the usual boxing graphic novel. I have to admit I found the visuals, in a style that was halfway to being full manga, actually suited the mood of the piece and the pioneering spirit of the main character. And I never thought I'd be saying the like, but there you go. I cannot see this becoming a must re-read classic, but I think the injection of historical fiction into the boxing book genre, and the fact the design suited so well, almost deserves a four star rating. But be prepared for some frothy melodrama before you enter this particular ring...

The story started our fairly strong but unfortunately dragged on for a little too long. Even though it's meant to be an underdog story, I found the main protagonist quite irritating and the other characters were quite shallow too.

The grayscale artwork worked really well with the overall narrative and the illustrations were detailed very detailed.

Great to look at, but not a great story.

A wonderful story with amazing art! Characters feel real and Elizabeth’s struggles always feel important. The art is what draw me to this book and I was not disappointed.

Really liked this one! Tess was such an interesting character and I liked how the story tackled issues of race, gender, and classism in the time period while also having a fun and fast-paced plot. Would definitely recommend for people who like historical fantasy with kick-ass women!

Championess is the story of Elizabeth and Tess, based on the real-life story of Elizabeth Wilkinson, an 18th-century mixed-race bare-knuckle female boxer living in London.

In this graphic novel, we explore how Elizabeth fought against poverty, betrayal, racism, and many other obstacles to establishing herself as one of the best pugilists of that period.

LIKES
The story flows like a movie. The plot is smooth and there is a bit of surprise sprinkled here and there, keeping me invested all through.

Also, the colour scheme fits the overall mood of the story and the fight scenes are dynamic enough to make readers pause long enough to enjoy the art.

DISLIKES
None.

WHO THIS IS FOR
Fans of boxing, historical graphic novels, and seekers who want to learn what it takes to build their own stuff amid stiff opposition will find interesting stuff in this book.

Many thanks to Legendary Comics for providing a review copy.

TW: Racism, Sexism/Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Death and Trauma.

I've read a good few graphic novels thanks to Netgalley, but this is by far one of my favourites. During the short stint that I lived in Bristol, I learned a little about Women's Boxing; and as someone who has participated in a sport deemed 'just for men' (in my case, rugby) there's little I like more in a novel than angry characters which fight the status quo. Lizzie is a fiery, angry, ruthless boxer, ambitious to a fault and defensive of her older sister. Bullied by those who think they're her betters (see every white character not related to her in some way), beaten black and blue more often than she'd liked to admit, and on step away from a brawl-related mistake at any given moment - I couldn't help but love her. Even when she was making choices I didn't or couldn't agree with, the sympathetic writing has us championing her from the start.

It would be a super obvious comparison to make but, I'm going to do it anyway - it's Rocky set in the 1700s. Racism and misogyny are just part of life, and the stakes in this narrative are real. It drives up the tension and makes for a great read. I loved the 'friends to enemies/rivals' storyline just as much as I loved the 'rivals to lovers(kinda)' narrative. The banter between Lizzie and Stokes was great, I shipped them almost immediately, and I also loved that the cruellest things the sisters ever say to each other is the truth. It's expertly written, with dynamic artwork and so much potential moving forwards. I hope more graphic novels stem from this one, but it works well as a standalone. I'd recommend this kind of novel for anyone who enjoys Rocky (obviously) underdog stories, or historical fiction.

In Championess by Tarun Shanker, Kelly Zekas and Amanda Perez Puentes, Elizabeth Wilkinson loves boxing. And to make enough money to support her and her sister, Elizabeth has to convince a famous retired boxer to train her. In this historical graphic novel based on a true story, Elizabeth has to come to terms with her half-Indian side and her criminal father while training to defeat another famous female fighter.

Championess was a quick and enjoyable graphic novel! Elizabeth is a funny and intriguing character. She is a little impatient and wants to solve everything by punching people. Elizabeth’s passion is boxing and she wants to train with a famous boxer to participate in the big fights. I liked her conflicts trying to convince him to accept her as a pupil and the tricks she uses to do it.

The story itself starts as a lighthearted and thrilling story, but we get to read about Elizabeth’s past and her struggles with family and friends. It also touches on some of her internal conflicts in which she doesn’t feel Indian enough neither people perceive her as being English. The drama part is very balanced with the action, so it doesn’t get too heavy and adds depth to the character.

Elizabeth’s opponent is an interesting character, and I like the mystery behind her and the revelations later. Their fights were super cool to read, and Elizabeth’s conflicts made it more engaging. I’m not a big fan of the development of the romantic relationship with another character because it felt rushed with so many things happening in the story. However, the end is adorable! I liked how Elizabeth managed to help her sister, and improve her life and impact other’s peoples’ lives.

Overall, it was cool to read a story set in the eighteenth century with a non-white main character! I liked how the topics of ethnicity and race are a part of the story. I don’t particularly love the art, but it conveys the dark and action themes of the story. It is inspired by a true story, and I’d love to read more historical stories like this one. If you’re looking for a graphic novel with a woman of color breaking gender norms, read Championess!

Courtesy of Netgalley.

ARC copy received free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I requested this specific title because I expected to read about a strong female lead, who broke the boundaries for womanly behavior in the 1700s. I wasn't disappointed as such, but I did find our main character, Elizabeth Wilkinson, to be a bit too hot-headed which more got me to be a bit annoyed by her, than amazed. This was especially true for the first half. After understanding her a bit more, I truly felt for her, and I had to rush through the last part in the hopes that she would make it - both for her own sake, but also for her sister's sake.

I didn't know anything about the history of the real Elizabeth Wilkinson before I finished this graphic novel, but having researched her a bit, I got even more amazed by her. I understand that this is a work of fiction only based on real events, but it is a bit unclear to me why the author decided to make her half-Indian. I get that maybe it's a way to attack subjects as race, abuse to women, trauma, etc. But the whole story of how the first female boxer saw the light of day would still have appealed to me without the element of race.

I still liked the title, and using the Goodreads rating system, this means that it will get 3 stars.

Thank you so much to Legendary Comics and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy this book. I was excited to read it thinking a historical fiction graphic novel would be fun to read. However, I thought the writing was boring and wasn't a huge fan of the art and graphics. It still had an interesting concept and was okay but I was bored reading it.

I loved this approach to a historical graphic novel. Elizabeth, or 'Liz', was a very driven woman when it came to her "craft" and taking care of her family. She was also very quip-y, which I loved. The illustrations were fantastic and really set the story and plot up for success. I can't wait to pick up more historical graphic novels in the future!

Elizabeth Wilkinson is a bare-knuckle boxer living in 1800s London with her sister Tess, who is in staggering debt. Hoping to earn money to save her sister, she tries to join the famed boxing coach James Figg, but when he demands her duplicity she cannot consent.

This a fast-paced graphic novel that I very much enjoyed. Elizabeth is a compelling and well-fleshed out lead. I liked that she was written to be half Indian, and how commentary on sexism and racism was written into the story. I gasped at the twists here and there in the story and it flowed along well.

The art was also nice, with a sense of movement that works well for the subject. I did think the first half of the read was a little choppy, with all the training montages and flashbacks, but after this point the story hits its stride.

I picked up this graphic novel because the concept seemed so interesting. A story about a badass, Indian woman that knows how to fight and has a black love interest while also being based on a true story? What’s not to love?

The story touches on some heavy but important subjects like sexism, racism, and classism. But sadly the book just didn’t seem to grip me like other graphic novels.

Some things I did like about this book:
- I loved the humour in this, especially the witty banter with the love interest;
- Her backstory was so interesting as well, especially when we found out what was the cause behind her trauma;
- The classic art style fit the time period very well. Something more modern wouldn’t have given the same effect.

But other than that, I wasn’t that invested and I felt quite bored trying to get through it. The pacing felt slow and I found myself skimming through some of the pages to get to the “good” parts.

2,5 stars for me!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

Legendary Comics? As in Legendary Pictures? One read of Championess and that all made sense. The pacing of this two hundred page graphic novel is very much one of a movie, as a sports comic, a boxing comic even, it follows the beats of a classic boxing movie. And yet both its historical setting mixed with unusual but well characterised protagonists raises it above cliche. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with archetypal storytelling - particularly when you are thinking about representation along with all the other masters a book like this might have.

We start in media res at the start of a bare knuckle boxing match in London in 1722 - where our protagonist Elizabeth Wilkinson is engaged in a bare knuckle boxing match against another woman for a pittance. Wilkinson was real, and eventually became the biggest boxer of her age, and he she is imagined to be half Indian, part of the backstory that pushes her into to fighting. We soon catch up that her sister is on the edge of debt and a month away from debtors prison unless they can rustle up some money. From this we see a very the strands of the ur-boxing story - and what Zekas and Hanker's script does is allow the familiarity of the scenario to play off the sexism and (to a lesser degree) racism of the age to create interesting wrinkles on a familiar story. Amanda Perez Puetnes art has a barely cleaned up pencil look - its not exceptionally detailed but she nails the physicality of the fights and she is particularly good at both face squishing for the brutal punching and delivering the swagger of Liz before the fights. Above and beyond the fighting there are big questions of morality (this is boxing after all how fair will it all be) and there's a lovely romance at the heart of it too.

As said at the very top, I can completely imagine this as a film and yet the comic format actually suits the fights even more as we get insight into the internal dialogue of Liz particularly when she has to make up her mind about whether to throw a fight or not - mid fight. And whilst the black and white art here does not throw any red to show blood you have no doubt that they are hurting, and battered by the end of it. It might be Rocky for the 18th century, but Rocky was reinvented for Creed and this has the same kind of mythic feel - and no matter how loosely it is based on reality, that the biggest fight star of the 1720's was a woman is a story well worth telling. Highly recommended.