We have begun to think of the 1910s as ‘our era’ and relish the task of world-building in an authentic way,” says Scarlett. “Design, style and subtle social cues about relative prosperity are all part of the book’s richness. We have to think about things like lighting – electricity, gas, or candles? – and transport – motor car, horse or walking? – in different ways without getting carried away with historical detail.” No Surrender is like a sister volume to The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists,” says Scarlett. “Maud was an active suffragette, writing fiction in the same era about her authentic experience of living a marginalised life. While The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists examined the arguments for and against socialism, No Surrender explores the battle for equality, how women were regarded, and the ethics of civil disobedience.” The pair are recent arrivals in the graphic novel world and are planning a third political tome from the same era. The sisters scored a publishing sensation in 2020, when their graphic novel adaptation of Robert Tressell’s seminal socialist novel, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, illustrated the thirst for this type of story. Tressell was a decorator who wrote about economics from his working-class point of view, and died in poverty in 1911 before it was published,” says Scarlett. “It was a difficult book in prose form, and we wanted to make it more accessible because it contains important ideas.”

SelfMadeHero | No Surrender

The Sculptor – Scott McCloud’s Return to Fiction is a Towering Achievement, but Not Quite a Masterpiece Books like Maud’s No Surrender have survived by being discovered by a narrow set of readers – historians and activists. By moving the action from Maud’s prose to their eye catching illustrations, the sisters hope her message reaches as many as possible. Constance Maud was at the heart of the British campaign for women’s votes. Her novel No Surrender was published at the height of that struggle and used as a persuasive tool by suffragists.

Our graphic novel of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists has gone down well with people who love the original, and with people who’d never heard of it before,” says Scarlett. “The graphic storytelling medium has made Tressell’s political ideas accessible to a new generation. It’s a great way to revive older books that deserve more attention.” Starlit Lovers – Lor Phoenix and KitsuneArt’s Touching “Sapphic Slice-of-Life Romance” Debuts at Thought Bubble October 30, 2023

novel idea | Camden New Journal A novel idea | Camden New Journal

Hailed by Emily Wilding Davison as “a book which breathes the very spirit of our Women’s Movement”, the fast paced story interweaves the lives of women from all classes working together to bring about change. Our hero Jenny is a small but fierce Lancashire textile mill worker who puts principle before everything. No Surrender, they felt, could be tweaked to bring Maud’s message to an audience 110 years after it was written. Finding ways to update it the story without losing its power was key, the sisters say.Anyone who enjoyed The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists will find No Surrender to be a perfect sister-volume, both in the authenticity of the adaptation and the historical sensitivity, humour and warmth of Scarlett’s art. The Lost Loiners – Anna Readman Lends an Unlikely Humanity to the Monstrous in Her Troll Illustration Zine It was read as a call to arms, told through the story of mill worker Jenny Clegg, who lives in a northern industrial town. Constance Maud was at the heart of the British campaign for women’s votes. Her novel No Surrender was published at the height of that struggle and used as a persuasive tool by suffragists. Hailed by Emily Wilding-Davison as “a book which breathes the very spirit of our Women’s Movement”, the fast-paced story interweaves the lives of women from all classes working together to bring about change. Our hero Jenny is a small but fierce Lancashire textile mill worker who puts principle before everything.

No Surrender by Scarlett and Sophie Rickard review – the long No Surrender by Scarlett and Sophie Rickard review – the long

NORD – Martin Simpson’s Norse Epic is a Stunningly Illustrated Tale of Mortality and Lineage October 31, 2023 No Surrender was first published in 1911, the year women across the country boycotted the British census by spoiling forms with the words “I don’t count so I won’t be counted” and “no persons here, only women.” Pioneering Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison loved it, pronouncing that it “breathes the very spirit of our women’s movement” – a spirit that lives on in this new graphic novel edition. No Surrender was nominated in last year’s Broken Frontier Awards in the Best Graphic Novel category. A book that still has much to say a century on and one that in these dark times is a reminder that the fight for civil rights is a never-ending one. The original novel is written in a visual style, and was less of a challenge to adapt than The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. What makes No Surrender work is the way the relevance to our current lives shines through the story. Constance Maud’s suffragette novel No Surrender, first published in 1911, isn’t what I would call an enticing read, however authentic a record it may be of its author’s times (Maud, the daughter of a Surrey rector, joined the Women’s Freedom League in 1908, and thereafter participated enthusiastically in the same kind of peaceful civil disobedience as her characters). While it’s true that Emily Wilding Davison, the woman who would later be trampled beneath the King’s horse at Epsom, adored it, feeling that it breathed the very “spirit of our women’s movement”, most modern readers tend to find it plodding and cliched, its story never quite flaring to life.The Lost Loiners – Anna Readman Lends an Unlikely Humanity to the Monstrous in Her Troll Illustration Zine October 31, 2023 This is a fascinating story and equally an important piece of social history – deserving a modern audience. But written in a language that reads like a period piece, No Surrender was ready to be updated. As they saw the success of their work translating Tressell into another literary form, Maud’s book came on their radar. Edwardian novels can be long-winded and heavy going, but in this format you get pure action. A story all about ‘Deeds not Words’ is ideal for the graphic format.”

Marvel Comics Quicksilver Trade Paperback No Surrender Marvel Comics Quicksilver Trade Paperback No Surrender

Jenny Clegg is a Lancashire mill-hand with dreams of equality and freedom. Along with friends from every walk of life, she brings the fight to the Prime Minister’s door – and suffers for her cause. Written by a Suffragette from the heat of the battle, this novel is a vivid social record of a tumultuous era, told through the lives of a broad cast of powerful characters. Graphic novel publishers Self Made Hero, based in King’s Cross, have earned a reputation for finding new ways to use the genre to cast a light on modern storytelling. They range from the noir and thriller to social realism and political tales. Brilliant … utterly irresistible” Rachel Cooke, Guardian/Observer Graphic Novel of the Month, November 2022 Illustrating London in 1910 required research. No Surrender has a deeply immersive world for the words to play out across. This sumptuous and faithful graphic novel of the 1911 suffrage classic brings to life the exciting story of gender, class, the ethics of civil disobedience and the right to be equal before the law – offering an accessible, entertaining and rewarding read to a new generation.We saw its potential,” adds Scarlett. “The novel stands the test of time, although we edited out several instances of racist cultural norms. It shows even people with equality in their hearts can have blind spots.” The story of the lives of the people who feature in the novel are well described and contrasted. Jenny works in the mill, partly to help support her family, in which her demanding father is never satisfied, her downtrodden mother scrapes to find enough food, and Peter, her brother is still recovering from work related illness. A sister has been ill treated by her husband and deprived of her children. Jenny’s focus has become the fight for the vote for women which she sees is the route to equality before the law and genuine hope for women. A male advocate of the socialist cause is interested in Jenny, but she knows that their paths lie in different directions, and that her solidarity with the cause and other women may well end in her imprisonment. Meanwhile wealthy women are being criticised by their acquaintances and even their families for wanting to stand with the women’s cause, and indeed witness the formation of anti-suffragist groups. Not that men are excluded – they are often opposed to the fight but some clear sighted men are sympathetic and supportive. There are crises throughout the book – as arrests are made and protests occur in prisons which test everyone’s beliefs. A young woman is arrested for her desperate acts, and it takes extreme events to bring about life changing decisions.