Star date: 31st January 2021

GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE LIFE OF THOMAS PAINE

A new series of Invisible Histories talks, to be live-streamed weekly on Wednesdays at 2pm via Salford's Working Class Movement Library, kicks off on 3rd February with a talk on writer, philosopher and revolutionary, Thomas Paine, by political cartoonist and graphic novelist Paul 'Polyp' Fitzgerald.

Paul is creating a new graphic novel on the life of Paine and a crowdfunder begins on 9th February, Paine's birth date, to help realise the project.

Full details here...

Thomas Paine has been 'big' in Salford recently, with the 200th anniversary of his bones being barred from the city celebrated in 2019 with a giant skeleton puppet being paraded around by Walk The Plank (see here).

Paine wrote some of the most influential and radical books that had the authorities reeling, including Common Sense, Rights of Man and Age of Reason. After he died, Paine was buried in New York, only for campaigning journalist William Cobbett to dig his bones up and bring them to Salford. However, they were refused entry to Manchester by the authorities, with the horrors of Peterloo still fresh...And then the bones disappeared...but Paine's spirit lives on.

This Wednesday, 3rd February, at 2pm, Salford's Working Class Movement Library begins another series of its popular Invisible History Talks, with Tom Paine's Bones the subject of a talk by political cartoonist and graphic novelist Paul 'Polyp' Fitzgerald.

Paul recently completed Peterloo: Witness to a massacre, a stunningly illustrated, almost verbatim, history of the infamous event. Now Paul has turned to Tom Paine as his next subject, and the artwork to date is equally amazing. 

"One of the reasons I so admire Paine is  his dedication not just to democracy, liberty, equality and justice, but also to a rational, logical, evidence-based world view, and for his for hostility to mindless dogma" says Paul "He deserves a far more prominent place in popular history, and I really hope this book will help achieve that."

Paul is launching a crowdfunder on Paine's birthday, 9th February, to help realise the book, and his illustrated talk via the Working Class Movement Library, looks at the hilariously dramatic life and radical ideas of 'the forgotten founding father', which includes many scrapes with death, some uncompromising books and the burning of an effigy of him in Manchester in 1793 in what Paul calls "basically a state sponsored hate rally"...

Paul Fitzgerald: Tom Paine's bones: a fantastical visual biography is on Wednesday 3rd February 2pm. Join-up details are available on the day of the talk via www.wcml.org.uk/events and the talk will also be available on the Library's YouTube channel afterwards www.youtube.com/wcmlibrary.

There is also a short film by Salford Star contributor and filmmaker, Rafe Conn, about the graphic novel project – click here    

For further information on the crowdfunder see the Facebook group Tom Paine's Bones – click here and on Twitter at twitter.com/SbonesTompaine

All illustrations by Paul Fitzgerald

Invisible Histories February Events...

Wednesday 10th February 2pm - Marking LGBT+ History Month - 'Kath Duncan - the importance of working class LGBTQ woman in history' by Ray Woolford

Wednesday 17th February 2pm - Matthew Kidd 'The renewal of radicalism: politics, identity and ideology in England, 1867-1924'.

Wednesday 24th February 2pm - Matthew Roberts 'Ever present to the progressive mind?: heritage politics and the memory of Chartism in England and Wales, 1918–2020'. 

Details on all these online events at www.wcml.org.uk/events