Bitch Planet
| Bitch Planet | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Bitch Planet #1 by Valentine De Landro | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly (loosely) |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Feminist Dystopian |
| Publication date | December 2014 to April 2017 |
| No. of issues | 10 |
| Main character(s) | Kamau Kogo (Kam) Penny Rolle Fanny Renelle |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Kelly Sue DeConnick |
| Artist(s) | Valentine De Landro |
Bitch Planet is an American comic book published by Image Comics, created by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Valentine De Landro. The series is a feminist portrayal of the exploitation film genre and takes place in a dystopian reality, where non-compliant women are sent to an off-planet prison.[1][2]
Publication history
DeConnick and De Landro first met at a fan expo in Toronto, Canada.[3] DeConnick liked De Landro's work (particularly the heavy use of blacks and shades to portray character emotion)[3] after which the two exchanged information and planned to collaborate on a Marvel comic. However, they did not find any opportunities to do so, and decided to create their own comic series instead. De Landro chose Bitch Planet over two other projects DeConnick was also writing.[3] Most of the cover art is done by De Landro, though every third issue contains illustrations by a guest artist.
DeConnick described the book's creation as being "born of a deep and abiding love for exploitation and women in prison movies of the '60s and '70s".[3] Both creators wanted to include the intriguing and difficult aspects of women's lives in prison and to change the narrative of female oppression. DeConnick made a point to include female nudity in the comic in ways to exhibit the female body without the purpose of sexual arousal.[1]They planned to include the backstory of an inmate every third issue before discovering the Netflix series, Orange Is the New Black, which has a similar plot. They decided to continue with the idea and avoid watching the TV series in order to avoid its influence.[1]
Each issue ends with a segment called "Bitch Fest", containing a letter from DeConnick relating to the comic, politics, and feminist topics. The segment also contains "Bitches Be Like", which is where the usually-feminist guest authors write a short passage relating to topics discussed within the issue. In addition, the segment often includes tweets from fans in a subsection titled "Itty Bitty Bitchy", as well as photos and fan art from fans in the subsection "Bitch Face."[4] The back page of every issue includes satirical comic book ads for Missed Connections, and typical comic book products like X-ray specs, with a feminist twist.[4]
Every issue and volume has been published by Image Comics and is available in both print and digital form. After the publication of Bitch Planet #10, an anthology-style series called "Bitch Feature: Triple Feature!" began, with each issue containing three stories by different writers and artists.
| Title | Publication Date | Issue # | Diamond ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitch Planet #1 | December 10, 2014 | 1 | OCT140578 |
| Bitch Planet #2 | January 28, 2015 | 2 | NOV140643 |
| Bitch Planet #3 | February 18, 2015 | 3 | DEC140721 |
| Bitch Planet #4 | April 29, 2015 | 4 | JAN150670 |
| Bitch Planet #5 | September 9, 2015 | 5 | FEB150593 |
| Bitch Planet #6 | January 6, 2016 | 6 | NOV150504 |
| Bitch Planet #7 | February 17, 2016 | 7 | DEC150546 |
| Bitch Planet #8 | June 22, 2016 | 8 | JAN160572 |
| Bitch Planet #9 | November 2, 2016 | 9 | FEB160567 |
| Bitch Planet #10 | April 26,2017 | 10 | MAR160556 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature | Publication Date | Issue # | Diamond ID |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #1 | June 14, 2017 | 1 | APR170731 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #2 | July 19, 2017 | 2 | MAY170657 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #3 | August 16, 2017 | 3 | JUN170731 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #4 | September 20, 2017 | 4 | JUL170778 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #5 | October 18, 2017 | 5 | AUG170607 |
| Collected Editions | Publication Date | Issues Included | Diamond ID |
| Bitch Planet, Volume 1: Extraordinary Machine TP | October 7, 2015 | 1–5 | MAY150482 |
| Bitch Planet, Volume 2: President Bitch TP | May 31, 2017 | 6–10 | MAY160684 |
| Bitch Planet: Triple Feature Volume 1 | December 13, 2017 | 1-5 | OCT170620 |
Plot
The series focuses on women who have been imprisoned for being "non-compliant" in an off-planet prison called the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost. The narrative arc moves through time, presenting how the women were arrested in the first place as well as their various experiences within the prison.
Reception
Reaction to Bitch Planet has been generally positive.[5] Susana Polo at The Mary Sue said: "Bitch Planet promised space prison, violence, a heck of a lot of ladies of various colors, and a reclamation of the 'women in prison' subgenre of exploitation film for the modern audience. Its first issue delivers".[6] Jeff Lake, writing for IGN, called it "an excellent comic".[7] Chris Sims of Comics Alliance, reviewing the first issue, claimed that "it's thrilling, it's violent, and it's one of the best first issues of the year".[8] The first volume of the comic got more mixed reviews from The Guardian, which praised the series as a "refreshing foray into the feminist exploitation genre", while also criticizing it for the use of "lots of ingredients...without much forethought" that led to muddled critiques of religion and politics.[9]
Bitch Planet: Triple Feature!
Bitch Planet: Triple Feature! is a five issue run of comics published after #10 of the main Bitch Planet series. Each issue contains three stories set in the world in which Bitch Planet is set, exploring similar issues to the main storyline. Each story is written and drawn by different creators, as listed below.
| Issue | Title | Author | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windows | Cheryl Lynn Eaton | Maria Fröhlich |
| 1 | Without Aand Within | Andrew Aydin | Joanna Estep |
| 1 | The Invisible Woman | Conley Lyons | Craig Yeung (Art) / Marco D’Alfonso(Colours) |
| 2 | What's Love got To Do With It? | Jordan Clark | Naomi Franquiz |
| 2 | This Is Good For You | Danielle Henderson | Ro Stein/Ted Brandt |
| 2 | Bits And Pieces | Che Grayson | Sharon Lee De La Cruz |
| 3 | Those People | Alissa Sallah | Alec Valerius |
| 3 | Big Game | Dylan Meconis | Dylan Meconis |
| 3 | Love, Honor & Obey | Kit Cox | Vanesa R. Del Ray |
| 4 | Life Of A Sportsman | Marc Deschamps | Mindy Lee |
| 4 | Bodymod | Sara Woolley | Sara Woolley |
| 4 | To Be Free | Vita Ayala | Rossi Gifford |
| 5 | Everyone's Grandma Is A Little Bit Feminist | Matt Fraction | Elsa Charretier |
| 5 | Mirror, Mirror | Jon Tsuei | Saskia Gutenkist |
| 5 | Basic Bitch | Bassey Nyambi / Nyambi Nyambi | Chris Visions |
Each issue, as with the main series, is lettered by Clayton Cowles.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Hudson, Laura (11 December 2014). "The Only Comic About Gladiator Women in Space Prison You Will Ever Need". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ "Bitch Planet: The Feminist Exploitation Comic You Desperately Need". io9. December 30, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Kelly Sue DeConnick Tackles Exploitation Tropes in 'Bitch Planet'". Hero Complex. January 24, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ a b DeConnick, Kelly Sue (2015). Bitch Planet 1. Berkley,CA: Image Comics. pp. ALL.
- ^ "Bitch Planet #1". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Review: Kelly Sue DeConnick's Bitch Planet #1". The Mary Sue. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ "Bitch Planet #1 Review". IGN. December 10, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ "A Seething Hell of Steel And Stone And Women Behind Bars: 'Bitch Planet' #1 [Review]". Comics Alliance. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ King-Slutzky, Johannah (2015-03-06). "Welcome to Bitch Planet: The Comic That's Reimagining Feminism". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-07.