Bitch Planet

Last updated
Bitch Planet
Bitch Planet issue 1, Cover art by Valentine De Landro, December 2014.png
Cover art for Bitch Planet #1 by Valentine De Landro
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
ScheduleMonthly (loosely)
Format Ongoing series
GenreFeminist Dystopian
Publication dateDecember 2014 to April 2017
No. of issues10
Main character(s)Kamau Kogo (Kam)
Penny Rolle
Fanny
Renelle
Creative team
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist(s)Valentine De Landro
Letterer(s) Clayton Cowles

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] The original series published 10 issues between December 2014 and April 2017, followed by a five-issue limited series published from June to October 2017, and a crossover one-shot, I Hate Image , the same month.

Contents

Publication history

DeConnick and De Landro first met at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto. [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] The two creators 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 structure. They decided to continue with the idea and forebear watching the TV series in order to avoid its influence. [1]

Each issue of Bitch Planet ended with a segment called "Bitch Fest", containing a letter from DeConnick relating to the comic, politics, and feminist issues. The segment also contains "Bitches Be Like", which is where 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 submitted by readers in the subsection "Bitch Face." [4] The back page of every issue includes satirical comic book ads for Missed Connections, and such stereotypical products as X-ray specs, but with a feminist twist. [4]

Following the publication of Bitch Planet #10, a five-issue anthology-style limited series called Bitch Feature: Triple Feature! began, with each issue containing three stories by different writers and artists. A one-shot crossover with I Hate Fairyland , entitled I Hate Image , was released in October 2017. [5]

Bitch Planet: Triple Feature creative teams

IssueTitleWriterArtist
1"Windows"Cheryl Lynn EatonMaria Fröhlich
1"Without and Within" Andrew Aydin Joanna Estep
1"The Invisible Woman"Conley LyonsCraig Yeung (art) / Marco D’Alfonso (colors)
2"What's Love got To Do With It?"Jordan ClarkNaomi Franquiz
2"This Is Good For You" Danielle Henderson Ro Stein/Ted Brandt
2"Bits And Pieces"Che GraysonSharon Lee De La Cruz
3"Those People"Alissa SallahAlec Valerius
3"Big Game"Dylan MeconisDylan Meconis
3"Love, Honor & Obey"Kit CoxVanesa R. Del Ray
4"Life of a Sportsman"Marc DeschampsMindy Lee
4"Bodymod"Sara WoolleySara Woolley
4"To Be Free"Vita AyalaRossi Gifford
5"Everyone's Grandma Is A Little Bit Feminist" Matt Fraction Elsa Charretier
5"Mirror, Mirror"Jon TsueiSaskia Gutenkist
5"Basic Bitch"Bassey Nyambi / Nyambi Nyambi Chris Visions

Each issue, as with the main series, was lettered by Clayton Cowles.

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. [6] Susana Polo at The Mary Sue wrote of the first issue: "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. It … delivers". [7] Chris Sims of ComicsAlliance , also 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] Jeff Lake, writing for IGN , called Bitch Planet #1 "an excellent comic." [9] Caitlin Chappell of CBR also described the comic as focusing on "real world systems that oppress LGBTQ women, women of color and women who don't conform to society," adding that the main protagonists refuse to accept a system which sees their sexualities, "bodies, race and genders as a "threat" to society." [10]

The first trade collection of the series 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. [11]

Bitch Planet was given the 2016 British Fantasy Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel.

Collected editions

TitleMaterial collectedPublished dateISBN
Bitch Planet Vol. 1: Extraordinary MachineBitch Planet #1-5October 2015 978-1632153661
Bitch Planet Vol. 2: President BitchBitch Planet #6-10June 2017 978-1632157171
Bitch Planet: Triple FeatureBitch Planet: Triple Feature #1-5December 2017 978-1534305298

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbarella (character)</span> French science fiction comic book series

Barbarella is a fictional heroine in a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest.

Roberta Gregory is an American comic book writer and artist best known for the character Bitchy Bitch from her Fantagraphics Books series Naughty Bits. She is a prolific contributor to many feminist and underground anthologies, such as Wimmen's Comix and Gay Comix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Fraction</span> American comic book writer

Matt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, FF, The Immortal Iron Fist, Uncanny X-Men, and Hawkeye for Marvel Comics; Casanova and Sex Criminals for Image Comics; and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Cloonan</span> American comic book creator

Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Danvers</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of the Kree superhero Mar-Vell in Marvel Super-Heroes #13. Danvers later became the first incarnation of Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel #1 after her DNA was fused with Mar-Vell's during an explosion, giving her superhuman powers. Debuting in the Silver Age of comics, the character was featured in a self-titled series in the late 1970s before becoming associated with the superhero teams the Avengers and the X-Men. The character has also been known as Binary, Warbird, and Captain Marvel at various points in her history, and as Vers in the film Captain Marvel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skottie Young</span> American comics artist

Skottie Young is an American comic book artist, children's book illustrator and writer. He is best known for his work with various Marvel Comics characters, his comic book adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books with Eric Shanower, his I Hate Fairyland comic book series, and a series of novels with Neil Gaiman.

<i>Saga</i> (comics) Science-fiction/fantasy comic book series

Saga is an epic space opera/fantasy comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, published monthly by the American company Image Comics. The series is based on ideas Vaughan conceived both as a child and as a parent. It depicts a husband and wife, Alana and Marko, from long-warring extraterrestrial races, fleeing authorities from both sides of a galactic war as they struggle to care for their daughter, Hazel, who is born in the beginning of the series, and who occasionally narrates the series as an unseen adult.

<i>Avengers Assemble</i> (comics)

Avengers Assemble was an ongoing comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Its initial release coincided with the release of the 2012 film The Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Sue DeConnick</span> American writer

Kelly Sue DeConnick is an American comic book writer and editor and English-language adapter of manga.

<i>Pretty Deadly</i> American comic book series

Pretty Deadly is a creator-owned American comic book series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Spanish artist Emma Ríos, distributed by Image Comics. The story combines elements from western and horror genres, and draws on aspects from mythology and folklore. Pretty Deadly is Deconnick and Ríos' third collaboration, their first being Osborn in 2011 and their second being issues #5 & 6 of the 2012 Captain Marvel series. The initial print run for issue one of 57,000 copies sold out.

<i>I Hate Fairyland</i> American comic

I Hate Fairyland is a black comedy fantasy comic written and illustrated by Skottie Young, and published by Image Comics, which started publication in October 2015. The comic follows Gertrude "Gert", a woman who was transported to a mystical world called Fairyland as a child. Twenty-seven years later, Gert is now an un-aging, violent misanthrope who, alongside her reluctant guide and friend Larry, constantly tries and fails to return to the real world.

Kelly Thompson is an American writer of novels and comic books. She is best known for the Jem and the Holograms comic with co-creator and artist Sophie Campbell, a modern re-imagining of the 1980s cartoon of the same name; the Eisner-nominated Marvel comic Hawkeye with artist Leonardo Romero, which stars Kate Bishop; and Captain Marvel featuring Carol Danvers with artist Carmen Carnero and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Her other works include the novel The Girl Who Would Be King and comic series A-Force, West Coast Avengers, Jessica Jones and Mr and Mrs X. She is also the co-creator of the character Jeff the Land Shark with Daniele Di Nicuolo.

Eric Stephenson is an American comic book publisher, editor, and writer. He is the publisher of Image Comics, where he has also co-created and written comics such as Long Hot Summer, Nowhere Men, and They're Not Like Us.

<i>Southern Bastards</i> 2014 ongoing comic book series

Southern Bastards is a comic book series created in 2014 by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, and published by Image Comics. The series revolves around the culture in a small town in the American South where football is everything and people try to get away with crime. The series won the 2015 Harvey Award for Best New Series and the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.

Sina Grace is an American comics writer, artist, memoirist, and social media personality. He is known for writing and drawing for various publishers, including DC Comics, Marvel, Image, and BOOM! Comics, including Iceman, Web of Spider-Bitch (TBA), Go-Go Power Rangers, and Self-Obsessed.

<i>I Hate Fairyland – Good Girl</i> American isekai graphic novel

I Hate Fairyland – Good Girl, also known as I Love! Fairyland, is a graphic novel, written and illustrated by Skottie Young that was released in five parts throughout 2017 by Image Comics, as the third volume of the comic book series of the same name, set in the Image Universe. Part 1, Con Girl, was released on March 15, 2017, Part 2, Lone Gert and Grub, was released on April 19, 2017, Part 3, Larry's Life was released on June 21, 2017, Part 4, Love's Labyrinth, was released on July 19, 2017, and Part 5, I Love! Fairyland, was released on August 16, 2017.

<i>I Hate Fairyland – I Hate Image</i> 2017 one-shot comic book by Skottie Young

I Hate Fairyland – I Hate Image is a one-shot graphic novel, written and illustrated by Skottie Young that was released on May 5, 2017, by Image Comics for Free Comic Book Day, as a crossover between the comic book series of the same name, the Image Universe, and other Image Comics titles, set between the events of Fluff My Life and Good Girl as Gertrude "Gert" traverses the realm in an attempt to leave Fairyland once and for all. A "director's cut", the I Hate Fairyland – I Hate Fairyland Image Special Edition, was published on October 4, 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  2. ↑ "Bitch Planet: The Feminist Exploitation Comic You Desperately Need". io9. December 30, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hennon, Blake (January 24, 2014). "Kelly Sue DeConnick Tackles Exploitation Tropes in 'Bitch Planet'". Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 DeConnick, Kelly Sue (2015). Bitch Planet 1. Berkeley,CA: Image Comics. pp. ALL.
  5. ↑ Young, Skottie (October 4, 2017). "I Hate Fairyland – I Hate Image Special Edition". Image Comics .
  6. ↑ "Bitch Planet #1". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Review: Kelly Sue DeConnick's Bitch Planet #1". The Mary Sue. 10 December 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ "A Seething Hell of Steel And Stone And Women Behind Bars: 'Bitch Planet' #1 [Review]". ComicsAlliance. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Bitch Planet #1 Review". IGN. December 10, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Chappell, Caitlin (June 15, 2020). "Science Fiction Is the Ultimate Queer Space in Comics". CBR . Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ King-Slutzky, Johannah (2015-03-06). "Welcome to Bitch Planet: The Comic That's Reimagining Feminism". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.