Bitch Planet #1

Bitch Planet #1
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art/Covers: Valentine de Landro
Colour: Cris Peter
Letters: Clayton Cowles
December 2014
Image Comics

I've read this issue several times now, initially around the time of its release, once again yesterday, and yet another time this morning. I'm thoroughly intrigued by the premise: a feminist comic centered around a female prison facility on a distant planet, which showcases the mistreatment of these women and the possible wrongful incarceration of them, by men no less. Bitch Planet, obviously, screams "female prison exploitation" (and does so in a no-holds barred way).

Despite the feminist direction and tone of the book, I'm not enamoured with it like so many people are. It's a shame, because I was really excited and pumped to read this series and spread the word to everyone that this is the feminist comic we've all been needing in our lives. Having said that, I acknowledge that I've only read the first two issues, so perhaps Bitch Planet will hit me in such a forceful way that my view towards it will change. This series is slated to go for 30 issues according to writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, so having a clearer sense of the bigger picture may sway my opinion. First issues have an immensely tough job to do, so despite my negativity and criticism that follow, I am sympathetic towards what the creators have to do in a series' first twenty or so pages and recognize that it won't be perfect.

So, what is it exactly that didn't sit well with me? The execution primarily. This is obviously subjective, but the art is what really detracts me from enjoying this book. It's unfair of me to criticize someone's art since I have no visual art skills myself, so take my critique lightly. As a reader (or as a consumer, as I'm sure the creative team of this book would rather I be labeled), Valentine de Landro's art comes across to me as uninspired and lacking the appropriate grit required for an angry feminist book. It certainly has its own "grit," but I guess the reason I don't enjoy it is because of the splotchiness of the inking. My assumption is that it was a goal of the creative team to shy away from prettiness (a typically effeminate quality), which is respectable on a philosophical level. It makes sense, especially since they're riffing on exploitation cinema of the 1970s.

Interiors of Bitch Planet #1

Storywise, Bitch Planet gives the appearance of being more carefully thought out and crafted. While I'm unclear of what exactly is to come with this narrative (which is probably a good thing), there are several well executed scenes and quieter moments that express feminist rage and the inequalities between the sexes which hold immense relevance to 21st century Earth outside of the narrative. "It's their own fault they don't see it coming," one prison security administrator says, by which he means that the prisoners' incarceration to the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost (alternatively labeled Bitch Planet) is of their own doing. This is representative of the mindsets of many people in the world outside of the comic, mostly men, who claim that women should take responsibility for what happens to them, whether it be getting fired from a job for not tolerating sexual harassment, or being sexually assaulted because "she was asking for it." "It's their own fault," never the wrong doing of the instigator. Men are capable of no wrong...

What I enjoy most about Bitch Planet is what it stands for and what it's trying to tackle politically and philosophically. It succeeds in creating various scenarios that express and demonstrate the downfalls of Western society in regards to sexual inequality, including the mistreatment and objectification of women. My problem is that I need more story to become invested in the characters and the events that are taking place. I'm sure this would read better collected. The art could be polished up in areas, and now that world has been established, the main players need to be developed. I'll be reading through to the end of the first arc, so I'll share more insights as soon as I read future issues. I had high hopes for this series and I'm still keeping my head up as #1s are a tough sell and are no way a complete indicator of how a series will be.

One of the various ads on the back cover. Great fun!