Bitch Planet #2

Bitch Planet (Single Issues) #2

by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro (Artist)

Now framed for murder INSIDE the prison, Kam is offered leniency if she'll train her crew for a death sport bout against a visiting team of male prisoners. From 2014 Best Writer Eisner nominee KELLY SUE DeCONNICK (PRETTY DEADLY, Captain Marvel) and VALENTINE DeLANDRO (X-Factor) with colorist CRIS PETER (CASANOVA).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Feminism, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Dystopia, Fiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2015

About the author

Kelly Sue DeConnick’s work spans stage, comics, film and television. Ms. DeConnick first came to prominence as a comics writer, where she is best known for reinventing the Carol Danvers as “Captain Marvel” at Marvel and for the Black Label standard-setting Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons at DC. Her independent comics Bitch Planet and Pretty Deadly (both from Image Comics) have ranked as New York Times best-sellers and been honored with Eisner Awards, British Fantasy Awards and Hugo nominations.

Ms. DeConnick’s screen work includes stints on Captain Marvel, a film that earned $1B for Disney worldwide, and 2023’s forthcoming The Marvels with Marvel Studios; in addition to having consulted on features for Skydance and ARRAY, and developed television for NBCUniversal, Legendary Entertainment and HBOMax. Her most recent stage work is the mythic spectacle AWAKENING, which opened at the Wynn Resort Las Vegas in November 2022.

Mission-driven, Ms. DeConnick is also a founding partner at Good Trouble Productions, where she has helped to produce non-fiction and educational comics including the “Hidden Voices” and “Recognized” series for NY Public Schools and Congressman John Lewis’ Run, in partnership with Abrams Comics.

In 2015, Ms. DeConnick founded the #VisibleWomen Project, whose mission is to help women and other marginalized genders find paid work in comics and its related industries. The project continues to this day and recently expanded in partnership with Dani Hedlund of Brink Literacy.

Ms. DeConnick lives in Portland, OR with her husband, writer Matt Fraction, and their two children.

Reviews

[Tawfek · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are going somewhere the story is evolving!
Penny is badass i love that the next issue is about her.
I didn't really like the essay this time it had a lot of hard words and i wasn't in the mood to translate every five seconds lol
I hope its not always feminist essays, because most of the time it will be the same subject the same talk, they should mix it up interviews with different women perhaps, or maybe interviews with the creative team.

[Nicholas Talty · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I mentioned on my Saga #25 Review, I fucking love Wednesdays, also known as new-comic-book-day.

Firstly--and yes, I realize I'm pushing this hard, but it's only because I feel vehemently about this issue--you should head over and check out my Bitch Planet #1 Review where I rant at and berate he who dubbed the term "Man-hating fem-nazi," and advocate for open-mindedness and as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "a marriage of the two sexes." I use the word 'enough' and 'fuck' a lot. Or at least I used the word 'fuck' a lot in my head.

So, this is issue #2. I think everyone should buy it, and while they're at it, buy #1. Bitch Planet is such an abrasive name. Naming a new comic book is a tough decision to make as an author. You think, while people are perusing the new arrivals, the vast majority will be judging whether to pick something up or not based on the title and the cover; they're important. Even more so than novels. Novels get a lot of time to be hyped up. ARCs go out, reviewers say nice, or compensatory things about a book and people have time to find out that it's on the horizon and whether it's worth it to shell out the dough.

Comics, by nature, don't get that chance. So to name something abrasively is a big risk as it will spark some heightened interest, but it will also turn a lot of readers away. In a way, to read something with a cover and title like this feels a bit taboo.

Here's my point. It's meant to be abrasive. It's about making a loud point. DeConnick and her fellow artists are clearly depicting all the things that are wrong with our society. I'm not sure how many of you are comic book readers, but, even if you don't buy single issues normally, these are going to be a big collector's item, and on top of that it will be the kind of collector's item that you won't want to give up because they mean so much.

In the words of Margaret Atwood, "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum." Don't let the bastards grind you down.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO MUCH BETTER.



I was pretty torn on the first issue of this series. I liked the premise but wasn't in love with the message overwhelming the story. This second issue does a much better job interesting the reader in the story of these non-compliant women.



Issue 2 picks up with Kamau Kogo who has been blamed for Marian's death in the prison. The powers that be offer Kam the "opportunity" to put together a team of women to fight for what appears to be entertainment purposes.

I'm a sucker for ridiculous prison fights so I have to admit that I like where this is going. And the interactions between Kam and some of the other women, particularly Meiko and Penny, build their personalities in a much more interesting way than the first issue. Which honestly wouldn't be hard since there was next to no character development in the first issue. It's hard to cram a whole lot into 32 pages but I was very happy to see more character development in this one.



As a side note, Penny Rolle is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. I love how completely unapologetic and badass she is. There's a page where she's just refusing to follow orders and kicking ass in the background and it's way more entertaining than the conversation between Kam and another fellow non-compliant, Violet that's going on in the foreground. Penny's been an interesting character from the beginning so I'm excited to see more of her in the next issue.

Even if you weren't a huge fan of the first issue, I'd still recommend reading this one. The issues with the message overwhelming the story were resolved (at least for now), the characters finally start to get interesting, and the essay at the end of the comic is fantastic. It's definitely a series that I'll be keeping up with!

[Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first issue did not impress me much, but I decided to give the second a fair shot. I am officially still not impressed. In this reverse Stepford Wives meets Hunger Games comic I have yet to find an interesting character or original idea.
Marketing it as a feminist comic was such a smart move- I am sure it will do well, but in a world full of amazing comic books I do not have time to read mediocre ones. Maybe it will translate better to me in trade and I may try that one day, but for now this is coming off my sub list.

[Anto Tilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presiento que esta historia me va a dar mucha bronca. Un mundo dominado por hombres donde lo único que importa es el rating y las ganancias, suena tan conocido que da asco. A Kam, nuestra aparente protagonista, la culpan de un asesinato que no cometió en Bitch planet, la atormentan con eso inculcandole la idea de que fue su culpa y si lo hizo por envidia. Hasta que al director o lo que fuera de BP se le ocurre que podrían meter una especie de los juegos del hambre en esta cárcel 😟

[Athena Shardbearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-compliant

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this comic. I've never read a comic issue by issue before so I'm starting to see the advantage of having a lot of time to let each piece of the story settle before I move on to the next. AND: The feminist essays at the end of every issue. So important.

[Laura Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, so now we've got a Bitch Planet hunger games going on? The art and premise are great, but I still haven't really caught on - I'm not sure I really understand what's going on. Maybe that's on me, but I find it a little unclear.

[Sarah]

This is so freaking badass and smart and subversive and just everything. The essay in the back this time is A+, too.

[Ula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series and buying issue 3 basically as soon as I can get to a comic book shop.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Builds on the promise of the first issue and just gets more awesome.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story opens with the location being Earth with some form of catered cocktail party in progress. The first scene of the party shows what appears to be all men in suits with women in short dresses walking though carrying trays of refreshments. The speaker at the podium is engaged in an extended statement about creating another us versus them scenario. He closes with a classic profiting from misery statement, “To peace my friends . . . and God bless the bloodthirsty rites that help us to keep it.”
In this dystopia, noncompliant females are sent to an off-Earth location formally called “A. C. O.,” but known colloquially as “Bitch Planet.” The next location after the cocktail party is a closed room where a single woman is being bombarded by visual and aural messages demanding that she issue a confession for a murder.
When the woman shows some serious fight, her overseers express their approval, and she is recruited to fight other woman in some kind of arena. She is asked by other women to form a team that would be known as Megaton Team. The process is a strange one, with seeming relentless sensory bombardment. At the end, it is all about the video engagement metrics.
This is a very dark comic; women are largely depicted as simple vessels to be used by the white men in suits to achieve their entertainment and economic ends. While opportunities for freedom are dangled, it is clear that very few women will ever achieve that. Like the gladiators of ancient Rome, the successful ones are forced to fight until they encounter someone that is either lucky or has more skills.

[~•verena•~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐

I loooooved the scene on the treadmill!
Kogo is so cool, can't wait to learn more about Meiko.

In the afterword the author says Bitch Planet was supposed to have 30 issues, but it only has 10 if I'm not mistaken? I wonder what happened, this is too awesome to get cut short!

... It comes to this: social, economic, and political equality for all genders is a cause that should be easy to say you're down for, but the dilution of the word "feminism" has ensured that making that declaration with any type of clarity is no longer as simple as the concept of feminism itself. Being an advocate for feminism now means navigating a minefield of misconceptions, each of which requires its own refutation. But here's the thing: this is an obstacle course designed and installed by those who view themselves as having something to lose in the institution of feminism as a social and political doctrine...

Tasha Fierce

- Bitch Planet #2, 90%

[X. Yen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read every issue of this series and wanted more. It's so wonderfully cathartic, and I'm a feminist who is cis male. I have to believe it would be at least as cathartic for women, or at least any woman who has come face to face with institutional and cultural gender bias through trying to speak up and step out of expected roles.
To paraphrase Kelly Sue DeConnick telling this story somewhere... Someone whined to her that one of her big franchise comics was "angry feminism." She replied with something like, "You want angry feminism? Try my other work called 'Bitch Planet'." Or something along those lines.
BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY, there's nothing wrong with that description. It's perfectly appropriate and, like I said, tremendously cathartic. Thank you, Ms. DeConnick.
Have fun stawmin' da castle!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obviously can't give any details because even beginning in issue 2, if I brought up anything plot wise, it would be spoiling issue 1. What I will say is that I definitely recommend this series. The topic is so important in today's society, and I think that DeConnick does a very good job at depicting the topic in a sensitive and harsh way (if that makes any sense).

We learn more about the characters in this issue, and Kam is honestly such a strong and fantastic main character. I'm...enjoying isn't the right word, but I'll use it because my vocabulary isn't that strong...enjoying following Kam's journey in this horrific setting.

Her power is palpable in every page and panel.

[Shreya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, it's still pretty expositional, but we're getting into some character stuff. Kam, our protagonist, is actually pretty cool. She was an athlete before getting arrested and shipped off to Bitch Planet, and the authorities (some kind of council, I think?) are offering her a lighter sentence if she'll pick a team to compete in some sort of sports match. The style of art and writing is a bit confusing, but I'm still optimistic.

[Sunjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this series.

[Greta Stuhlsatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m hooked. This second one definitely got me into it.

[julhana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a meiko falando "i designed that ship" *-* mulheres sao tao poderosas

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one!

SO bummed there may not be anymore.

[Mykka · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have a game that is probably not going to be in these women best interest and maybe a prison escape.

[Syd]

not giving a rating bc i haven’t read anything else in the series and this was super short, but i find the premise really interesting for sure

[Aryanna Tunstall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kam is clearly being targeted but it’s hard to say what makes her so special to not only the higher ups but the other prisoners too.

[Kristine (The Writer's Inkwell) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: The Writer's Inkwell
I’ll admit it. I saw the title and I couldn’t help but request to read this comic. And I did, I made it about halfway through issue two when I realized if I’m uncomfortable reading something, I don’t have to finish reading it.

So why was I uncomfortable?

There were a few reasons:

The concept: I’ll admit, the concept is interesting. But the idea that men would truly come to rule the world and force non-complaint women to be imprisoned on a planet in what they refer to as “Bitch Planet.” The rules of the world have changed so much Earth is now known as Father Earth and space is Mother Space.
The nudity: I’m not a prude by any means. But there is a lot of naked women on these pages and it just didn’t work for me. Let’s just say they really aimed to put the graphic in graphic novels… and that’s funny since most of the artwork left a lot to be desired. I felt past the initial scene where they were instructed to get dressed, it wasn’t needed. So as I ventured into the second issue and there are yet more naked women with their big bushes, I just said enough is enough.

The only thing I enjoyed was actually the story about Marian Collins. Her story unfolds as her husband is saying there’s been a mistake. Both of their stories line up, where he cheats on her with a younger woman and Marian reacts by threatening him and such. But she claims she got help is would never hurt anyone. Just as it seems she might getting released, you realize he’s talking about his new wife, Dawn, the woman he left Marian for. Turns out Marian wasn’t initially apprehended and they accidentally secured Dawn and Marian.

Other than that, this is going into my Did Not Finish pile. It’s not often I don’t finish something, but I just can’t see a point in reading something I really found to be both distasteful and uninteresting.

Reviewer’s note: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book, because I read the first one and wanted to see where the series goes in book 2. It is very short. If I had paid for this instead of borrowed it I would be disappointed. The plot moves on a bit from book one, but not much.
The occupants of Bitch Planet are actually imprisoned women and the guards that monitor them. You are introduced to this and the questionable nature of some of the incarcerations in the first book. Some of the women do seem to be criminals while others are simply women who have grown too old for their husbands or who have offended someone by their mere existence.
Spoilers: In the second book you learn that the powerful men of the world have decided to keep peace between the nations by creating a competition where the populace can satiate it’s tendencies for violence and revenge. It’s decided that the populace of Bitch Planet would be a good choice of fighters for this endeavor. There is a bit more building on this plan at the end of the book but not much. I hesitate to call this a spoiler, because it hardly feels like spoiling anything.
There are feminist articles at the back of the book that I did not read. I have a rather large reading list and a busy personal life at the moment, so I decided to just read the story line for now and skip the articles. I might go back and read them, but I’ll probably only skim them.
I can’t say if I’ll read book 3 or not when I get the chance in the future. I’m already bored with the story and with a series called Bitch Planet it’s a shame I have to say that. It hasn’t lived up to the hype of the name so far.

[Rogue Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!
I was sad that there weren't more scenes with Penny (because come on, who doesn't love Penny in this series?) but! the 3rd issue is all about her, so I *guess* it's ok. ;)
I really want to know what exactly is going on with this Megaton deal. And I'm excited to see where this whole "tribe" idea on Bitch Planet goes.
I particularly love the last few pages of the story. In the background, Penny starts something with a guard, and as the story goes on more and more women get in on this brawl. It just looks so funny, because the women talking don't even acknowledge that it's happening.
I love that at the end of each issue, there is now an essay written by a feminist, or the essay is on feminism in general - each one is different. And I was so happy to see that the series is so well-received by fellow comic authors! Some of my personal favorites (Ed Brubaker anyone? cuz damn)tweeted their feelings about it :D

One day I will get myself some of those non-compliant temporary tattoos.

[alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much yes. Issue 2 shows us more of what the man is up to and how Kam's getting roped into his grand plan. We gain a bit more insight into her, Violet, and Meiko while Penny gets to kick booty in the background. Seriously, who are these woman on board with the compliance?? Loving, loving, love it all. The back matter continues to deliver with another great essay as well as evidence of actual real tattoos on real fans that decided after a single issue to brand themselves non-compliant wowzers! Also, failed to mention in my review of issue 1 how excellent the packaging is for this series. The covers are so retro feeling they stand out on the shelves as fresh and new while the backs are a hilarious combo of missed connections and ads. Who's designing the signature options, I wonder...?

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, the first two issues have been gradually building up to the main plot line. We haven't really gotten an in-depth look at the main characters yet, but I can't wait to see where this goes. I love how the back pages read like a magazine- not only do you get a message from DeConnick & typical reader questions, but also an essay that deals head-on with feminism by a guest writer and a tongue-in-cheek back cover designed like a page of old-school newspaper ads on the patriarchy. Reading this comic feels empowering, but I'm still waiting for the actual story to get going. I hope the next issue really dives in.

[Briar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, it's been like a year since I picked up issue #1 of Bitch Planet and I'm kind of ashamed that it took me so freaking long to get to the second one, because I really enjoyed the first one. But, I finally got to it, so whatever.

I think I'm a little disappointed in this issue because I feel like it didn't move things ahead very much at all. I wasn't expecting leaps or anything, but maybe just a tiny bit ~more,~ if you know what I mean. Regardless, I still liked this issue and I still really want to continue reading Bitch Planet and I can't wait to start learning more about the characters.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that we're into the major narrative proper, I'm still loving it. Hard. At first I had a twinge of "Oh dear, hunger games," but let's face it: the idea of ritual combat and collective emotional purging have been around a lot longer than the contemporary dystopian landscape, so I'll let it slide if it's well-executed. Which it is.

Amusing side note: I offered to pick up this subscription myself, but the darling BFF wouldn't allow it - it makes him happy, he says, to buy comics for me. That sound you heard was me NOT arguing. <3