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soniab1711's review against another edition
5.0
I want to thank Kelly Sue DeConnick for writing this. This is fun because the women in this story totally kick ass and what they have to endure makes you angry at the same time. And the plot is intriguing too.
I'd even say this story is necessary because so many people who believe they are liberal and support equal rights for women think many "feminists" are paranoid and over-reacting. And the world building of Bitch Planet totally reflects why it's necessary to speak up when there's something wrong.
Will definitely continue with this series.
I'd even say this story is necessary because so many people who believe they are liberal and support equal rights for women think many "feminists" are paranoid and over-reacting. And the world building of Bitch Planet totally reflects why it's necessary to speak up when there's something wrong.
Will definitely continue with this series.
dknippling's review against another edition
5.0
Stepford Wives meets Hunger Games? Noncompliant women are sent to Bitch Planet, where they suffer and die and, even worse, get lectured endlessly on being too much of a muchness. Now they get set up to join a sportsball tournament. Can they win?
What sold me on this was the characters. I had trouble reading it--because I knew these people so well, and they felt too damned familiar. Loved it.
What sold me on this was the characters. I had trouble reading it--because I knew these people so well, and they felt too damned familiar. Loved it.
curly_entropy's review against another edition
1.0
I'm so sorry I didn't like this book. The art is nice, the premise is cool but maybe was that I was expecting something specific? But it wasn't what I expected:(.
naleagdeco's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read. Reminds me of Orange is the New Black, but grungier and more violent and without introducing Piper.
Story itself didn't catch me only because I suspect the premise has influenced many works since; I owe it that recognition.
Really fascinated by the advertisements that pepper each break, reminding me of both the Watchmen and Paul Verhooven's advertisements. I suspect that is where I would glean the most insight for myself.
I have only read the first volume of the series and I don't feel I have a grip on the society the protagonists are opposing. It is a pastiche of whiteness and a certain income class, but so far it's been fairly one-dimensional (and I am curious how all of the protagonists will evolve through the series' run since they are engaging characters when we learn enough about them.) But perhaps that's fine; if this book is one of the first recent books to tackle that, given who I suspect the intended/desired audience is (i.e. not me) then a book of shared frustration and catharsis is more important. But I am curious if the series will deal with (in the framework for example I am comfortable talking about) the reasons a person of colour, say, might feel conflicted and caught in-between the radical faction offered and the status quo.
There was a study guide at the back of my volume. I very much appreciated that.
Story itself didn't catch me only because I suspect the premise has influenced many works since; I owe it that recognition.
Really fascinated by the advertisements that pepper each break, reminding me of both the Watchmen and Paul Verhooven's advertisements. I suspect that is where I would glean the most insight for myself.
I have only read the first volume of the series and I don't feel I have a grip on the society the protagonists are opposing. It is a pastiche of whiteness and a certain income class, but so far it's been fairly one-dimensional (and I am curious how all of the protagonists will evolve through the series' run since they are engaging characters when we learn enough about them.) But perhaps that's fine; if this book is one of the first recent books to tackle that, given who I suspect the intended/desired audience is (i.e. not me) then a book of shared frustration and catharsis is more important. But I am curious if the series will deal with (in the framework for example I am comfortable talking about) the reasons a person of colour, say, might feel conflicted and caught in-between the radical faction offered and the status quo.
There was a study guide at the back of my volume. I very much appreciated that.
mediaevalmuse's review against another edition
4.0
I cannot sing the praises of this comic enough, nor can I express the enormity of the social work it does or how it has affected so many readers. Bitch Planet is a comic for feminists, for the non-compliant, for people who don’t fit in the box of what society says you ought to be (which is pretty much everyone, let’s be real). It’s a comic that has the same revolutionary power as contemporaries such as Ms. Marvel and Saga (not that previous comics haven’t been feminist - just that there are a few titles out right now that REALLY pack a punch, and this is one of them). In short, this is a comic for today - and I’m sure it’ll be a landmark in comics for years to come.
Things I Liked
1. Premise: I love the idea of blending a “prison story” with a social commentary, especially a feminist one. Orange is the New Black attempts to do similar work, but it’s less explicitly about feminism than Bitch Planet, whose inmates aren’t imprisoned so much for breaking the law, but for acting out against what is considered “normal” or “feminine.” It makes for an interesting premise and a powerful statement about the patriarchy.
2. Social Commentary/Feminist Message: Bitch Planet doesn’t subtly hint that there’s something wrong with the patriarchy. It really hits you in the face with it, often using exaggerated, ridiculous narrative moments to show you just how dumb it is to try to fit people (especially women) into one ideal. Media says you should be stick-thin? Bitch Planet shows you moments where the media is advertising gastrointestinal parasite diets. Our real-life ideal is that women should be light-skinned to be considered beautiful? Bitch Planet gives us a host of characters who are black. This comic pushes against every delusional, backwards-looking ideal for women in our current society, and it does it with such ferocity that it’s hard not to throw a fist in the air when a particular character stands up to “the man.”
2. Penny: Penny... Oh my god, Penny. What a character. Penny is a large, black woman who is 100% confident in her appearance. There’s a moment when she’s hooked up to a machine that is supposed to read a person’s thoughts and project the ideal image of themselves onto a mirror-like screen. When Penny is hooked up, it is revealed that her ideal self-image is identical to her real-life one. What a powerful moment! And to accompany that, Penny’s backstory is one of sadness, but also one of deep love between her and her mother. It was touching to read and inspiring to follow, even after she is sentenced to prison.
4. Visuals: I really like the look of the prison world and the ridiculous pink holographic figures that deliver messages, like an intercom, but for corrective behaviors. I also like the look of the characters themselves, with varying body types, and the composition of the pages, which isn’t always a 3 by 3 grid. It changes up quite a bit.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Megaton Plot: The main plot of this story follows Kamau Kogo, who intervenes in a prison fight with the guards that results in a woman getting killed. Afterwards, she if offered an opportunity to choose a team of inmates to participate in a sort of rugby-like sporting match with a team from outside the prison (sponsored by the patriarchy, of course). To be honest, I wasn’t as interested in this plotline as I was in the backstories of the women who were in the prison. I’d much rather explore the world of the comic first, and at a slower pace, before delving into this larger plot which gets away from the prison itself.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in science fiction, space operas, women’s prisons and prison culture, prison planets/colonies, feminism, body image, and slaying the patriarchy. You might also like this book if you enjoy the Orange is the New Black show, short story collections such as Inside This Place, Not Of It, or comics like Saga, Ms. Marvel, and Rat Queens.
Things I Liked
1. Premise: I love the idea of blending a “prison story” with a social commentary, especially a feminist one. Orange is the New Black attempts to do similar work, but it’s less explicitly about feminism than Bitch Planet, whose inmates aren’t imprisoned so much for breaking the law, but for acting out against what is considered “normal” or “feminine.” It makes for an interesting premise and a powerful statement about the patriarchy.
2. Social Commentary/Feminist Message: Bitch Planet doesn’t subtly hint that there’s something wrong with the patriarchy. It really hits you in the face with it, often using exaggerated, ridiculous narrative moments to show you just how dumb it is to try to fit people (especially women) into one ideal. Media says you should be stick-thin? Bitch Planet shows you moments where the media is advertising gastrointestinal parasite diets. Our real-life ideal is that women should be light-skinned to be considered beautiful? Bitch Planet gives us a host of characters who are black. This comic pushes against every delusional, backwards-looking ideal for women in our current society, and it does it with such ferocity that it’s hard not to throw a fist in the air when a particular character stands up to “the man.”
2. Penny: Penny... Oh my god, Penny. What a character. Penny is a large, black woman who is 100% confident in her appearance. There’s a moment when she’s hooked up to a machine that is supposed to read a person’s thoughts and project the ideal image of themselves onto a mirror-like screen. When Penny is hooked up, it is revealed that her ideal self-image is identical to her real-life one. What a powerful moment! And to accompany that, Penny’s backstory is one of sadness, but also one of deep love between her and her mother. It was touching to read and inspiring to follow, even after she is sentenced to prison.
4. Visuals: I really like the look of the prison world and the ridiculous pink holographic figures that deliver messages, like an intercom, but for corrective behaviors. I also like the look of the characters themselves, with varying body types, and the composition of the pages, which isn’t always a 3 by 3 grid. It changes up quite a bit.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Megaton Plot: The main plot of this story follows Kamau Kogo, who intervenes in a prison fight with the guards that results in a woman getting killed. Afterwards, she if offered an opportunity to choose a team of inmates to participate in a sort of rugby-like sporting match with a team from outside the prison (sponsored by the patriarchy, of course). To be honest, I wasn’t as interested in this plotline as I was in the backstories of the women who were in the prison. I’d much rather explore the world of the comic first, and at a slower pace, before delving into this larger plot which gets away from the prison itself.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in science fiction, space operas, women’s prisons and prison culture, prison planets/colonies, feminism, body image, and slaying the patriarchy. You might also like this book if you enjoy the Orange is the New Black show, short story collections such as Inside This Place, Not Of It, or comics like Saga, Ms. Marvel, and Rat Queens.
remarkieable's review against another edition
3.0
Here is a slow-burning opening to an ambitious story. The overtly patriarchal society in which the characters live exceeds the constraints of one planet, Earth, and banishes so-called non-compliants to an extraterrestrial prison known formally as the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost (A.C.O.) and colloquially as Bitch Planet.
The non-compliant (N.C.) women are exiled for a number of infractions: murder, marital neglect, hysteria, mockery, fetal murder, obesity, seduction & disappointment, nymphomania, marital withholding, irreversible ill-temper, patrilineal dishonor, etc. The citizens of this future Earth are bound by rigid rules governing appearance and behavior which mirror the expectations of contemporary society. Given the emphasis on bodily non-compliance and appearance-based infractions, I was surprised to see a relative uniformity of body types among prisoners in the frequent nude scenes. The prevalence of perfectly shaped B/C cups and identically manicured body hair strikes me as unlikely.
Many are the characters introduced who deserve further character development. I look forward to visiting Bitch Planet again soon and rooting for my favorite team in the Duemila/Megaton!
The non-compliant (N.C.) women are exiled for a number of infractions: murder, marital neglect, hysteria, mockery, fetal murder, obesity, seduction & disappointment, nymphomania, marital withholding, irreversible ill-temper, patrilineal dishonor, etc. The citizens of this future Earth are bound by rigid rules governing appearance and behavior which mirror the expectations of contemporary society. Given the emphasis on bodily non-compliance and appearance-based infractions, I was surprised to see a relative uniformity of body types among prisoners in the frequent nude scenes. The prevalence of perfectly shaped B/C cups and identically manicured body hair strikes me as unlikely.
Many are the characters introduced who deserve further character development. I look forward to visiting Bitch Planet again soon and rooting for my favorite team in the Duemila/Megaton!
shanbonan's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this four stars, but not because I enjoyed it. On the contrary; I really didn't like it at all. So why the four stars? Because it was a well-written, well-illustrated graphic novel, and the fact that I don't like graphic novels shouldn't have any bearing on my rating. It frustrates me to no end when people add Goodreads reviews that say "this isn't my type of book" and then they give the book a low score just because of the genre. Dude, if you're capable of reading, you're capable of putting your own preferences aside for a moment and judging the book separately from those preferences. Sheesh!
Bitch Planet is set in a dystopian future in which unruly women - and men decide who is unruly and who isn't - get shipped off to a distant planet...thus the name. Because I'm not a reader of graphic novels, I can't say whether this is a unique idea or not, but in the world of fiction it's always refreshing to see a female protagonist...and a whole book of them? And protagonists who kick butt? It's a unicorn!
There's some nudity, and a little bit of language, so this definitely isn't for kids. That being said, I wouldn't mind sharing it with my 15-year-old daughter. How often will she see a story like this, with women being strong and confident and kicking butt along the way?
So, no, I didn't like it, but I love that it exists, and I'm really glad that I read it. And, by the way, I'm thinking about reading more from the series. Meanwhile, I'm giving this four starts for quality and total awesomeness.
Bitch Planet is set in a dystopian future in which unruly women - and men decide who is unruly and who isn't - get shipped off to a distant planet...thus the name. Because I'm not a reader of graphic novels, I can't say whether this is a unique idea or not, but in the world of fiction it's always refreshing to see a female protagonist...and a whole book of them? And protagonists who kick butt? It's a unicorn!
There's some nudity, and a little bit of language, so this definitely isn't for kids. That being said, I wouldn't mind sharing it with my 15-year-old daughter. How often will she see a story like this, with women being strong and confident and kicking butt along the way?
So, no, I didn't like it, but I love that it exists, and I'm really glad that I read it. And, by the way, I'm thinking about reading more from the series. Meanwhile, I'm giving this four starts for quality and total awesomeness.