



Before reading Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Bitch Planet, when I heard “graphic novel” I thought of comic books. I thought of little kid stories with no real, or important, message. Bitch Planet was the first graphic novel I had ever read, and it certainly changed all of my opinions. Every panel is strewn with messages concerning current issues; feminism and racism being the main focus.

Starting with the third panel on page 177, we see a woman being accused of not just violent crimes, but “aesthetic offenses” (DeConnick, 177). Since this is the first example of the feminism theme, it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the graphic novel. It is also important to take note of who is reading off her offenses. The wall in front of Penelope is filled with TV screens projecting men’s faces. In my opinion this dehumanizes the men. They can see her whole body as she is standing in front of them, but to her they are just screens, almost like robots, looking at her with disgust. 

Another observation regarding the men in the screens provides the first example of the racism theme. All but one of them are white. In the last panel on page 178, over Penelope’s shoulder, a black man is visible in the far left screen. Not only is he out numbered in race, but also in his clothing. While all the other men are clean shaven and wearing sport jackets and ties, the black man has apparent facial hair and is wearing what appears to be a leather jacket and t-shirt.

On page 179 Penelope has a flashback. In panel three Penelope’s grandmother says “you’ll be as big and strong as an oak, like your daddy” (DeConnick, 179). Obviously I was aggravated that Penelope was being raised to think that her strength was a trait given to her by her father and not her mother, but what this panel also showed me was that Penelope’s grandmother was raised the same way. In fact, until Penelope says “my mom is strong,” (DeConnick, 179) her grandmother does not even acknowledge the mother’s existence. This panel contributes to the author’s message of feminism because it shows how oblivious someone can become when they were raised to think a certain way. 

The act of dehumanization is used again in panel four on page 183. One of the reoccurring TV screen men refers to Penelope’s mother as “the woman who birthed you” (DeConnick, 183). When I first read this quote, I truly did not even realize he was talking about Penelope’s mother. I thought maybe he was referring to the nurse who helped deliver her, but the thought of her mother never even crossed my mind. This just goes to show how dramatically different my perception of “a mother” is from the men’s perception in this novel. By calling Penelope’s mother “the woman who birthed you” it becomes very clear that this man believes a mother has no other purpose than to give birth. 

In Penelope’s next flashback on page 186, she is being scolded by a woman who fits into every female stereotype. She has pageant photographs hanging above her desk, sorority letters mounted on her wall, and a face full of makeup framed by her blonde hair. Penelope has gotten in trouble for defending her grandmother. However, according to Penelope’s principal, her grandmother is referred to as “Mrs. Chester Alexander” (DeConnick, 186).  Again, this title provides the illusion that a woman’s only job is to be a wife to her husband, just like being called “the woman who birthed you” (DeConnick, 183) implies that woman are only on this planet to produce babies. 

On page 189 when Penelope snaps back to reality and is still standing in front of the wall of men, her privacy is being stripped from her. The men have attached wires to Penelope, like some sort of test animal, to be able to project what she sees in her own mind, onto a screen. What stood out to me most about this whole scene in the novel is that one of the men on the screens says “ how long since you prioritized how others see you?” (DeConnick, 190). In my opinion of feminism, a large part of it is not letting the society or social norms change you. So, when this man tells Penelope to “prioritize” how others see her, it is obvious women are viewed as objects in their society, and it is the woman’s responsibility to be conscious of other’s opinions of her.

Finally, I think the author becomes the most forward about her theme on page 194. In the fourth panel on the page, a TV screen shows two woman giving a news update. The woman on the right says to the audience “Have you ever wished you had a gastrointestinal parasite? Well for a couple of today’s tweensters, that dream has come true!” (DeConnick, 194). Clearly, there are so many things wrong with what this woman is saying. The reason I think the author is making such a large point here is because of how exaggerated it is. DeConnick is trying to bring awareness to the insane measures women will go to to lose weight or to match up with the stereotypes set upon them. 

When reading this, it sounds crazy that someone would ever pay money to have a gastrointestinal parasite, but when you look at the real world, people do crazy things like this every day. Throughout Bitch Planet the author uses extreme exaggerations to draw attention to issues we face everyday but are blind to. Sometimes seeing something in text and applying it to our lives makes us much more aware of how many problems there really are. While this graphic novel touched specifically on racism and feminism, it is not hard to find other themes and issues such as the role of stereotypes in society. In this particular story, we also see the hardships that can be cast on someone who seems not to fit those stereotypes.


