
Visuals can be an author’s biggest asset, or can be their biggest downfall. The visuals an author chooses to use should convey a message to the audience that evokes emotion and understanding. If they don’t, authors risk a lack of interest in their work. Visuals are intended to draw in a reader and their attention through originality and different elements that only visuals can convey, such as color. With her expertise in the field, Kelly Sue DeConnick is able to make her purpose known through visuals with a lack of words. DeConnick uses colors and panel position to expand the audience’s understanding of her comic Bitch Planet. She utilizes color theory and point of view to express emotion and a message that would otherwise be invaluable to an audience had it been written out for them to read; one that promotes the presence of hostility and anger toward superiors.    

Focusing on the very first page of the comic, one can see the color contrast is intended to be noticed particularly early. The main character, Penelope, is standing in the middle of a jail cell, dressed in prisoner attire. Behind her stands two guards doing their duty of watching Penelope while she’s out of her personal cell. Once the reader gets the overall premise of the panel, they can look at the color that draws them in right away. Penelope’s attire is bright orange, which contrasts from the blues and purples in the background. This brings forth attention to her. The bright color represents her attitude too; her personal feelings toward the situation at hand. With her fist clenched and a stance that simulates that of a fight, the reader can analyze and make the argument that the color she’s wearing parallels her feelings to being in prison, that in which she is very angry. Penelope’s presence serves a dual purpose with the background of the panel. The background of the panel is a mixture of blue and purple. Those colors, known as “cool colors”, give off a tranquil and mild mood, completely contrasting that of Penelope and the foreground; which actually makes Penelope and her attitude more prevalent to the audience as the gauge for the first panel’s importance. This application of the audience in order to perceive the contrasts and meanings is known as Color Theory. Color Theory is meant for the audience to make connections that the author cannot explain through the text. The audience gains perspective through what the author cannot write, rather what they can produce visually. 

Color Theory is defined as: “A system of rules and guidance for mixing various colors in order to create aesthetically pleasing blends, produce maximum readability and clarity, and draw on cultural associations to effect meaning” (Purdue Owl). DeConnick outlines this theory extensively in order to show the audience an emotion that can be depicted through color. In the visual, Penelope wears basic prison garments, yet after closer examination, one can see that there is a deeper meaning. The basic prison garment is an orange jumpsuit and shackles. The color orange is associated with determination and a moderate temper. This depicts Penelope as a character. Penelope, as she is determined to show the fathers that she will not be considered a bitch and will not be seen as her mother was. Yet, her temperament is also shown through the color and its contrast to the blue background. Other than the obvious orange and blue complementary color scheme, the orange color shows the heated temper Penelope possesses toward the situation at hand. This contrasts the prison guards, whom of which are washed out in blue. Their temperament is that of calm and collectiveness, a message far more inferior, which is depicted with Penelope’s dominance in the visual. This plays a role in the overall message of the visual; to show the predominance of hostility toward superiors.      

As the audience nears the end of the page, and takes in the color contrast that catches their eyes right away, they can peer into the bottom right corner and see something extremely important to the panel; an extremely close up of Penelope’s narrowing eye with the words “…judging me” in the box. Earlier on in the panel, the text reads, “I can’t see you, but I can feel you…” Although these texts work together to form a mood, the illustration in the bottom right corner really brings forth a complete mood, one of anger and hatred, rather than setting a scene and color scheme. The biggest portion of the panel is a middle shot picture; yet, the extreme close up serves the biggest purpose. What one can see in the extreme close up is Penelope’s eyes. They can then see her eye wincing. Generally, when someone winces it’s because of distaste or discomfort. In the panel, Penelope’s prison attire suggests that he wincing is out of anger. One can take from this that Penelope is incredibly angry to be standing in prison. Yet, there is a problem with the positioning of this piece in the panel. The shading around the image brings focus to the middle, which focuses on color and stance. Yet, since it’s an extreme close up, the eye and mind can be drawn to a close up to see extreme detail. This expresses and reinforces the theme of hostility toward a superior. The reader can clearly see the distaste and hatred in Penelope’s face and demeanor.  

Since these two pseudo-motifs are found at the beginning of the excerpt; they must serve some purpose to the actual excerpt itself. The two work together in a way that brings extreme clarification to the piece automatically. The color and the extreme close up create a singular motif that the author and illustrator convey sneakily: panel position. With the color contrasts that serve as attitude reminders, and Penelope’s positioning and stance, the reader and audience are able to sense a mood. Yet, with the addition of the extreme close up located in the bottom right corner, the mood of distaste and anger is reinforced to the audience. Although it’s hidden, the extreme close up serves as a piece that’s super specific to the overall story line; again, showing mood and tone. The larger panel also serves to set a location, or setting, for the comic itself. Although the comic flashes back to earlier childhood, the audience knows that the true setting of the piece is in the jail that Penelope is standing in the first overall panel. The main portion of the full page is shown like any normal comic would, a larger, midshot illustration. The panel positioning really comes into play when looking at the smaller portion in the right corner. The close up is put there strategically. When the reader goes to flip the page, they will see it and pay close attention to the material and be sure to process what it really is saying, or its intended purpose, before going to the next page. Also, the larger panel’s importance needs to be more prominent; therefore, the larger of the two pictures must be where Penelope’s standing. Being the location of the panel is in the beginning of the excerpt, the position of the panel gives the audience a sheer sense of what is to come. That’s why it’s there, to allow the reader to know beforehand what will be coming up, much like a thesis statement in a term paper. These two work together to complete an overall message and theme. The two motifs work together to allow the reader to see the color and position of the picture as well as to see the theme. They get the underlying message conveyed through color theory and the positioning of the panel.

In conclusion, DeConnick uses Color Theory and panel position through shading and point of view shots to enhance a theme of hostility toward superiors, one that will carry on throughout the remainder of the comic, Bitch Planet. The author allows a reader to see the color orange to contrast the color blue in order to contrast moods, while one is also able to see the main portion of the picture through complementary colors; the blue background allows the orange to come through in a strong way. The audience is also able to find extreme mood through close ups to see detail that depicts angry and emotion. All and all, the author uses these elements to depict a starting theme for the comic, one that sets the tone of anger and hostility toward superiors.   

