Over and over again we have heard that a picture is worth a thousand words and often times we take that saying for granted, though it is the truth. Just taking one look at a picture can evoke a number of different feelings associated with past experiences, memories, and even sensations. Pictures and images have the ability to capture so much more than we can use words for and often do when we cannot find the words to describe these feelings. In Kelly Sue DeConnick’s “Bitch Planet,” the image of Penelope with her fists clenched, mouth open, and her body hunched over, along with the expressions of the men on the screen and the text inside and around her speech bubble provide a powerful example of how comments can spark a spontaneous emotion.

Throughout the graphic novel, other than in the flashbacks, Penelope has been standing still with a straight face. Every time the scene of her in the room with the men on monitor screens is shown, we can see the anger on her face and she even squints her eyes and closes them, but she does not move her body. In the last panel on page 189, this is the first time that Penelope moves. Once her adoption is mention, Penelope’s body language completely changes. She clenches her fist and brings them up to her chest as if she is about to hit something or someone. Her mouth is wide open, giving the appearance that she is yelling. She also is no longer standing straight up, now she is crouched over displaying her obvious anger. Penelope’s eyebrows are arched down and her eyes are in slits making it easier for the audience to see the anger all over her face. All of a sudden she goes from being mostly poised to snapping at these men on the screen in response to what they have said to her about her mother and her adoption. The stance that Penelope is in seems to be a fighting stance indicating that she does not like what is happening in this moment. What they have started to say has made her lose her composure completely and this is the only time in the graphic novel that this happens. 

Penelope speaks the least in the whole graphic novel, so when she does speak it is significant. In this panel, this is only the third time she speaks, with the first and second times being just two and three panels before this one. This comment also shows emotion whereas most of the rest of the comments she makes she is less passionate about. The content of the speech shows her passion for the topic being discussed. The words “mother” and “my mother” are bolded in the speech bubble for emphasis on these words. This calls more attention to them in order for the reader to pay more attention to what she is saying. Another detail that draws the reader’s attention is the use of an exclamation point. This is the only time that one is used throughout the graphic novel and it shows the level of intensity of what she is saying. The red line around her speech bubble catches the eye of the reader because of its color. Most of the other colors used in the panel are dull but the red used is eye catching. The color red is a symbol of anger. This is the only time that a red line is used around a speech bubble or even a word or phrase. Even if there were not words in the speech bubble, we could still tell from just the red line around it that she was angry, so it helps display her anger visually. DeConnick also chose to use this line around the entire bubble rather than just around a word or phrase to show that everything she said to those men was out of anger. She did not like that they referenced her mother just as the woman who gave birth to her and she remembers exactly when she was taken from her because it was not a good time for Penelope. The anger that she still feels about the situation is displayed with this speech bubble and the red around it. 

Another way that we can understand the type of emotion shown in this image is by the reactions from the men on the monitors. All of them have shocked expressions on their faces. Many have their mouths open, one has his hand over his mouth, a couple have their hands up in a defensive way and most of them are shying away from her as if in fear. These men are shocked from the reaction that those words have caused in her. They are now able to see Penelope for the dangerous person that she is and they know what pushes her buttons. They can see the rage that she possesses and are afraid of what she might do to them now that she is truly angry. The one man with his hand over his mouth is pictured close up in the corner of the panel. The fear on his face is very evident because he is the one that was directly talking about her mother. His hand over his mouth shows that he is taken by surprise by Penelope’s reaction to what he has said about her mother. His tiny speech bubble shows his outburst of shock because he is unable to even speak a word, he just mumbles incoherently. He is brought to the foreground of the panel because he is the person who evoked this emotional response from Penelope so it is important for us to see how he reacts to it.

The use of color, body language, and words helped to utilize this picture into an argument for how emotions can clearly be captured through an image. It is not hard for the reader to see how Penelope’s anger and rage came about and it is evident in this picture that the outrage is there. The imagine is successful in capturing the emotions behind the illustrator’s intent of the graphic novel. Though words can also be used to explain the feelings in this story line, the images portrayed do a perfect job of truly capturing the moment of the story in ways that words could not.
