There are many different ways to describe color. New York University’s seven description words for color are: hue, lightness or brightness, saturation, tint, tone, shade, value, aggressive, and passive (NYU). The best way to describe scenes in Bitch Planet is by describing them as either aggressive or passive colors. Aggressive colors are also known as warm colors while passive colors are known as cool colors. The goal of aggressive colors is to act as an attention grabber for the reader. On the other hand, passive colors are calmer and more relaxed(NYU). They help to set a break in an already fast paced scene and change the mood for the reader. The immense range of colors associated with the main character, Penelope, in Bitch Planet portrays the ideas Kelly Sue DeConnick has about the change in personality of a girl affected by mass amounts of change and stress.

Many pieces of literature tend to stick to a certain pattern with shades that describe the story as a whole. However, as seen on page 176 of Bitch Planet, the main character, Penelope, is in a scene with mostly cool and passive colors, such as hues of blue, brown and violet, while also wearing orange which is a warm and aggressive color. The guards that surround her match perfectly to the cool color scheme that they are enveloped into. They wear a neutral facial expression, while standing attentive and prepared for any issues that the prisoners may cause. Despite their general awareness, they do not show any particular emotion towards Penelope. Penelope's clothing leads the viewer to believe that the guards should be threatened by her because of the hostile vibe surrounding her. In spite of that, they show no emotion, not even fear. Since the guards are in non-aggressive stance it is compatible with the blue tones that they wear. Then there is Penelope, in her orange jumpsuit, presumably in prison. She is a largely built women with an angry expression across her face. Penelope is standing with her feet spread shoulder width apart, both hands clenched in fists at her sides. Everything about Penelope in this panel matches perfectly with the meaning of orange. The color imprisons her; she can never truly be free while she wears all orange. It is not her choice to live this way she is being forced.

On page 180 at the bottom of the panel in Bitch Planet, Penelope and her grandmother are seen in a kitchen. Penelope is depicted as a child in this scene that portrays her in a different way compared to other scenes in the story. Although warm colors are supposed to be aggressive in this panel, warm colors depict a youthful tone. These tones are less harsh to show a better time in Penelope’s life. Her prime time was when she was younger and had no real responsibilities. At this point in her life, Penelope was getting in trouble for getting cake batter everywhere while other people were getting in trouble with the law. This all changes as she ages, which is evident in the story by how she is seen in jail from trouble with law enforcement. Penelope and the kitchen walls are shaded pink with the walls holding a lighter shade than Penelope's shirt. In contrast, the grandmother is wearing a yellow blouse and blue jeans. The two characters are interacting in a very playful manner. Penelope taste the batter and accidently get batter in her hair and swings it onto her grandmother, which sparks a muffin fight. They are lightheartedly throwing muffins at each other while they laugh and smile. They are making a mess, but neither of them are actually mad at one another about anything in particular. They yell about making a mess, but it is clear that they are not actually mad at each other. Their priorities are on having a good time, not keeping the room clean and in order. The scene itself contains a countertop, cabinets, and doors that are a matching terracotta shade. Penelope is covered in light orange cake batter.  The fridge is a lighter yellow than the grandmothers blouse. The bowl in the bottom right is a cream hue. The warm colors in this panel are not meant to be scary or intimidating, they are meant to be light-hearted and lively.  

The warm colors that surrounded Penelope in some of the panels led me to believe that there were certain times in her past that made her confused and unhappy about the events in her life. Even when the panel gave off a happier, youthful, and innocent vibe with warm colors, it showed a happier memory going bad. When Penelope was young, the police came and ruined her playful day with her grandmother by barging in unannounced. They took either her grandmother or someone else in the house out of the house. This event obviously traumatized the main character as child because she still reflects on that day as a grown woman. This consistent ending supported the claim that the warm colors both symbolized and predicted the presence of aggressive behavior. The memory would end with what appears to be police evading Penelope's grandmother's home. Seeing the warm colors engulf Penelope foreshadowed the upcoming event that was going to become more aggressive than the previous scene depicted it to be. Since the main character is mainly dressed in aggressive colors, the title fits the visual test perfectly, with the name Bitch Planet. Warm colors epitomize the thematic concerns present in the piece of literature due to the aggressiveness of the character and the colors that she is displayed in.

Without color the world would be a blank canvas. Color helps tell a story. Although the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is overused, even for a cliché, it really is true. Using the right colors can create a whole new meaning to a story. If Penelope was dressed in jeans and a green blouse, it really would not be fitting considering her situation of being in prison. Thus by matching colors to a scene, it creates a better comprehensible interpretation for what is happening within the scene. The color behind the words truly shows the change in Penelope’s personality and her life as a whole.
