In Kelly Sue DeConnick’s graphic novel, “Bitch Planet,” the reader learns about main character Penelope Leona’s troubled past. Penny was taken from her home and adopted by the government when she was just eight years old due to her mother’s delusional and dangerous behavior. The reader learns about Penny’s life through a series of flashbacks to violent events in her life predominantly triggered by white males. Visual motifs give this story its meaning, by creating a noticeable contrast between Penny and her surroundings, the reader is able to clearly see how Penny is oppressed by those around her.  This graphic novel is a great example of the cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Although she speaks with strong words, Penny’s frustration is most clearly shown through the visual motif of extreme close ups of her facial expressions, and the colors in the background. 

Penny’s frustration is strongly depicted on page 178 in the top right panel of the first tier. In this panel, Penny’s facial expression is one of agony. Her teeth are tightly clenched and her eyes are shut. The author decided to use a slightly off centered close up in order to show Penny’s pain, while still including the disappointed looks of the men lecturing her.  Not only does her face show her frustration, but also the color schemes that DeConnick selected clearly contrast Penny and the “fathers.” The shadow over her face, and the white background surrounding the fathers creates a strong contrast in the colors which helps show how different Penny and the men on the screens are. The slight blue tint on the faces of the fathers stands out, and sets them apart from Penny in her orange jumpsuit. This contrast is representative of the racial  and gender oppression that Penny has fought through her entire life. 

The visual motif of Penny surprising her feelings is prevalent once again in the second panel on page 185. Although this panel is larger than just a close up of her face, she is in the foreground and the main focus of the panel. Once again Penny’s eyes are closed, showing her displeasure with the people around her. The color of Penny’s clothes was also an important decision made by DeConnickin order to make her stand out against the crowd in the background. Her green shirt vibrantly stands out against the woman pink shirt behind her, and the monotone white colors of the others. By creating this contrast, the author shows how different Penny is from the other people. This perceived difference is the root of Penny’s struggles, everyone sees her differently, and they only see the negative in her. Although there are words on this page, the visuals are far more effective in delivering the main idea of the story. 

Both of these panels hold very strong meaning, not in the words written, but in the pictures drawn. The visual motif of making Penny stand out from the background, and showing the close up features of her face to express her feelings is what gives this graphic novel meaning. The artistic decisions play a major role in showing the reader how Penny feels throughout the story. Juxtaposition plays a major role in this graphic novel, the comparison the author makes between Penny and her predominantly white surroundings highlight Penny’s struggles. Extreme close up shots of Penny’s face give the audience an opportunity to feel what she is going through by reading her emotions. The artistic decisions in this graphic novel give the reader a better sense of the story than the written words do.  

The use of extreme close ups, and juxtaposition in this graphic novel illustrate the main idea of Penny’s oppression to the reader. In all the panels containing Penny, she clearly stands out and is the focal point. By making her stand out, DeConnick creates a separation between Penny and the white people in the reader's minds. The use of pictures and how they are structured is very important to this comic. DeConnick makes each drawing have meaning. Even if there are no words, every panel adds significant value to the story by giving the reader a better perspective on what Penny is going through.  Although there are many strong and important words, the visual motif of extreme close ups and juxtaposition play the strongest role in effectively telling this story. 
