Comic Vine Review

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Bitch Planet #2

4

Kam is asked to start a Megaton team.

The Good

BITCH PLANET continues on as readers get to see how the other side of this universe works. We catch a glimpse into the lives of the powerful and wealth: the ones in control. The book broadens a bit more to give readers a full scope of the story and who the key players are. While there is some minor problems with everything as a whole, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick crafts these characters extremely well through their dialogue. We have distinctive voices for these characters, which is something you obviously need for a strong book.

The opening is pretty fantastic. We get a sense of Father Josephson is and spoiler alert, he sucks and you won't like him. His arrogant, cocky, and says whatever is on his mind, which isn't always a good thing. We get more from the Father later on, and once again, he's a bit of a slimeball. He makes for a solid antagonist you'll love to hate.

One of my personal favorite scenes is when Violet and then later Meiko are proposing to Kam that she should put together a Megaton team. Violet, Kam, and Penny are running during exercise time, and Penny falls behind. Violet continues to talk to Kam, and in the background, Penny takes on a guard. As the scene continues, a full-on riot eventually breaks out. The page layouts are all similar, which helps create a sense of movement, like we're watching it all play out in a movie theater. Once again, DeConnick's dialogue is strong and each character has a distinct voice.

Heading over to the land of fantastic art, Valentine De Landro and Cris Peter on colors gives BITCH PLANET a gritty, yet futuristic look that also takes note from the various exploitation films from the 60s and 70s. Stylistically, this book is one giant, well-crafted mash-up. On top of that, De Landro keeps the page layouts reletively simple, which is perfect for a story like this. Conceptually, it has some new and sometimes out there elements, so the more simplistic layouts really help the movement of the story. Don't get me wrong, it's not basic by any means, and De Landro is fantastic with moving the story forward while telling the tale.

The essay by Tasha Fierce, after the issue concludes, is pretty fantastic and a must read for those who believe in equality. She delves into the misconceptions about feminism and the typical and often ignorant outcries that some people have towards certain people who call themselves feminists.

The Bad

Here's where the problem within BITCH PLANET lies. This is a very new world and a very different world from the one we live in, as far as the future goes. So there's moments where things like Megaton are mentioned and we know it's a sport but that's about it. Bigger concepts as well feel a little under-explained as well. Understandably, the way which the writer delivers these larger ideas is tricky. You don't want it to be an infodump on the reader, but you also want to leave a little mystery to keep the reader invested. While we know where this book is headed (at least we think we know), there's a bit of frustration from feeling a little lost in the woods. However, we'll just keep on reading to figure it all out.

The Verdict

I'm loving BITCH PLANET. Sure there's moments where I feel a bit lost on some of the concepts, but this book is a hit. We get more and more of this world as the series moves forward and it's pretty rad. The writing is awesome. The art is awesome. DeConnick, De Landro, and Peter deliver something you'll want on your pull list. Finally, the essay in the back of this month's issue is well-stated and has a great point of view. Just go buy BITCH PLANET already.