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[Comic Book Review] “Bitch Planet” #1 Is A Staggering Read That Will Test Your Compliance

Published

9 years ago

on

“Bitch Planet” #1 is going to make a lot of people angry. Good.

STK658622

WRITTEN BY: Kelly Sue DeConnick

ART BY: Valentine De Landro

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: December 10, 2014

We’ve been told that “Bitch Planet” is Margaret Atwood meets Inglourious Basterds. They’re not wrong. But I’ll add to that: Orange is the New Black, “Le Deuxième Sexe,” Chicago, a little bit of Mad Men, and a hint of Grindhouse: Death Proof. It’s the start of a revolution jam packed into a comic book. It’s females being female in the smartest, toughest, sexiest, roughest, natural, raw, powerful, and honest way possible. It’s the true meaning of feminism. Not the misunderstood one that is blasted across the world.

In “Bitch Planet,” non-compliant women are shipped off to another planet that serves as a sort of prison. This prison has a holographic matriarch that is projected as all types of personalities…a leader, a warden, a “loving” catholic priestess… basically whatever she needs to be projected as in the moment to take care of business. The real story begins when a husband of one of the women shipped off to Bitch Planet comes into their earth headquarters pleading, saying his wife doesn’t belong there. They had a misunderstanding, that’s all. She’s not non-compliant. He had an affair and she acted out a little. Made some threats. But they resolved the issue, everything’s fine…he pleads. The setup of this conversation is downright genius as it switches panel to panel between his wife telling her story and him telling his story. Unfortunately it doesn’t end well for her but I’m not giving anything away because what ends up happening is the greatest mind fuck I’ve seen in awhile.

The way this future is set up is fascinating. A woman can be sent to prison for being non-compliant…and non-compliance encompasses being angry that your husband had an affair. Who knows what else it encompasses—a detail I can’t wait to find out more about. Yes, some of the women on Bitch Planet are criminals, so it should be insanely interesting to see how this plays out. But the patriarchy and the vast importance it plays in this speculative society are both captivating and terrifying. DeConnick crafts the hell out of this bleak future—a future that rewards men for their treachery and takes everything away from women for what exactly? We don’t know yet. But we know a few of them are as minor as gluttony and pride. What “Bitch Planet” is really asking us is, “What does it mean for a woman to be non compliant? And does this definition oppress her?”

Now of course this is an exaggerated world. It’s exploitation at its finest. But that’s the nature of speculative fiction. Even science fiction. This comic, at its heart, is social science fiction—a look at what could come about if we don’t make some changes in both gender and race relations. Like I said, it’s going to piss some people off and that just means it’s doing its job well. Add this to your pull list. It’s important, if not a little rough around the edges, but a staggering read.

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

5 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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