Book Review: Bitch Planet vol #1

Book: Bitch Planet volume #1: Extraordinary Machine (issues #1-5) by Kelly Sue DeConnick with illustrations by Valentine De Landro and Robert Wilson IV (issue #3) and color by Chris Peter

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

In a future just a few years down the road in the wrong direction, a woman's failure to comply with her patriarchal overlords will result in exile to the meanest penal planet in the galaxy. When the newest crop of fresh femmes arrive, can they work together to stay alive or will hidden agendas, crooked guards, and the deadliest sport on (or off!) Earth take them to their maker?


Rating: 1 star

Review:

I absolutely despise this book, it's demeaning and degrading in its poor attempt to be empowering to women. This story made me so mad besides being poorly written, boring and filled with complete nonsense. It was trying too hard to have this "edgy" plot that it lacked depth and anything remotely entertaining. It was just empty and angry and filled with gratuitous nudity.

This first volume is set during a futuristic time where the men rule Earth and the women who are not compliant, docile and submissive a.k.a. "stepford wives" get sent to a prison planet crudely nicknamed "Bitch Planet". When one of the newly arrived inmates Marian Collins was murdered, one of the prisoners Kam, who was trying to protect her was blamed for it. They tried to brainwash Kam into saying she did it but it didn't work.

When the brainwashing didn't work Kam was offered a chance to create a team for Megaton, a game that is used to make money for the prison. My guess is they offered this to Kam to keep her from trying to find out who killed Marian.

I was very disappointed with this book, what was the point of it. There was no back story or any information given as to how the world got so turned around. I find it hard to believe that there were no complaints from women about this poorly written, degrading and exploitive book. I see so many comic book related complaints often in regards to the lack of respect to female creators and female characters, yet I didn't hear a peep about this book.

I'm even more surprised that this is considered a feminist book, it reads as the complete opposite. There are so many amazingly empowering comic books out there but this is not one of them.