COMICS WARLOCKS

It’s no secret we love comics with something to say. And if there’s one series that doesn’t just say something but grabs you by the collar and forces you to listen, it’s Bitch Planet.

Bitch Planet
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artists: Valentine De Landro (#1-2; #4-5; #7-10), Robert Wilson IV (#3), Taki Soma (#6)
Colorists: Cris Peter (#1-5), Kelly Fitzpatrick (#6-10)
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Release date: December 2014 – April 2017

Bitch Planet is a feminist dystopian sci-fi series set in a near-future patriarchal society where women who are labeled “Non-Compliant” are exiled to an off-world prison planet. “Non-Compliant” basically means you don’t fit their standards. You’re too loud. Too fat. Too angry. Too independent. Too much. So you get sent away. Officially, it’s about reform. In reality, it’s about control.

The series is written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, who we already adore for what she did with Captain Marvel. She took Carol Danvers from Ms. Marvel into the icon she is today, and I will forever be grateful for that. She’s also known for Pretty Deadly and Aquaman, and she always brings strong character-driven storytelling with feminist layers. With Bitch Planet, she leans fully into exploitation aesthetics on purpose. It’s loud. It’s pulpy. It’s provocative. And it’s absolutely intentional.

The art by Valentine De Landro is gritty, raw, and textured in a way that makes the prison feel harsh and lived-in. Nothing about it feels polished or glamorous, which is exactly the point. This world is ugly. And the art refuses to soften that.

What I love most about this series is how “Non-Compliant” stopped being just a label inside the comic and became a real-world statement. At the end of issues, people were sending in pictures of their “NC” tattoos. That’s powerful. That’s when you know a book went beyond the page. I love when comics have a message, and Bitch Planet is unapologetically about its message. It’s about patriarchy as institutional power. It’s about body politics. It’s about media manipulation. It’s about how society polices women and then blames them for resisting.

And yet, even with all that big commentary, I connected deeply with the characters. I rooted hard for certain inmates. I got invested. What really worked for me was how certain issues zoomed in on different women, showing us exactly why they were labeled “Non-Compliant.” You realize how arbitrary, cruel, and political those judgments are. It makes you angry in the best possible way.

Now let’s talk about Megaton. Megaton is a violent, state-sponsored sport that already exists on Earth. It’s brutal, gladiator-style entertainment packaged as empowerment, designed to keep the public distracted while reinforcing the system. On Bitch Planet, the regime decides to bring Megaton to the prison colony for the first time. The women labeled “Non-Compliant” are going to be forced into the arena and turned into spectacle. The entire series builds toward this moment. We see the arena being constructed. We learn the rules. We watch the propaganda machine spin the narrative. We understand how this game is meant to exploit the inmates while making the audience feel like they’re watching something justified, even empowering. It’s media manipulation at its finest. It’s control disguised as sport.

And in the very last issue, we reach opening day. The arena is ready. The tension is high. The women are prepared. We get powerful, satisfying character moments. But we do not actually see the game unfold on the page. And that’s the part that still stings a little.

With only ten issues, it feels like we were standing right at the edge of something explosive. I wanted another arc. I wanted to see our girls step fully into that arena and fight for everything they’d been building toward. Still, what we got matters.

Bitch Planet is not subtle. It’s confrontational by design. It challenges you. It makes you uncomfortable. It makes you think. And it reminds you that sometimes being labeled “Non-Compliant” just means you refused to shrink. And honestly? That’s something worth owning.