Penny Rolle, the breakout fan favorite of “Bitch Planet”, takes the spotlight in the first of special issues that dig deeper into the past of the non-compliants and sets the pace for what we should come to expect from these interludes.
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Illustrated Robert Wilson IV
“Too Big to Fail” reveals the specific events leading to zaftig Penny Rolle’s incarceration. ROBERT WILSON IV (Knuckleheads) joins KELLY SUE DeCONNICK (PRETTY DEADLY, Captain Marvel) on art duties for this flashback issue.
Every week we, as consumers, buy tons of comics that (whether we want to admit it or not) more often than not we read once and forget about. “Bitch Planet” #3 is not one of those; at least it wasn’t for me. The story of Penny Rolle and what brought her to this prison planet is a well crafted albeit predictable origin that really gets into deep seeded insecurities for many women in modern society.
Penny Rolle is a plus sized, African American inmate of the Auxilary Compliance Outpost where so called “non compliant” women are held prisoners. The opening pages unleash a self esteem devastating rant against Penny for nothing more than her looks. She’s asked what she’s done to herself and told by her “fathers” that they just want to help. From there on we’re shown her entire life from her early childhood to her teenage years and all the way to the event that landed her in the prison. The men that lead this patriarchal society are doing their very best to break Penny and then mold her into what they want. Problem is, Penny Rolle is not going to allow herself to be broken.
“Bitch Planet” #3 is an issue that tackles body image and the pressures put on women in modern society directly. Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robert Wilson IV do not sugar coat a single thing and hit you with everything they have. The world “Bitch Planet” exists in is clearly an over exaggeration but the way Penny’s appearance is addressed is very real. Women do have a ridiculous amount of pressure to live up to unrealistic beauty standards. Look at the world around us and the things that happen on a daily basis. We have photoshop, airbrushing, eating disorders, bullying and more. I’ve been where Penny has been mentally and I’d wager that most people, regardless of gender have been too. DeConnick is making you uncomfortable with the approach and that’s exactly the point, and it’s exactly why this issue works.
More importantly, Penny gets some important characterization. You can tell an origin but it’s the way a writer ties that to the present that makes it matter to the reader. DeConnick takes Penny from an angry stereotype to someone who’s relatable and wounded. Penny’s actions and attitude become a lot more understandable thanks to this issue. I think it’d be tough to find someone that just wouldn’t snap under this kind of pressure and that’s part of what endears us to Penny Rolle.
As I mentioned, every third issue of “Bitch Planet” will feature a guest artist and shed some light on one of the inmates. For the first of these issues, Robert Wilson IV was brought on and I have to admit, he’s not an artist I have huge familiarity with. With that said though it ended up being a great introduction to his work. Penny’s anger and frustration wouldn’t exist without Wilson’s pencils. From the very beginning he positions Penny as this force that the “fathers” have to overcome and not the other way around. Wilson doesn’t shy away from showing her anger but it’s far more subdued than what we’ve seen thus far. He shows her with steely eyes, clenched fists and a confident stance even when she’s being forced to think about things that hurt. He doesn’t turn her into something else physically and that is important character development done by the art.
Wilson really excels in one place that I think regular artist Valentine de Landro doesn’t: Wilson is adept at detailing the backgrounds and background characters. The “fathers” don’t appear on screen faded or oddly shapen and even the photographs on the back of Mother Siebertling’s wall are properly illustrated. He goes for a lot less gritty look compared to de Landro, and it really does work overall.
Continued belowGiven that this is an origin story, Wilson is tasked with creating a new world by going into the past. The mood is set by colorist Cris Peter who does a really fine job throughout but shines most during these pages. Penny when she interacts with her mother features brighter colors and Wilson creates a very playful scenario. Peter and Wilson are very much in sync here. As the story gets darker in the flashbacks, so do Peter’s color choices as he goes for a more somber atmosphere.
The weakest aspect of “Bitch Planet” #3 is the predictability. Only a few pages in, you can already see where it’s going and I think this series has the potential to rise above that. I want natural feeling plot progression but I don’t want DeConnick to rest on the established fanbase. I think this series can be something so much bigger than it is now. Penny Rolle’s origin is important and hits a lot of serious issues that women deal with every day but I want to be shocked and awed while still feeling like these women are my sisters. “Bitch Planet” #3 is the first of many special issues we’ll get and I hope that they all do something similar to what this issue did in terms of making sense in the bigger scope. The origins are fine and add something more to each character but the way this one was framed helped illustrate how the prison operates.
“Bitch Planet” #3 is not a perfect comic book, but it is powerful and does boast strong artwork. It’s also a pretty decent place to jump in. This series has become polarizing but is worth your attention.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – While a little predictable, Penny Rolle’s origin is emotional and hits you right in the feels.
