Bitch Planet Triple Feature #3 Review

Writers: Kit Fox, Dylan Meconis, Alissa Sallah/ Artists: Dylan Meconis, Vanesa R. Del Rey, Alec Valerius / Image Comics

Another round of Bitch Planet Triple Features, another web of stories to get lost in!

Written by Alissa Sallah and illustrated by Alec Valerius, “Those People” is a comic short that, like most of these Triple Feature stories, hits too close to home. We’re introduced to a young man in military garb who is hyping himself up for a big mission. He joined to take out those who deserve it, the worst types–rapists, murderers and the like. It will be a difficult mission and career but he’s tasking himself for the job. He’s built up these ideas of hero worship and patriotism…yet he’s still nervous, and wet behind the ears.

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The art is gritty, alarming and stark–a really good fit for the story. Kudos to Valerius for that: it is explosive when it needs to be. It’s a good fit as it is disturbing as the news that almost daily tells of the actions of ICE, who are snatching up folks and breaking into residences and homes. In the last pages, when the smoke clears we are left looking at those people and how their lives are forever changed, how the truth is twisted to fit the narrative and it is not a easy read. Not an easy read yet my favorite of all three stories here.

“Big Game”, written and illustrated by Dylan Meconis (with lettering by Clayton Cowles), is an oddity. It’s such a…dare I say normal, setting? Two Deputy/Rangers types, one older and one much younger, leave on an expedition to find a predator on the loose. They’re sleeping outdoors, tracking their prey and staying mindful of their mission. The art is simple enough, realistic in showing body types. Nothing too flashy here. Nothing seems too weird or out the ordinary. This is another day’s work. I kept reading and you must keep reading to see how this one ends because it is the biggest shocker in this entire book. We find out just who is the predator and just who is the prey–who is worthy of protection and who should be dragged back and caged.

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“Love, Honor & Obey” written by Kit fox and Vanesa R. Del Rey (with lettering by Clayton Cowles) greets your eyes with perhaps a homage to the detective genre of the 1920’s -40’s. It could very well be sci-fi tinged. There’s an open case and it’s a possible murder. The suspect is a beautiful young thing named Betty and she’s in big trouble if things don’t get aired out. Mr. Hornsby is dead and Betty just might be to blame, yet she’s here to answer any and all questions. As you keep reading you start to question the line of questioning and the fate of Betty. We start trying to pick the detective’s brain, you may have lingering thoughts on Betty’s situation and how she came to be where she is now. In the end we’re left with a story that features a society where women are very much things: objects to be be used, given instructions, and interrogated. And when our programming isn’t right or refuses to be we’re shuffled out the picture.

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While not my favorite Triple Feature collection of stories, Issue #3 is still a notable entry. I didn’t connect with all these stories, but what do each of them have going for them? This time around each of these stories have a fantastic element of surprise wrapped up into them that knocks you off your feet while reading as you get to the last pages. Each and every story. Warping a point of view and changing who actually is the “good guys” and/or the “right side” is another overall theme to consider for these stories.

7.9 of 10

Fancy yourself Non-Compliant too? Find BNP’s other reviews of Bitch Planet here.

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  • Carrie McClain is writer, editor and media scholar. Other times she's known as a Starfleet Communications Officer, Comics Auntie, and Golden Saucer Frequenter. Nowadays you can usually find her avoiding Truck-kun and forgetting her magical girl transformation device. She/Her

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