D ECON NICK S A ND

D E L A N D ROS
BITCH PL A NET
S E M I N A R 9 : S C I E N C E F I C T I O N DY S T O P I A
M O D U L E PA R T 2

TODAYS OBJECTIVES
To identify the dystopian genre conventions and concerns in Kelly Sue
DeConnicks and Valentine De Landros Bitch Planet.
To discuss the ways in which Bitch Planet engages with dystopian concerns
about popular culture and consumerism in particular.
To undertake close analysis of Bitch Planet as a class and in groups.
To articulate how Bitch Planet revises the dystopian conventions and
concerns of Fahrenheit 451.
To discuss the academic writing style, including how to present quotes in a
critical essay using the Harvard referencing style.

DYSTOPIAN FICTION
In Dystopian Science Fiction, Keith Brooker and Anne-Maria Thomas (2009, p. 65)
describe dystopian texts as conjectures of the worst possibilities of popular culture
and ideology. As they explain, dystopian literature has a strong satirical dimension
that is designed to warn against the possible consequence of certain tendencies in the
real world of the present. They observe dystopian societies [as imposing]
oppressive conditions that interfere with [ ] fulfilliment [ ... these] are ususally
extensions or exagerations of conditions that already exist in the real world (Brooker
and Thomas 2009, p. 65). Their arguments are illustrated by various dystopian texts,
including the feminist dystopian comic Bitch Planet (2015), which we are going to
discuss today.
In addition to discussing dystopian science fiction, the above paragraph demonstrates the academic

writing style and the Harvard referencing system wherein:

Single quotation marks are used at the start and end of quotes.
The citation relates to the sentence in which it appears, so a full stop is placed after the
citation.
If the sentence includes the authors name the citation is included after it. In this case the
citation only needs to include a date and page number
If the authors name is not included in the sentence the citation is included at the end of the
sentence and before the full stop. In this instance the citation must include the authors
surname, date, and page number.
The [ ] is called an ellipsis. It is used to indicate the omission of one or more words within
a quote and consists of three dots within square brackets. Square brackets can also be used
to insert extra words into a quote to make is fit gramatically and logically into a sentence.
When paraphrasing follow the same citation location and content rules as for quotes.
NB: The first line in this paragraph is an example of a formal topic sentence: it outlines what is going

PATRIARCHAL CULTURE AS
DYSTOPIA
As Dorian Cirrone (2001) explains in Millenial Mothers:
Reproduction, Race, and Ethnicity in Feminist Dystopian Fiction:
[Feminist dystopian narratives] articulate how hegemonic ideologies such as
nationalism, religion, capitalism, and others invite women to participate in
their own oppression. The works take a step further by examining what would
happen if such discourses and practices were taken to extremes in the hands
of patriarchal dictators. (Cirrone 2001, p. 5)

The above is an example of a block quote presented in the Harvard format.

A block quote is a longer quote, more than about 30 words.
Block quotes are set off from the body of the paper by indenting.
Quotation marks are not required for block quotes.
The final full stop is placed before the in-text citation because the in-text citation relates
to all the sentences in the block quote, not just to the last sentence.
While the main text is often 1.5 or double-spaced, the indented block quote should be
both single-spaced and a smaller font size.

1950S GENDER ADVERTISING

As Takalander (2016) contends:
[1950s domesticity] advertisements were part of a propaganda campaign that
aimed to glorify women in domestic environments, showing them ecstatically
using various appliances and beauty products. The ads were designed to
encourage women to return to the home after their supposedly interim period of
employment during the Second World War. Women were to begin their private
roles as consumers, purchasing products that would enhance their domestic roles.
The campaign was so successful that many women today still understand their
position
in relation
the quote
domestic
sphere
andHarvard
buyingformat.
things. (Takolander
social
The above
is an example
of atoblock
presented
in the
2016)
A block quote is a longer quote, more than about 30 words.

Block quotes are set off from the body of the paper by indenting.
Quotation marks are not required for block quotes.
The final full stop is placed before the in-text citation because the in-text citation relates
to all the sentences in the block quote, not just to the last sentence.
While the main text is often 1.5 or double-spaced, the indented block quote should be
both single-spaced and a smaller font size.
Since the above quote is from a web source it does not require a page number.

T H E M O D E R N C O N T I N U A N C E : L A TE 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y O N W A R D S
Jhally, Sut 2009, The Codes Of Gender: Identity And
Pe r f o rm a n c e , i n Po p C u l t u re , M e d i a E d u c a t i o n
Fo u n d a t i o n .

Late 20th Century onwards

Jhally, Sut 2009, The Codes Of Gender: Identity And Performance.

In this documentary, which is a recommended text for this module,

[c]ommunication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving
Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary
commercial landscape [and in doing so uncovers] a remarkable
pattern of gender-specific poses. (Jhally 2009)
Jhally (2009) explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is
displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity
and femininity.
As Jhally (2009) observes, women in modern advertising are portrayed as
submissive, powerless, and dependent, whilst men are portrayed as
powerful and ready for action.
Jhally (2009) describes women in contemporary advertising as dazed,
zonked-out zombies
He also critiques the ongoing infantilisation of women in advertising

COMICS AND GENDER

Comics are a traditionally

masculine domain involving
sexist representations of
women.
As Duncan and Smith (2009,
p. 257) explain in ;Chapter
11: Comic Books and
Ideology (a prescribed
reading) popular comic
books are notorious for their
representations of women in
anatomical impossibility.

THE COMIC, HETERONORMATIVITY, AND RACISM

Non-white cultures have rarely been represented in
Western comics, and when they are included this
representation often supports racist stereotypes.
As Duncan and Smith (2009, p. 260) argue,
depictions of non-White people in comics in the
first half of the last century were almost always
shaped by the openly racist sentiments.
For blacks this meant that they appeared in
particularly harsh caricatures, often featured as
either ignorant savages in need of enlightening by
a white hero such as Tarzan, or as comic relief for
an otherwise all-white cast (Duncan and Smith
2009, p. 260).

TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN ANALYSING

COMICS

(T H E FO L LO WI NG I S F RO M T H E PDF ENT I T L E D G RA P H IC N OV E L / C O M IC S T E R M S A N D

CONCEPTS)

Layout: organisation of material on a page

Panel: A distinct segment of the comic, containing a combination of image and text in endless variety. Panels offer a different experience than
simply reading text:
The spatial arrangement allows an immediate juxtaposition of the present and the past.
Unlike other visual media, transitions are instantaneous and direct but the exact timing of the readers experience is determined by focus and reading
speed.

Frame: The lines and borders that contain the panels.

Gutter: the space between framed panels.
Bleed: an image that extends to and/or beyond the edge of the page.
Foreground: the panel closest to the viewer.
Midground:
[The] centering of [an] image [] using natural resting place for vision. The artist deliberately decides to place the image where a viewer would be most
likely to look first. Placing an image off-center or near the top or bottom can be used to create visual tension but using the midground permits the artist to
create a more readily accepted image.

Background: provides additional, subtextual information for the reader.

Text
Captions: these are boxes containing a variety of text elements, including scene- setting, description, etc.
Speech balloons: these enclose dialogue and come from a specific speakers mouth; they vary in size, shape, and layout and can alternate to
depict a conversation. Types of speech balloons include those holding:
External dialogue, which is speech between characters
Internal dialogue, which is a thought enclosed by a balloon that has a series of dots or bubbles going up to it

(http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1102/terms.pdf)

BITCH PLANET
DeConnick (2015) in an interview
with NPR describes her comic:
In this world, if you are a
woman who does not fit in the
box assigned her if you are
too loud or too opinionated, or
too quiet or too religious, too
atheist, too black, too brown,
too any of the things that they
don't want you to be you are
labeled noncompliant. And if
you are deemed terminally
noncompliant, you are shipped
off-world to an auxiliary
compliance outpost that is
colloquially referred to as B

DYSTOPIAN THEMATICS
The thematics of bitch planet are sci-fi dystopian because they
include Space, surveillance, mind control, [and] technology (Doyle
2016)
As Doyle (2016) elucidates women are shipped to Bitch Planet for
crimes such as seduction and disappointment, patrilineal
dishonour, genetic abnormalities and [being] bad mother[s],
These crimes highlight the way that society values women in terms
of their economic, erotic and reproductive capital (Doyle 2016).
This comic reflects dystopian concerns about popular (and
specifically patriarchal) culture and consumerism in particular.

A C T I V I T Y 1 : A N A LYS I N G B I T C H P L A N E T

ACTIVITY 2: WRITING A CLEAR PARAGRAPH

ANALYSING BITCH PLANET, WHICH USES PAGE 257
OF DUNCAN AND SMITH AS A CRITICAL SOURCE
NB Deakins Study Skills Webpage
outlines the formula for writing clear
paragraphs in academic work as
follows:
To write a clear paragraph give
the main idea - (lead or topic
sentence) and then develop the
main idea by:

citing a reference
giving examples
explaining terms [optional]
adding more detail
summing up the main idea
[or developing a] link to
the next paragraph.

Your Task
To write a paragraph (as a group) that
discusses the significance of Bitch Planet
as a dystopian text.
Begin with a formal topic sentence.
In it quote from page 257 of the Duncan
and Smith (2009) article.
Then give examples (describing art and
text from the comic)
Add more detail
Sum up the main idea in a final sentence
Also, include correct in-text citations
using the Harvard system.

ACTIVITY 3: CLASS DISCUSSION

Lets now compare and contrast Bitch Planet and
Farenheit 451
How does Bitch Planet revise the dystopian
conventions and concerns of Fahrenheit 451?
What are the similarities between these texts?
What are the differences?
NB, these questions relate to the essay topic for
this module.

HOMEWORK
First and foremost read Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre
Then start on the prescribed readings for the next module
Have an awesome week!

REFERENCES
Bradbury, R 2008 (1953), Fahrenheit 451, Harper Voyager, London.
Book reference formula: author, initials year, title of book, edition/volume, editor/reviser/translator/compiler, publisher, city.

Bront, Charlotte 2001 (1847), Jane Eyre, The Electric Book Company, London.
Brooker, M. K. Thomas, A. 2009, Dystopian Science Fiction, in The Science Fiction Handbook, pp. 65-74, retrieved 12 September
2016, Ebook Library Database.
Ebook chapter reference formula: author, initials year, chapter title', (if edited by others also include) in initials editor (ed./eds), title of book,
publisher, page numbers of chapter (use pp. to indicate multiple pages), date retrieved, database.

Cirrone, D 2001, Millennial Mothers: Reproduction, Race, and Ethnicity in Feminist Dystopian Fiction, Femspec, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 411, doi:
Ejournal article reference formula: author, initials year, title of article', title of Journal, volume number, issue number, page numbers of article,
DOI

DeConnick, Kelly Sue & Valentine De Landro 2015, Bitch Planet, Book One, Image Comics, Berkeley (CA).
Book reference formula: author, initials year, title of book, edition/volume, editor/reviser/translator/compiler, publisher, city.

Doyle, B, ALL102 - From Horror To Romance: Genre And Its Obsessions, Deakin University, Lecture, 5 September 2016.
Lecture reference formula (Lecturer, Course code and title, Deakin University, lecture, 8 March 2014)

Duncan, R. Smith, M. J. 2009, Chapter 11: Comic Books and Ideology, The Power of Comics: History, Form, and Culture,
Continuum, New York: 246-248.

Graphic Novel/Comics Terms and Concepts, http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1102/terms.pdf

NPR 2015, Planet B: How a Feminist Comic Book Found Devoted Fans Through Absurdity, NPR, retrieved 12 September 2016,
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/07/446605717/planet-b-how-a-feminist-comic-book-found-devoted-fans-through-absurdity
Author, Initials year, Title of webpage or document, Organisation responsible for site, date retrieved, <URL>.

IMAGES
Page 6:
Image: Femininity in Advertising, http://social.rollins.edu/wpsites/thirdsight/files/2013/04/IMG_4126-640x360.jpg
Image: Electrolux, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6b/96/c0/6b96c0857a95c73a3edc779db7c12604.jpg
Image: Van Hewsen, https://sex-appeals-in-advertising.wikispaces.com/file/view/vintage-women-ads-20.jpg/387299934/vintage-women-ads-20.jpg
Image: Hoover, https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSq9Q_gI7fwLy_q-9YKWaID5QZyl1RheVYLzNfiUyF3Mj4lVFtJ
Image: TV ad, https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSqQUL5qy032uU_NkvhN4qt94fA34422OvLP0oBeY1iigjSIf2n
Image: Fridge ad, http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/1-stor-mor-1950s-uk-fridges-freezers-the-advertising-archives.jpg
Image: Coke, http://commons.marymount.edu/locjowett/wp-content/uploads/sites/2626/2014/10/coca-cola_come_over_for_coke_1951-610x784.jpg
Image: finger in mouth, https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxUd2i27kjkxir-ECpTdtHqeavPdDrSIFIylnz1_YxkPmrkk8 Image: Breakfast, http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/12/30/article-0-16B0E7B1000005DC-363_964x1440.jpg
Image: Pajamas, http://www.archivesofadvertising.com/shop_image/product/1114bd7bb9ab9fceac22e834e3cca5c3.jpg
Image: Tide, http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/235503595_e0658e2840.jpg

Page 7:
Image: gucci, https://genderdisplays.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/goffman-gender-rituatlization-of-subordination-gucci.jpg
Image: dolce, http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dRuqyYn5-Y/VN3S09j9ZnI/AAAAAAAAJEw/xjkJWnj5Kuo/s1600/dolce-1.jpg
CK, https://thegrandnarrative.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/goffman-gender-advertisements-rituatlization-of-subordination-kate-moss-chris-kremer.jpg?w=800
Gucci, https://tzdaz.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/gucci.jpg
Bud, https://
i.embed.ly/1/display/resize?key=1e6a1a1efdb011df84894040444cdc60&url=http%3A%2F%2Feng1020detroit.pbworks.com%2Ff%2F1334555267%2Fbudweiser_
girl-10283.jpg&width=810
CK jeans, https://lifeneedsmorespoonfulsofsugar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/calvin-klein-ads-couple-590ls011110.jpg

Page 9:
Marvel women, http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19100000/Women-of-Marvel-femme-fatales-19103443-361-500.jpg

Page 10:
Captain marvel, http://images.guff.com/gallery/article/95436-1880

Pages 14-15
From Bitch Planet.