I Am My Father's Son: The New Villain of 'Anastasia'

The stage adaptation of Fox’s beloved 1997 film Anastasia opened on Broadway on April 24, 2017 to a slew of sold out performances and rave reviews. Previews had been running since January, but before the show hit the streets of New York, it had a short run at Hartford Stage in Connecticut to test the changes. The biggest change was the decision to ground the show in realism and take out the mystical characterization of Rasputin. In his place is a Bolshevik officer, Gleb. Without the fantastical elements, Gleb is a common villain, with an interesting arc that’s more impactful than a manic curse and a talking bat. However, like Rasputin, he is focused on something akin to revenge and, perhaps to a greater degree, eliminating the past.

The main storyline, that of Anya and her journey to rediscover her past, remains the same at its core: an orphaned young woman with amnesia who is looking for someone in Paris and who is swept up in a masquerade pretending to be the real Anastasia. While songs have been tweaked and new ones added, the ones specifically written for Gleb tell the other side of the Romanov story.

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Hartford’s Gleb, Manoel Felciano, looks very much like a Russian version of Les Mis’s Javert, and the character holds a similar role. Gleb’s father was a part of the firing squad that was in charge of disposing of the Romanovs ten years prior. The role falls now to Gleb as rumors swirl that Anastasia is alive and headed to Paris. It’s an eerie parallel as he encounters Anya, warns her later about her scheme, and then follows her across country borders in order to intervene just before the press conference that could change history.

Through one majorly defining song, “Still”, and the twisting of another (“The Neva Flows”), Gleb’s heart and soul are bared to the audience. He finds himself at war between his duty and manliness and his heart. In his brief interactions with Anya, he paints her both as a trembling flower in need of protection and a deceptive manipulator. It’s a dichotomy found in many villains: their newfound love for the lead tries to overpower their end goal (usually destruction or death). Gleb remembers watching his father leave, seeing the Romanov children being ushered into Yekaterinburg, and hearing the world go silent for a moment. His story is very much about becoming a man, especially in relation to what his father could (or couldn’t) do. He takes on the task his father couldn’t complete in hopes that it will complete him. His arc is dependent on other people.

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Anya, having found her place in Paris, stands before Gleb and his pistol and defiantly says, “Finish it. I am my father’s daughter.” Because she remembers the horrors and now shoves them toward Gleb in a reprise of his song. “And I am my father’s son!” Gleb barks back. “Finish it I must.” His pistol is cocked but it does not go off. On stage, we see him falter, drop his arm, and leave. To those listening solely to the musical album, the show takes a slightly more ambiguous ending, as the listener is immediately transported to the finale.

The finale draws two pictures: the Dowager Empress in Paris and Gleb, now back in Russia, both announce that Anastasia was a dream, a fantastical story that is finished now. Fans of the story know that Anya decides to stay with Dmitri, but while Rasputin is defeated and destroyed, Gleb lives on. However, the ambiguity allows for the true history to have a moment. Anastasia Romanov died in Yekaterinburg in 1918 with her family, the end of a monarchy and the beginning of a new era. But still, for years after her death, the hope remained that someone survived (until conclusive DNA testing on discovered remains found the two missing children, Alexei and either Anastasia or Maria).

The story told here remains a fairy tale that many cherish; it offers closure on all accounts, both historical and fictional. Gleb himself isn’t a historical character the same way Anya and her grandmother are, but he serves as the amalgamation of many Bolsheviks serving the new order. Because he is made a complex human, his story impacts the plot much more than Rasputin's did despite Rasputin's actual history with the family. At the base, this near typical yet complex character is a perfect break from the fantasy. (And if you’re missing Rasputin’s big song “In the Dark of the Night,” you’ll be happy to know that the melody still has a home in the musical adaptation.)

What do you think of Anastasia's changes from film to stage?

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Bésame Cosmetics' Agent Carter Collection and the Women Who Wore It Before

"Peggy,

Your newest pieces of tech are on the way.

I’ll admit makeup is not my strong suit, so we teamed up with an American brand to make our tech look as convincing as possible.

This is as much detail as I can tell you in an unclassified letter.

Your mission briefing will be in the fall, enjoy the summer!"

- Howard

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When Bésame Cosmetics announced an impending Agent Carter makeup collection at D23, I was ecstatic. The company is well known among many fans for carrying the lipstick that Hayley wore on the show, and they pride themselves on re-creating golden-age makeup for the modern woman. It became the perfect crossover for Peggy Carter, a modern woman existing at the same time as the Golden Age of Hollywood, especially when season two brought our favorite agent to Hollywood.

The collaboration comes with the popularity of Bésame’s 1946 Red Velvet lipstick, which is often sold out on their website, and was made easy because of their already existing relationship with Disney. Hayley Atwell tweeted about the lipstick at the end of 2014 after many fans were curious about Peggy's style, and now it shows up on Agent Carter cosplayers who are looking for that little something extra. For almost three years, the many reviews on the product are from excited fans. While the makeup line release will most likely include this shade, it would be re-packaged to look like a prop from the show (perhaps Dottie's "Sweet Dreams" lipstick?). The collection is slated to debut early in 2018 along with letters, puzzles, and fun story-driven materials. It appears that the pieces will be released one by one and hopefully there will be an option to purchase the full set by San Diego Comic Con in July 2018. In the meantime, you can enjoy the bit of detective work the site provides on the Agent Carter page and subscribe to emails to be notified when new information is released about the collection.

And while the makeup collection and continued news is exciting, Peggy Carter isn't all about looking glamorous while she kicks butt. At the same time that Peggy navigates World War II and her SSR career thereafter, the CIA and the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was formed with women at the heart of many legendary missions. It’s fair to say that many women make up the rich pool from whence Peggy Carter came. In honor of this new avenue for our favorite super spy, let’s take a look at some of the women whose work was top secret in the 1940s, the women who came before Agent Carter.

Julia Child née McWilliams

Yes, that Julia Child, the chef we all knew about as kids. But she didn’t become a chef until after the war. Julia worked as a clerk in the OSS headquarters office in D.C.. Eventually she found herself stationed in India and later China, where she worked with classified communications that in part helped locate POW camps. She was in charge of dealing with an incredible amount of filed information and organizing it so the OSS could keep track of what was going on. With that amount of information accessible to Julia and the others that worked with her, it was important that they be trusted. As head of the Kandy Registry, Julia held the secrets of OSS intelligence that included names and code names of many agents currently operating around the world. If the information were to be compromised, it could mean the death of many agents and possibly a turn in the tide of the war. After WWII, Child got married and lived in France, where she discovered her love of cooking French cuisine.

Betty Lussier

The OSS worked heavily with the French resistance. Betty Lussier worked in the X-2 branch, where she created her own adventure. Prior to joining the OSS, she was a pilot with the British Air Transport Auxiliary. After joining, she trained in cryptography and counterespionage, although she wanted more action. It was partly why she had become a pilot (her father had served in the Royal Air Force during WWI). She wasn’t allowed to serve on the front lines with the Seventh Army but made her way there anyway to help pass information between British and American armies. One of the more notable things Lussier did was look for Nazis and their collaborators. Some of these men were turned into double agents for X-2. She turned one such man who had dreams to work in Hollywood but worked for the Germans. A promise to get him to Hollywood led to a confession and a few Nazi arrests. The French made sure he never made it to Hollywood. After the war, she also got married and ended up in Spain with her husband helping develop and establish schools in poorer communities.

Lussier’s memoir is titled Intrepid Woman: Betty Lussier’s Secret War, 1942-1945

Gertrude Legendre

Gerturde Legendre was another adventurous agent, one who got captured near Luxembourg with other agents in 1944. Her cover story, developed in the middle of the attack, was that she was an interpreter for one of the “officers” she was with. She was a clerk at the Paris embassy. The cover story worked. She stuck to it as she was transferred from cell to cell and interrogated multiple times over the course of six months. Before this, she worked at the Cable Desk and was privy to a lot of sensitive information that she pretended not to recognize when she was captured. She knew information about operations and people that, if compromised, would prove beneficial to Nazi Germany in defeating the French Resistance. When she ended up in Switzerland, Legendre told her story to operatives and was brought home.

Gertrude has a memoir entitled The Time of My Life

Virginia Hall

Virginia Hall was the queen of disguise, transferred from Britain’s special ops to the OSS in 1944. She had lost her leg years prior from a hunting accident. Hall helped train hundreds of agents who were responsible for subverting German operations. While her limp was the only identifying mark of her person, she evaded the Gestapo for years, keeping in constant motion and continuing to train forces as part of the French resistance. She was trained in radio transmission, weaponry, and security, and managed to make use of every bit of her education prior to joining to help her career and covers flourish. After the war, she worked in Washington at the CIA, retiring only when she reached the mandatory retirement age. Hall is one of the most well-known women agents from WWII, and she was the first civilian and woman to receive the Distinguished Service Cross for her work.

There is a biography about Virginia Hall titled Wolves at the Door: The True Story Of America's Greatest Female Spy by Judith Pearson

For further reading on these and many others, check out Sisterhood of Spies by Elizabeth P. McIntosh!

Image sources: Julia Child, Betty Lussier, Gertrude Legendre, Virginia Hall

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My First Fandom: Kim Possible

Long ago, when I was allowed to watch more television beyond what PBS had to offer and stealthy enough to watch Saturday morning cartoons without waking up my parents, I found myself wanting to be a super spy. While there were many shows that offered almost exactly what I wanted, I found Friday evenings to be my favorite time of the week thanks to a small animated show called Kim Possible.

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Fridays after school, in the basement of a house now torn down and rebuilt, I tied my hair back, grabbed hold of a small German shepherd stuffed toy, and somersaulted my way across my best friend’s couch as the theme song of Kim Possible played on the television. My best friend since pre-school was a boy, and while he didn’t have a naked mole rat, he did have an old crotchety cat. Unfortunately the cat was never amused with our antics, so we used the German shepherd toy as a stand in for Rufus when we play-acted. It helped draw me into the show, and I could see myself in the universe, even if I wasn’t as acrobatic as Kim. The show sparked my early desire for more role models, but most importantly at the time, it provided me with entertainment that aligned with my interests and let me spend a lot of time on Disney Channel’s games website.

Kim was also my first cosplay, although I wouldn’t know that word for many years afterward. Armed with full knowledge of the show and a younger cousin throwing a KP-themed birthday party, I showed up in an outfit resembling the heroine closely enough that ten 6-year-olds believed she had actually come to visit. The year before, I had been gifted with two small dolls, Kim and Bonnie, complete with everyday, cheerleading, and spy outfits. I used Kim’s spy outfit as reference for my own even if the black top and cargo pants weren’t the most complex of costumes. I carried the dolls in my pockets at the party, but I can’t remember why. It wasn’t as if Kim would carry a small doll of herself everywhere she went.

While I’m not interested in being a super spy with a best friend as a sidekick anymore, I will forever be grateful to the show for being something that deviated from the princess “nonsense” (as I thought back then) and let me see that I could be something else. I still find myself playing the old archived games from time to time. Kim Possible is still a lot of fun, and it’s a show I won’t let fade into obscurity.

Did you ever roleplay or pretend you were a part of your first fandom?

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When a Song Isn't Just a Song: Fanmixes and Nostalgia

New music isn’t hard to come by these days. With radio stations constantly promoting the newest songs, Spotify and Pandora offering mixes based on music you already like, and SoundCloud and Bandcamp helping independent artists expand their audiences, all one has to do is find a genre of music and start digging. If you don’t know where to start when branching out, there’s something that can help you: fiction. If there's a story you love, there's probably a fanmix or five to go with it, put together with care to evoke the emotions or plot and bring lots of nostalgia. My venture into listening to fanmixes came with an interest in movie and television scores—the sweeping albums that reminded me of my favorite moments or the heartbreaking emotions from the height of the story.

Photo by Gavin Whitner

If you’ve ever heard a song and thought that it fit your favorite character or OTP perfectly, chances are five years later you’ll still associate that nostalgic feeling with the song. Maybe you put it in playlist on your iPod or that song ended up holding a special place in your heart. Musical recommendations based on ships, stories, and individual characters open a wide breadth of songs, artists, and genres that perhaps weren’t even considered or known about. Fanmixes are also a great way for the not-artistically-inclined fans to contribute to their fandom.

8tracks still exists as a popular place to find mixes. Although they have a limit of an hour of music per week without a subscription, it’s a good place to start. Simply searching what you’re looking for brings up popular mixes and related searches, as well as a place for you to narrow down genres if you want.

The songs of each playlist are revealed as you listen to them. I recommend giving each song a listen before you decide to skip it unless it’s a song you’ve heard before. You can bookmark and favorite the mixes you like best, and if a song or artists particularly piques your interest, do write it down! There’s always a chance to look into that artist individually later. Lots of mixes contain a good variety of pop, alternative, and instrumental songs to convey the theme the subject exudes.

Playmoss is a newer site that uses YouTube hosting for playlists. One of the benefits this lends to music discovery is that you can immediately get to an external tab for each song, some of which connect directly to the “official” song. Usually recommended videos on the side will offer other tracks by the artist. Again, I recommend listening to each song on a character mix at least once before determining your favorites. If there’s a particular playlist you enjoy in its entirety, you can bookmark it for later and see the other playlists the user created. Often people create multiple fanmixes or playlists for a particular piece of media that demonstrates their taste in music and gives more options for listeners.

Spotify pulls double duty when it comes to fanmixes and music discovery. Usually, I’ll take my lists from 8tracks and Playmoss and search artists there. That way, I can build my own music library with the songs I liked best. Then Spotify’s algorithm for music suggestions kicks in. But fans are building mixes here as well. These can be saved to your profile as whole playlists or you can cherry-pick and add individual songs. Spotify gives options to listen on your computer or on the go so you can always access your favorites.

Sometimes you find only one song you like by an artist and it’s the one that reminds you of an incredible story. Sometimes you find a completely new artist to listen to. Sometimes your fandom is so obscure that there’s only a handful of mixes, or sometimes it’s popular enough to warrant days of music. More often than not, I’ve noticed trends in both the mixes and my music preferences based on what fandoms I’m currently a part of. Songs begin to show up frequently for certain characters or ships and become wildly accepted with a good portion of the fandom as the songs that define each character.

On top of curating fanmixes, some fans go one step further and compose music for their favorites. This often happens with books and podcasts, although it does spread into movies and television despite their preexisting scores. Discovering these pieces, often posted on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or YouTube, can give support to fledgling musicians who were just happy to share their art in the first place.

Once I borrowed CDs from my best friends to hear new music. Now my musical horizons are broader than before, and every day I’m discovering new songs to enjoy.

Don’t stop looking! There’s always room for more, so share your music with other fans!

What are some of your favorite fanmixes?

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Shakespeare Reimagined: 'Still Star-Crossed'

Most Shakespeare adaptations put a modern spin on the well-known tales, or create fantasy worlds and stories loosely based off their plot lines. Shonda Rhimes’s newest drama Still Star-Crossed takes the story of Romeo and Juliet that everyone knows from high school English class and asks, “What happens next?” The show was created for television by Heather Mitchell and based off of the YA book of the same title, which is written by Melinda Taub.

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The show opens with the end of the play, introducing our main characters Rosaline and Benvolio as they attend Romeo and Juliet’s wedding. We witness their demise and the fallout. The feud between the Montagues and Capulets remains, a diversion from the final chorus in the original play, but the change is not without motivation. To save the city, Prince Escalus announces that the houses will be joined in marriage, and Rosaline and Benvolio are betrothed.

Beyond the compelling story, the show features a diverse cast, exquisite costuming, and unique editing that makes traveling through Verona fluid and modern. There’s also lots of political intrigue as cities outside Verona turn their sights on the warring city, a mysterious fiend continues to wreak havoc on the city, and Lady Capulet tries to bend the political climate to her advantage. Every single character is forced to navigate some relationship that has a chance to either benefit or harm them; while the viewer is aware of many dangers, the characters are often blissfully unaware of the workings behind the scenes. And yes, there’s a love triangle that helps keep the star-crossed lovers theme going: Rosaline and Prince Escalus were and still are in love.

The end of the show, which had a seven episode run, leaves enough tied up but still prompts questions about the fates of many characters. Thankfully, the book offers a little more story for those looking for it. The events of the show cover a majority of the book with some differences, but the book wraps everything up and adds a neat epilogue on top.

Still Star-Crossed is roughly a day’s read and another day’s watch. The style of the book leans more toward its Shakespearean influence with dialogue and the sheer amount of characters, and many of the characters and relationships are slightly different. In order to adapt to screen, it makes sense that certain things were changed to consolidate motivations. For instance, Rosaline and Livia are not servants in the Capulet household as they are in the show. Instead, they live in the house as guests, although Lady Capulet still dislikes them. Both versions of the story have the fun tropes we all love, like enemies-to-lovers and cloak sharing, which contribute to the fun amid all the turmoil. And for true Shakespeare lovers, each episode is titled with a line from a variety of plays, including The Tempest and As You Like It.

If you like YA novels, Shakespeare, or period dramas, it’s worth the time to give this story attention. There may not be another season, but it can leave the imagination running wild. Not to mention, the casting that echoes many a Shakespeare play is refreshing. The show can be watched here on ABC’s website, and is also on Hulu.

Are there any Shakespeare adaptations you recommend?

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Livestreamed Storytelling: The Fanbases of 'D&D'

With the continued popularity of “Let’s Play” videos on YouTube and gamers streaming their activity on Twitch, it only makes sense that tabletop games followed and brought with them a steadily growing community. If you walk into a game store and ask where the tabletop materials are, you’ll probably be met with a sweeping gesture that includes the entire store. Board games fall under the “tabletop” umbrella, so sometimes you have to get specific and mention games like Dungeons and Dragons or Werewolf: the Apocalypse, which are considered tabletop RPGs. While there are gamers streaming games like Slash, Uno, and yes even Monopoly, those are much less common than tabletop RPGs. Perhaps the renaissance in tabletop RPGs is in part because of the success these streaming channels have brought. The storytelling is different in tabletop: it relies on communal input, chance, luck, and good company. The narratives can be linear, out of order, rambling, or self contained. It’s all up to the game masters, players, and the number on the dice. It’s a different way of experiencing the narrative media that’s a part of everyday life, and the community that has grown out of this phenomenon is incredible.

An added bonus of the plethora of tabletop RPG streams means that people can satiate their curiosity about the games without having to seek out a local or unfamiliar game store. Tuning in to weekly games takes away the initial intimidation that can be felt by those who always heard terrible things about these games but weren't quite sure if the rumors were true (spoiler alert: they aren't). From watching, you can learn the basic mechanics, enjoy the stories the way you would your favorite television show, and maybe you'll eventually gather your friends and create your own game. Some of the more notable tabletop RPG video streams are Dungeons and Dragons games. These include Critical Role; Dice, Camera, Action; and Heroes and Halfwits. The draw of these shows is partly the pre-existing fanbases and partly the camaraderie of the players and their interactions with audiences.

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Critical Role is helmed by accomplished voice actor Matthew Mercer and features “a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors [who] sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons.” The story is sweeping and crosses continents, numerous guest players, and world-shattering events. It hit the beginning of its final arc early this year. It’s by far the longest show, with over 100 episodes that run from three to almost six hours. The show streams weekly on Twitch, and its long-running time slot has allowed the coining of the phrase, “Is it Thursday yet?” Past episodes can be found on Geek and Sundry, while live games are streamed Thursdays at 7 PST. The group is planning a new campaign once the current one ends, whenever that happens.

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Dice, Camera, Action takes popular streamers and YouTubers like Holly Conrad and Anna Prosser Robinson and pairs them with Chris Perkins, the ultimate Game Master. Chris is also one of the people involved with expanding D&D content, as he works for Wizards of the Coast. Thus, the show is a way to showcase the new story modules Game Masters can use in their campaigns. DCA starts with the Curse of Strahd storyline that was released in 2016 and moves on to follow other prewritten modules. It streams Tuesdays at 4 PST on Twitch, and is later uploaded to YouTube for those who aren’t subscribed for the Video On Demand.

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Heroes and Halfwits comes out of Rooster Teeth and Achievement Hunter, both part of a popular production company that is built around gaming. You don’t even have to understand the rules or be knowledgeable about the deep lore to be swept along in vivid and hilarious adventures, which revolve around a band of five enlisted soldiers. It has fewer episodes than DCA or Critical Role do, which makes catching up a tad easier. This is a pre-recorded D&D show (so it is not live streamed), and it's released on YouTube and the Achievement Hunter/Rooster Teeth website bi-weekly. Currently it is taking a break between seasons 2 and 3.

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For those who prefer to listen to podcasts on their commute or otherwise, Godsfall and The Adventure Zone have established their place in D&D fandom. Godsfall is heavily edited to play more as a radio drama; there are sound effects and music to enhance the story, which is about a world where the gods rule no more and magic was lost until the intrepid adventurers stumbled upon teleportation. It’s a lot of fun with a lot of backstory, and while the beginning is a bit confusing with the introduction of characters, it’s well worth the listen, and is available on iTunes or the show’s website.

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The Adventure Zone is also edited, since unlike the streamed games, it isn’t (usually) played live. The McElroy brothers of Maximum Fun and their dad play through a rules loose, comedic, basically sci-fi game of D&D. There’s a composed soundtrack of sorts to underscore the adventures as the three adventurers search for relics of great power. There are tons of laugh out loud moments as well as heart wrenching scenes. It’s also wrapping its final arc, with fans hoping they will start a new game afterward. TAZ is uploaded to iTunes every other Thursday, and can also be found on the Maximum Fun website.

Those who are overwhelmed with the hundreds of hours Critical Role has to catch up on can fear no more—they’ve begun to release episodes in podcast form. Heroes and Halfwits has also been releasing episodes this way on Podbean, which gives established fans and newcomers alike some options when it comes to how they want to experience the story.

Beyond the content and countless hours of imaginative world building, these and other tabletop RPG shows have welcomed a demographic that existed in the past but wasn’t seen: women. If there aren’t players that are women, there are complex, strong, and for all intents and purposes human women NPCs. Being able to see well-known women rolling dice and being open about their love of the game and nerdiness in general has opened the door for others who might have been too intimidated to join the community. Seeing women in their thirties gaming reminds people that you’re never too old to be a geek.

As the community grows, many fans are doing what they do best: creating content. Some of it is the usually expected art and writing, but others have begun detailing their own campaigns, the friends they met through dice, and even going so far as to record and upload their sessions as podcasts. It’s a huge community with enough niches for any person to find a show or three that they really enjoy, whether it’s the more well-known D&D or something a little more wild.

What are your favorite tabletop shows? Would you recommend any I missed?

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Take a Trip to Bitch Planet with Triple Features

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Sometimes even the most avid of comic book readers or those who pick up favorites along the way need a break from mainstream comics. This often means setting aside Marvel and DC’s world-shattering events and sometimes even superheroes in general. This isn’t to say there’s not a time or place for the stories told within these narratives—there's a reason they’re popular and have resonated with hundreds of thousands of people—but when it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the subjective ‘canon’ and a variety of Batman movies available to watch for any palate, many turn to indie comics. Here, people can find any number of genres ranging from hilarious and fun stories about a cabin at an all girls camp (Boom Studio’s Lumberjanes) to heavy, dark, and extremely relevant stories about life (Image Comics’s Bitch Planet). Here, a summer read can be found no matter what you’re looking for, and it doesn’t have to be all fun in the sun either.

If you find yourself looking for something a little different for your summer comics reading, Bitch Planet is the way to go. It's an exploitation-film-inspired satire series published by Image Comics that takes place in a dystopian future. Women are deemed “non-compliant” by society for not following the rules of what a woman should be like—quiet, feminine, and making less money than her male counterparts. The women who deviate are sent to an all women’s prison planet that is colloquially known as “Bitch Planet.” Written by all-star author Kelly Sue DeConnick and drawn by the talented Valentine DeLandro, the comic has been coming out since December of 2014. But don’t let the longevity fool you—irregular publishing schedules and busy creators have allowed only 10 issues to be published thus far.

Still, 10 issues at $3.99 each can get pricey, especially since the earlier issues are extremely hard to find in store. The good news is that ComiXology and Image both sell digital versions if you want to read on your phone, tablet, or computer. The first five issues can easily be found in a bound volume for $9.99 at pretty much any store that sells graphic novels, but the volume is missing one of the things that make the comics so fantastic: the back matter. Each issue contains author’s notes, essays by guest writers, art, cosplay, and other relevant information. For those looking to give the comic a try, it’s most definitely daunting and might take a while to gather the pieces. But don't despair! Bitch Planet: Triple Feature is the best place to start for new readers.

This summer, the creative team decided to let others take the reins for a bit and commissioned a diverse group of writers and authors to create short comics. Image is releasing the triple features every month, giving DeConnick and DeLandro some time to catch up and get the main comic back on track. These five issues span from June to October, and each contains three comics set within the universe of the main comic. While the main comic focuses heavily on the activity on the planet, these shorter ones present more of what’s happening on Earth during the revolution in the prison. The glimpses into the world remind the audience of the bigger picture, and serve much like an appetizer. No need to feel like you’re leaving the story incomplete by only reading the first few issues because these tell complete stories on their own.

Each of the mini-comics contains new characters with their own lives, which makes it the best place for new readers to be acquainted with the universe and the storytelling. They deal with former employees of Bitch Planet, women in courtrooms, and women just hoping for a promotion but not getting it because they’re not well-endowed or blonde. It’s satire, but it hits close to home for many readers, even without the warnings some of the main story comics have contained. The triple features still contain the amazing back matter essays, so new readers will still get the full experience. If you enjoy them, be sure to check out the main story!


Release schedule:

• Issue #1 was released on June 14 
• Issue #2 was released on July 19
• Issue #3 will be released on August 16
• Issue #4 will be released on September 20
• Issue #5 will be released on October 18

Digital versions of the Triple Features can be found here.

Have you read Bitch Planet?

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