Vol. 2 just as non-compliant and awesome as Vol. 1.

I waited for this trade for soooo loooong of a time. And then it wasn’t long enough, like in terms of page length; I read it in about twenty minutes (cackling through most of it), and then it was over and I was sad. But it was very good. And now we have to wait even longer for Vol. 3. These are the woes you are in for when you read an ongoing comic series, but especially this one, which is agony.

Vol. 2 opens up with Maeko Maki backstory (Maeko was the woman killed in the riots in Vol. 1). Turns out she was raised in a household that taught her to be non-compliant in secret. Her father, an important man who builds ships for the Protectorate, taught her math and engineering. In the present day, her father shows up at Bitch Planet because he’s part of the engineering team designing the new arena (where the prisoners will be made to take part in televised fights), but we know from his past history that he’s good at hiding subversive behavior designed to undermine his employers. We also know that the warden doesn’t want him to learn of his daughter’s death.

“I never liked making decisions anyway.”

The other two things going on are the reveal that the former leader of the free world has been held at Bitch Planet for a very long time (I now need that backstory VERY badly), and that Kam’s sister Mo is being held on Bitch Planet as well in a separate facility for trans women. All three other main developments collide, and chaos ensues.

This series is just so in your face and I find that so pleasant and amusing and necessary. All the unruly bodies and attitudes, and some great storytelling as well. I just want there to be more of it, and more often.