ComicsReviews

Review of IDW Publishing’s Jem and the Holograms #1

Showtime“-Part One

Written By: Kelly Thompson

Art By: Sophie Campbell

Colorist: M. Victoria Robado

Letters By: Shawn Lee

Review By: Kendra Hale

 

Truly Outrageous

When asked to do reviews for GCRN, I was told to pick whatever I wanted to review in the IDW library. Granted that left me internally fighting over which one I wanted to do as so many great books are under IDW, but only one spoke to me about being done first. Jem and The Holograms was one of the first cartoons I can remember enjoying and being in a state of wonder by. The music and lights, the transformations of the girls, the heartwarming stories. There wasn’t a part of it that didn’t sink in with me and made me realize how much I enjoyed it. I always sang along, especially the theme song and the Misfits entrance.

So this decision was easy. Scary given the nostalgia and love for the material, looking at you movie adaptation, but I have seen over the years the love that the creatives at IDW show for their titles and so in the end I just dove in. Let’s take a look at “Showtime” Part One.

 

Mic Check

Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana are a band trying to make it big. There is a competition the girls are trying to enter and win. To do so they must submit a music video to the Misfits Vs! and hope they are chosen. Kimber, Aja, and Shana are ready to rock out and show their stuff but Jerrica is suffering from severe stage anxiety. Even with only a few others in the room during the shot she chokes.

Kimber tries to tell her that this is it, either they do the work to make the dream happen or she is done, they can’t afford another take.  That all their faith rests in Jerrica. Emotions are high and when Jerrica overhears her band-mates she takes off to the home studio, trying to overcome her fears. But the storm raging both inside and out has started up one of her Dad’s inventions. Once the girls meet Synergy…everything is about to change.

Just Have To Breathe

Any apprehensions I had were immediately quashed as I devoured this first book. You can feel the love that the creators have for Jem and The Holograms before you even crack the book. The covers are spectacular! A heady mix of the old style and new. Meeting Synergy and seeing the transformation of confidence in Jerrica was so nice nice. The artwork is a modern take and fully fits the aesthetic of the group. I love the updates to their hair and the feel of the band.

Conclusion

Kelly Thompson had talked in the introduction about how she wanted to pay homage and that she hoped fans of the original series saw what her and artist Sophie Campbell were trying to do. I applaud the efforts and am grateful to have gotten those same emotions seeing the girls back in the stage lights. This is a must read series for fans. Entirely enjoyable. I cannot wait to sit down and continue! Going off the GCRN Rating System, I give this a 5.0, for perfection.

 

 

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