Review: JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #3

jem-and-the-holograms

JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #3
Written by Kelly Thompson
Art by Sophie Campbell and M. Victoria Robado
Published by IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 20, 2015

Having hit the ground running, Jem and The Holograms continues to build momentum as The Misfits Vs competition creeps ever closer. With solid writing, fantastic artwork, and one of the most diverse casts in comics, this book continues to be truly outrageous and the number one source of hair envy.

Unlike previous issues, issue #3 shifts its focus toward The Misfits and their somewhat dysfunctional band dynamic. Opening with Pizzazz cementing her position as a total menace, to both society and her bandmates, as she causes chaos in order to break up a coffee date between Kimber and Stormer — who is by the way, the actual cutest. I’m not joking, Stormer is super cute. While not the focus, The Holograms are not forgotten, and we are given further insight into their dynamic in order to highlight the differences between them and The Misfits.

Thompson’s script is absolutely charming as is the way she writes her women. I love how each character is developing in a way that points towards them having a story of their own, an internal life to which we are yet to learn the details. The women of Jem and The Holograms are not cookie cutter, one size fits all girls. They are nuanced and they have a real sense of agency, whether it’s Pizzazz’s desire to succeed or Jerrica’s love for her sisters. They are different in every way, their backgrounds are different, their motivations are different, and I’m pretty sure I could count the number of creators writing women this way, a way that feels authentic, on one hand.

Art for the book comes from Sophie Campbell and it is beautiful. It’s just so much fun to look at. In fact, I challenge you to flick through the pages of Jem and not smile. You won’t be able to do it, I can promise you that much. Every face is incredibly expressive and no two characters are alike, in shape or size and this is emphasized by the minimalist backgrounds and Robado’s robust colour palette which ensure you have no option but to look at the girls.

As this book continues to develop I think it will become increasingly clear that Campbell’s artwork is not in keeping with the tone of the narrative, because if anything, it is setting the tone. The collaborative nature of Thompson and Campbell’s work is evident on every page and I am looking forward to seeing the direction in which they decide to take this book.

The Verdict: 9.0/10

 

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One Comment;

  1. ARTASERSE said:

    I’ve bought digital as well as variant covers of the first 2 issues, this is the first one I only bought digital and didn’t bother picking it up in physical copy afterwards. It was quite slow, felt very much like a filler as opposed to an event…they could have at least given it two more pages in order to show JEM showing up and doing something, as in the first two issues JEM appeared only in the last page or in a 2 page dream sequence/music video. My favorite part of the comic so far is Pizzazz, she is the HBIC and the polar opposite of the weirdly socially retarded neurotic mess they made Jerrica to be.

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