I'm happy I gave this one another chance. I mean, really, just look at it! Aesthetically the 'Jem and the Holograms' reboot comic series is just my thing. The colours, the style, the female friendliness, the inclusivity, and how it is like Magical Girls with pop rock bands. And yes, there's the truly outrageousness of it all. It certainly lives up to that iconic phrase.
This version of 'Jem' is like a drag show with women - all that hair and makeup! Not to mention the names - and I love it. It's fun and pretty!I'm not very familiar with the 'Jem and the Holograms' franchise. It is part of the eighties cartoon/toy line that was before my time, and I only watched, like, two dozen or so episodes of the show online years ago before deciding it wasn't for me. I remember the songs being surprisingly good and decent, though. But I think that Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell's take on these characters, and how they would be in modern music/social media times, reflects what I would have liked from them in the eighties cartoon. 'Jem and the Holograms: Showtime' is far from perfect, but I can't wait to see where it'll be going. I will read the second volume soon.
It doesn't even matter that it's a wholly visual medium where the reader has to imagine that the music and lyrics are good. Its energy, prettiness and showtime-liness holds up!
Each character is memorable, loud and proud. But my favourite so far has to be Kimber, the little sister and beloved drama queen and "trainwreck" who is shockingly mature and thoughtful when it matters. There are many layers to her, *ahem*, outrageous personality; she's a shy and sensitive soul underneath it all. She reminds me of Harley Quinn, in design, and in charisma, temperament, magnetism and idiosyncrasy.
The sisterhood bond of the Holograms band members Jerrica Benton/Jem, Kimber Benton, Aja Leith, and Shana Elmsford is lovely to see. I hope to see more of it, plus Synergy, Pizzazz, Stormer, Jetta (love her hair and British wit), Clash, and Blaze in the following issues. Of course the Misfits are great, too. OTT is their style, which is saying a lot with a comic like this.
'Jem and the Holograms: Showtime' - It took me a while (first read was in 2016), but I've finally come to like and appreciate it. Yes it belongs on my graphic novel shelf! I'll see how the series pans out, outrageously far behind as I am. Kelly Thompson is as much a star as Jem.
Final Score: 3.5/5
EDIT: Link here to my review of 'Jem and the Holograms, Vol. 2: Viral', and my thoughts on the series as a whole.
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