mrmazz's Jem and the Holograms #1 - Showtime Part One review

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    It's Showtime (read in Sting voice)

    Written by Kelly Thompson, Art by Sophie Campbell who is also credited with story along with Thompson, Colors by M. Victoria Robado, and Letters by Robbie Robbins.
    Written by Kelly Thompson, Art by Sophie Campbell who is also credited with story along with Thompson, Colors by M. Victoria Robado, and Letters by Robbie Robbins.

    I am probably not in the target demo for Jem and the Holograms being published by IDW. The relaunched series is written by Kelly Thompson, art by Sophie Campbell who is also credited with story along with Thompson, colors by M. Victoria Robado, and letters by Robbie Robbins. For starters, I am a guy. More importantly, I was born in 1991. I have no nostalgic connection to Jem the 80s animated series from which this comic is based or other 80s licensed anime. My licensed anime of choice is Digimon. I must say though, the Jem title sequence is pretty great; it’s eighties as hell.

    Even if I’m not the specific target (and really I shouldn’t be) that does not mean one can’t appreciate well crafted entertainment.

    As I’ve grown more interested in how the sausage is made, one thing has become clear: making a good comic book (like most things) is hard. There are very clear production realties. With the single issue, I always come around to the length, normally 22-23 pages. That sounds like a lot, but really isn’t. It is enough for about two to three big scenes. Writer Kelly Thompson paces the first issue very well, built around about three big scenes, telling full arc in the process. Feeling like I read a full episode and not half of an episode is a very nice feeling.

    Thompson contextualizes the exposition in the first five pages in a smart manner. Exposition is a necessary function of storytelling and the context it is delivered in makes it. Here we have Kimber reaching her breaking point with Jerrica and her stage fright torpedoing the progress the Holograms have made. Explaining to Jerrica and the reader the bands history as I assume adopted sisters and why she can’t keep doing this. This breaking point is the dramatically interesting moment to spotlight. Thompson’s dialog for each of the sisters also manages to be unique and genuine. I’ve got a brother and a whole mess of cousins, Jem and the Holograms read like a family (sound like it to in my head). The spotlight is clearly on Kimber and Jerrica but Aja and Shana get some nice background moments.

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    This genuine feeling is narrated to the reader in no small part by Sophie Cambell’s art. Jerrica and Kimber’s conversation features some really good eye expression. But the thing that melted my cold heart was the third panel on page 10 (on comixology), with that imagined wink Kimber gives Jerrica with the sisterly nudge that Jerrica is great. The Hologram’s characters designs are all unique and striking with a variety of heights and shapes presented. Aja, the bands lead guitar, has a cool punk look and blue hair. Shana, the drummer, has purple hair. Kimber is incredibly tall. And then there is Jerrica. The only part of Cambell’s art that didn’t quite work for a few seconds. Artistically it works and makes a lot of sense. The first page has the rest of her hologram sisters as big and giant and in the center is the quite meek looking Jerrica. She does not look like she is both having fun or belongs up there. Cambells layouts make clear the emotional tension in the room. It’s just when you get to the end and have character sheets for the characters and Jerrica is 23 and 5’5 but is treated like scrawny teenager prior that I get some dissonance. Blame me seeing real world numbers, ruining unquantifiable artistic illusion for the briefest of seconds.

    Campbell also strikes a nice modern but still recognizably eighties design for their dead father’s secret lair where Synergy is housed. O yeah, Synergy the ultimate “audiovisual entertainment synthesizer” is truly something that sounds 1980s.

    The thing that ties this book together is M. Victoria Robado’s pastel colors. They give everything a vibrant life. The pastels are a clear tie to the series eighties roots but the digital nature gives a modern vibe.

    Jem and the Holograms #1 “Showtime Part 1” is a nicely done comic. There is clear tonal consistency on all levels. I wouldn’t mind giving this to my younger cousin.

    I am Michael Mazzacane and you can find on Twitter @MaZZM and at comicweek.com and weekntv.com

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