Jem And The Holograms #17 Review: Choosing Sides

Jem and the Holograms have gotten a studio contract and saved the world with their music. But can they prevent a schism from splintering their band from within?

Jem and the Holograms #17

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Jen Bartel

Colorist: M. Victoria Robado

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If you read the hyperbole and the solicitations for many comics published from the “big two” (Marvel and DC Comics), you might get the impression that every issue of a comic has to be an earth-shattering event. A period of relative normalcy or slightly less epic affairs is sometimes even cynically considered “filler.” This issue of Jem and the Holograms decimates such an argument by showing genuine ramifications from their latest blockbuster concert.

Silica may be destroyed and the Holograms may have joined forces with the Misfits publicly, but all is not well with Jerrica and her bandmates/sisters Kimber, Aja, and Shana. Kimber is eager to include Stormer in more activities the sisters share with their lovers, regardless of the tension of having someone from their rival band around in a more intimate manner. Shana feels ill at ease, Aja is suspicious, and Jerrica seems to be reconsidering her identity as Jem and hiding its secret.

Things are not all well for the Misfits either. Jetta is envious of newcomer Blaze’s ability to come up with better song lyrics on the fly, while Pizzazz is unhappy with Stormer leaving the band to hang out with Kimber. The tension between the bands when Kimber and Stormer were dating in secret was bad enough. However, ever since their romance has become well known gossip, the strain has increased considerably.

After giving Jem a rest for a while, Jerrica settles on arranging an outdoor beach BBQ for everyone and their respective lovers, including Kimber. Unfortunately, questions about how trustworthy Stormer may be have to wait as the blue haired woman gets into an automobile accident and may find herself at the mercy of one of the forest’s larger creatures! That’s certainly a cliffhanger I didn’t see coming!

Bartel last worked with the franchise in last year’s Jem and the Holograms Valentine Special. She brings similar art sensibilities here, where she flexes her artistic muscles on two music sequences as well as some fun romps on inner tubes or harrowing bits in the forest. In terms of scripting, Thompson is once again in top form with showcasing her cast recovering from their most recent adventure while allowing several slow-building subplots to proceed.

What makes the epic blockbuster stories matter more are stories like this which build up the inter-character relationships and strengthen the romantic subplots among them. If every story is an explosive epic, such things become routine and less spectacular. Thompson excels with these shorter “mid arcs” which ratchet up the tension within Jem’s universe, such as a scene where Jerrica and Aja discuss sharing secrets with Rio as well as worrying about Shana and Kimber.

Issues such as this showcase why Jem and the Holograms is such a great series. As terrific as the bigger arcs are, similar levels of quality and emotion are put into shorter arcs—which exist to plant the seeds of drama into the series for the long term. IDW Publishing will soon release a “truly outrageous” hardcover collection of the first eleven issues as well as all of the previous one shots, which sounds like the best way to watch up on this truly unique and creative series.

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