Jem and the Holograms 20/20 review: A truly outrageous comeback
By Alex Widen
Nothing could beat the Holograms except the industry! Can Pizzazz lure her old rivals back to the stage in Jem And The Holograms 20/20 One-Shot?
Jem And The Holograms 20/20 One-Shot
Writer: Sina Grace
Artist: Siobhan Keenan
Colorist: Cathy Le
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It’s the 20th anniversary of IDW Publishing, and the company is celebrating with a series of themed one-shots revolving around selected franchises. The premise is that each tale is set either two decades in the past, or the future. With a franchise which is at heart about both family and the music industry, Jem and the Holograms is an interesting choice to take part in this. At one time, Jem and the Holograms was a monthly ongoing series, lasting for 26 issues and spawning some mini series and one-shots. It was the run which helped build Kelly Thompson’s comic book writing career, and featured truly outrageous artwork by Sophie Campbell. Initially coming on the heels of a feature film, it proved to be a truly exceptional recreation of a classic 1980s franchise.
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet nowadays, Jem has seemed to suffer the same fate of many of IDW’s other Hasbro licenses, aside for G.I. Joe and Transformers. Much like Rom, eventually the sales figures could not support an ongoing series for the moment. While there was an anthology mini series last year, it’s been fairly quiet on the pink and star studded stage since. As such, a story based 20 years in the future where the Holograms have to come out of retirement hits readers at an opportune time.
Image by IDW Publishing
Usually the Misfits Are the Party Crashers, Not the Other Way Around!
It’s the year 2039 and the world is celebrating the anniversary of their favorite former “teen girl rock band!” Yet it isn’t Jem or the Holograms; it’s Pizzazz and the Misfits! The ragtag group of lady rockers — who technically predated the Holograms in this adaptation — successfully stood the test of time. Yet as they make due with preening for the tabloids and acknowledging their own longevity, they have to deal with a major disruption to their anniversary party!
Image by IDW Publishing
Kimber Benton, who seems to still be dating Stormer, is involved in a fight with the Misfits’ former manager, Eric Raymond. Not only has the sleazeball shown up with two dates, he’s revealing a plan to exploit the Holograms’ legacy to prop up a reunion tour for their old rivals, the Stingers. It seems when Jem dissolved the band, she sold their likenesses and song catalog to Raymond. Inspired by a new “digital” band named the Fathoms, Raymond plans to replace the Holograms with actual holograms! He’ll be using pale imitations to boost the rep of the Stingers!
Image by IDW Publishing
Pizzazz is willing to ignore this dramatic distraction so long as everyone pays attention when the Misfits play a set. Kimber may have shifted over to “the office side of music,” but never tires of seeing Stormer perform. Unfortunately, all eyes are on the Misfits for a hot second before the Fathoms crash the party! Apparently inspired by Japanese pop singers (and Sailor Moon), their look is about a decade out of sync. Yet could “fake” digital bands actually rival genuine ones if they imitated a more well known “brand” like Jem and the Holograms?
Image by IDW Publishing
Just How Did the Holograms Come to an End?
In her youth, Pizzazz was often a ruthless rival of the Holograms, only uniting with them under the most dire of circumstances. While there is no love lost between the bands, Pizzazz finds being upstaged by imitations of her former rivals at her own anniversary party to be a near mortal insult. She knows only the genuine Holograms can hope to remind their audience to accept no invitations. Unfortunately, that means coaxing the newly reclusive Jerrica Benton back on stage!
Image by IDW Publishing
Rio Pacheco is still Jerrica’s lover and defender, ever at the ready to shoo off an unexpected guest from their home. While Pizzazz is able to talk Rio into letting her meet with Jerrica, the former Jem is even less eager to see her. Although Jerrica had always been shy, in many ways she is a shell of herself, a faded former lead singer of band which has all but been forgotten by the fans and the press. In short order, Jerrica provides some exposition of how things got so bad between them.
Image by IDW Publishing
Apparently, it began when Jerrica and Kimber disagreed on the direction of an album. Even worse, Jerrica’s attempt to ween herself from relying on Synergy for a technological edge came at the worst time. Their audience didn’t respond well to the shift, and misunderstood the licensing of one of their songs to a soft drink company as “selling out.” Finally, their “Starlight kids” charity was moved to another non-profit, and both the band and the Benton sisters split up for good.
Image by IDW Publishing
Insert Montage Here!
Rather than feel sympathetic, Pizzazz scoffs at the Holograms’ lack of fortitude. Considering that the Misfits always had the advantage of experience, and that Jerrica relied on future technology to even the score, it makes some degree of sense that the “girls out of nowhere” might be rattled by a bad media cycle. Yet in trying to coax Jerrica into reviving the band, Pizzazz is trying to do the right thing, even if not for the right reasons. Her massive ego can’t bare dealing with fake rivals!
Image by IDW Publishing
Always the voice of reason and leadership within the Holograms, Jerrica feels the weight of responsibility to their bad end. Even worse, she doubts their audience will want to see a reunion now that the Bentons are all pushing 40. Fortunately, Rio didn’t dispose of all of their gear, and still has her signature star earrings — with which she can summon Synergy again. A digital artificial intelligence loosely based on her dead mother, Synergy convinces Jerrica to give it a go.
Image by IDW Publishing
On cue, Jerrica sets out to reunite the Holograms one by one. Everyone has moved onto different professions, each matching their passions. Shana, who was always more into fashion design than music, opened a boutique. Aja, who never lost her “indie” roots, became a lower tier musician. Raya, the only band member who wasn’t a biological or adoptive sibling, runs a dance studio that she is eager to ditch out of boredom. It seems like Kimber will be the only holdout.
Image by IDW Publishing
Will the Holograms Reunite? Is Water Wet?
It is strange to see the roles reversed between Jerrica and Kimber with the passage of time. The formerly energetic and impulsive younger sister has grown up and become more mature and practical. She’s settled into an office gig and isn’t as eager to bet it all on music and a dream. She also is, understandably, still a tad bitter about Jerrica’s emotional turmoil ruining the band. Ironically, it was Jerrica who proved to be flaky and impulsive in the past, when it really counted.
Image by IDW Publishing
Thankfully, the urge to perform again — and make up with Jerrica — means that Kimber was only slightly harder to convince than the rest. With the Misfits acting as both music couches and mischief makers, the bands prepare for both a comeback appearance and the defeat of Eric Raymond. Jem and the Holograms shake off the rust in rapid time, while Pizzazz and the Misfits deliver their usual shenanigans to keep Eric and the Stingers off stage and away from their digital tech.
Image by IDW Publishing
Yet even with the Stingers offstage, it comes down to a moment of truth. Will the fans want to see digital doubles of the Holograms as they were, or the real deal as they are now? Jerrica still has no desire to hide behind Synergy’s abilities anymore, a decision which Rio encourages. He’s always loved the “real” Jerrica, after all. The finale is as readers would have expected midway through. Everyone loves the “real” Jem, and the Holograms are officially out of retirement for a new era!
Image by IDW Publishing
It Is a Dimensions Reunion All Its Own!
This is Sina Grace’s second story for the franchise; he wrote for the final issue of Jem & The Holograms: Dimensions last March. Best known for Iceman and Lil’ Depressed Boy, he’s come the closest to matching the narrative voice that Kelly Thompson crafted for three years on the series. This issue is no exception, as it relies heavily on Pizzazz and Jerrica coming to terms in the future for a shared goal. The angle that the Misfits were the established and experienced band with the Holograms being the “darlings out of nowhere” was always a good one, and Grace is inspired by it.
Image by IDW Publishing
In fact the only demerit to this issue is its sheer predictability. While it is surprising to see Jerrica and Kimber swap roles, and there is some genuine desire to see what’s happened to the old band, the plot itself is fairly routine. Once Raymond establishes his plan and readers learned the Holograms dissolved, there is little doubt in the outcome. And while the issue does a good job of reuniting the entire cast, it is a shame that Blaze, who’d officially joined the Misfits in the series’ final issues, is completely omitted from this one-shot. Her role was bigger than the Stingers’.
Image by IDW Publishing
The artwork by Siobhan Keenan is a triumph. She previously worked with the characters in Jem & The Holograms: Dimensions No. 2 and hasn’t missed a step here, one year later. Emulating the designs of characters crafted by Sophie Campbell is no easy task, yet Keenan does it well. The cast is older here, and Keenan also does a good job of depicting that without going overboard. Many artists struggle to draw people at ages between teens and seniors. The music sequences are a step or two back from what Campbell did, but that’s a tough act to follow. Cathy Le’s colors pop and overall it is a very terrific looking issue.
Image by IDW Publishing
Just What Does the Future Hold for Jem and the Holograms at IDW?
Much like the lead characters in this story, IDW’s Jem And The Holograms franchise is at a crossroads. The publisher clearly wants to keep it active, and using an anniversary to do so is wise. Yet the sales figures may not warrant a new ongoing series, at least yet. Projects such as this are a good way to retain the viability of the license without committing to an extended series which may not sell. Using an anniversary to tell a reunion tale is a bit on the nose, but it works.
Image by IDW Publishing
Next. The Misfits and Holograms Get into Antics in Dimensions No. 4!. dark
Later on this year will be a Hasbro anthology one-shot featuring more creators’ take on these characters. It took Marvel years to realize Inhumans couldn’t sell, and IDW doesn’t have anywhere near the time or budget. Fans of Jem should be entertained by this routine yet colorful anniversary tale, at least for now. If these one-shots do well, it may be easier for Jem to make a return for real, and for life to imitate art.