Jem and the Holograms first issue.

[richardak]

The first issue of Jem and the Holograms came out today.  Here are four pages from it:

 

Jerrica Benton and her band are recording a video for a contest for aspiring bands, but Jerrica can only sing when there is no audience present at all.  Even the handful of recording technicians present are too much for her.  In frustration, she flees the studio. 




Kimber tries to persuade Jerrica to try again, the band gets into a fight, and Jerrica goes home.  Once there, she makes an incredible discovery.



Her father left her the hologram-projecting supercomputer Synergy.  Pretty soon Jerrica shares this amazing secret with the rest of the band.



And so Jerrica realizes that she can defeat her crippling stage-fright by adopting an new identity, that of Jem.  As long as no one knows who she really is or can see the real her, she can sing in public.  

Personally, I am not a fan of this interpretation of the character.  It seems so at odds with the character from the original eighties cartoon.  That Jerrica was nothing if not supremely self-confident.  She had no real doubt that she could simultaneously front a rock band and run her own record label and run her charitable foundation.  She needed to become Jem not as a confidence boost, but because she was worried that no one would take her seriously as a businesswoman if she were also fronting a glam-rock group.  There, the purpose of the Jem persona was to fool others.  Now the purpose seems to be to fool herself.  I don't like this interpretation.

Oh, and, since I can't add any tags, the writer is Kelly Thompson, with Ross Campbell on art.  Published by IDW.

Comments

[beyondthefringe]

Of course she's not happy. She's easily the least outrageous one there!
So colorful!

[long_silence]

Why not just go into business with the holographic technology?

[freezer]

Because Reed Richards Is Useless.

[alicemacher]

So apparently chickification (<-- yes it's a TV Tropes link; you have been warned) is now a thing even in adaptations of works with an all-women cast. Phooey.

[kates]

I don't know who the issue itself is physically credited to, but Ross Campbell has come out as trans (as detailed on her twitter) and she goes by Sophie now. Would you mind editing the post with proper clarification?

[halloweenjack]

Yeah, Sophie Campbell came out after the issue went to press, and is already credited under the new name on the digital edition.

[lyricalswagger]

Yes, please change the post to reflect this, thank you.

[selke]

I managed to get my hand on this today. I laughed way too much at the "Yesssssss" thing.

[ozaline]

I just got my copy today, it's my favourite panel I think.

[starwolf_oakley]

Jerrica's shyness might bring new levels to the "two person love triangle" she has with Rio. If they are bringing that into this series. It will be hard to play "Jerrica is deceiving Rio, but she is shy so it's all right."

[janegray]

Maybe not "but she is shy so it's all right" so much as "but she is shy so she remains sympathetic even when she fucks up."

It doesn't excuse her actions, but it makes them understandable.

[shadwing]

If some of the promo material is correct, Rio will be a Music/Entertainment Reporter and not Jessica's life long childhood friend....so the triangle...if it's there...wont be quite so headbanging inane

[q99]

All in all... this still looks pretty awesome to me.

[cricharddavies]

On the other tendril, the notion "no one will take me seriously as an entrepreneur if I'm also fronting a glam rock band" makes no real sense in an era of rap and hip hop moguls.

[janegray]

Yeah, if anything these days it could help her business.

[michaelhealy]

They seem significantly younger in this version of the characters so I'm more willing to accept her being less sure of herself.

[candyangelo]

I think Jerrica's shy personality could really work with this incarntation. However, if Eric Raymond is going to be a recurring villain then it's going to be interesting how Jerrica handles him.

And I just heard about Sophie Campbell coming out as trans just today; I've admired her work since Wet Moon and The Abandoned.