A story I've been waiting 30 years for - The Misfits #1

[icon_uk]

Last Christmas I posted from the Jem Christmas special, a delighful story. There's not one this year (or not that I've seen) but we do have the start of something rather fun, the first spin-off from the Jem title.



One of the high points of the already excellent Jem and the Holograms comics has been writer Kelley Thompson's treatment of The Misfits, the main rival group to the titular heroes.

In the cartoon, the Misfits were rather lacking in backstory. They were great fun, and yes, their songs WERE better, but beyond Pizzazz being a rich girl with anger managment AND daddy issues, Roxy being an illiterate girl from the streets of Philadelphia, Jetta being a serial fantasist come con-artist and Stormer having self image issues and a never quite explained dependency on being in the group, we never really saw how they formed or what bonded them.

The comics have already given us more depth to the group, with Pizzazz being more than just a gifted vocalist with money, she's genuinely committed to the band and it's musical integrity, and in the first issue of their own title, we see more of how they first got together.



For their assorted bad behaviour, The Misfits have been dropped by "Five by Five", their old record company, who are now pushing Jem and the Holograms AND The Stingers (who I must make a post about soon) and no other company will touch them.<

Eric Raymond, their manager is committed to the group and has also left Five by FIve. He's not having that much luck but does have one last desperate hope.

Pizzazz meanwhile is reminiscining on how she has gotten to this position, starting with a time eleven years ago when she was just a little green haired goth chick.



Her parents divorce was so toxic that NEITHER of them showed up to the child custody hearing.... harsh. She will live with her father and see her mother only on alternate Christmas holidays.

It's interesting to see this young Phyllis, she's got the attitude, but is still fairly well adjusted. She's polite to the lawyer and doesn't take her anger at the situation out on him. Still, we can see the source of at least some of her anger at the world.

We cut to threee years ago where another familiar face can be seen in less than happy circumstances...



Stormer being a willing member of The misfits was always a stretch in the cartoon, she's a basically good hearted person, without the malice that Pizzazz and Roxy (and later Jetta) have, but Pizzazz appealling to her more or less purely on the basis of her musical talents works. Likewise showing that Pizzazz is more than just a pushy wannabe with access to a lot of money, she recognises musical talent and can speak to fellow talents on an even footing. She also has a mission..



I love artist Jenn St-Onge's take on the girls, slightly more cartoony than Sophie Campbells original (and inspired) redesigns but still very distinctive.

And we're not done yet. In the cartoon we actually saw how Jetta joined the group, when they were looking for a new member to upstage the Holograms publicity over their search for a new member. And thus they became the only four person hard rock group with a saxophonist, but no drummer... (Making Roxy the drummer rather than bass guitarist was another inspired move IMHO)

Also, in the cartoon, Roxy and Stormer loathed each other, the comics have gone in... another direction.



A smitten Roxy is an adorable thing to see, and the fact that she and Jetta now live together makes them a fun duo. Their relationship hasn't been confirmed in the comics (even their living in the same house is kept a secret from Pizzazz because she doesn't approve of intra-band relationships) but let's be honest, it's unlikely to be anything else.

Blaze is a comics-only character, and her introduction as a replacement lead singer when Pizzazz injured her throat, and her status as a transwoman has been well handled. When Pizzazz returned to the group she insisted that Blaze stay. And when Blaze offers to resign, because she knows that Pizzazz insisting on keeping her on was one of the reasons Five by Five dropped them, Pizzazz refuses to let her because Blaze adds something new and important to the group's sound and is too good to let go (Comics Pizzazz is not quite the egomaniac she was in the cartoon, though she is a major diva). Blazes reaction is a little surprising to Pizzazz



Now this is a Pizzazz I can get behind.

Oh, and the offer Eric was telling Pizzazz about? A Misfits reality TV series.... What could POSSIBLY go wrong with THAT? :)

I REALLY want to see how this plays out

Comments

[ozaline]

In the cartoon I head canon Pizzazz as trans... Her mother left and the reason was never revealed to the viewer, her father is cold and distant, she gets horribly mad when you refer to her by her assigned name (which if feminine but still..

Granted she doesn't have to be Trans for this to happen, but it's a story I'm familiar with.

[icon_uk]

Fascinating, it would never have occurred to me, and definitely not at the time the cartoon was coming out, but I can see where you're coming from with that.

[beyondthefringe]

I love how they're portrayed here. It gives them so much more depth.

[kamino_neko]

I really enjoyed this book, save for one thing.

Not entirely happy with how Roxy's drawn.

She and Stormer are my benchmarks for the non-Sophie Campbell artists of Jem...and while I'm happy with Jenn St-Onge's portrayal of Stormer, Roxy...she is sturdily built, but not as beefy as she ought to be, and her face is far too round.

[janegray]

These jerks treat you like crap and aren't nearly skilled enough to get away with that kind of behaviour. I mean, I'll give a diva a break if she'd got talent, but these guys. UGH

They really have done a great job with Pizzazz' characterization. She is somebody who dishes it out, but can take it as well and is coherent about it.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Nice.

Interesting how Pizzazz's hair changes throughout, too.

[dustbunny105]

I can't help myself thinking about how much more I'd enjoy this with Sophie Campbell on art. Jenn St-Onge's style is lovely in its own right, very cute and expressive, but Sophie's art was one of the defining elements of the Jem comics for me, and her departure from the main title is the top reason I've fallen behind reading (as well as the top reason I haven't read this issue in full yet). I also have to agree with kamino_neko above, St-Onge's Roxy is too soft.

That said, this looks like a great start to the title. Pizzazz is probably my favorite character in the IDW 'verse and I love this closer look at her past and her motivations, as well as her dedication and talent. And of course it's a treat to see the band get together as well. My only disappointment is the Roxy/Jetta development. I remember it being said somewhere or other that Roxy and Jetta in the comics bonded over a mutual love of boxing and a mutual hatred of each other, so while smitten Roxy is adorable, I feel robbed of the enemies-to-friends(-and/or-lovers) backstory I'd expected for them.

[q99]

I like! Really need to pick up some Jem comics...

Wait... was the Secret Santa comic was last year? Really?

[silverzeo]

I did had this one story idea where Phyllis, not as Pizzazz, has a lunch with Jerica, and both go on how they feel about their "other personas", like how Pizzazz is to be a top class winner for Phyllis... but still comes off as a failure no matter what she do, and Jerica talks about she feels like Jem is taking more and more away from her (namely Rio) but is stuck with her because Jem is what keeps the Record Company and the Starlight Girls House afloat...