Jem and The Holograms is a comic series published by IDW Publishing. It debuted on March 25, 2015 and ended on June 14th, 2017 with a total of 26 main series issues and five special issues.
It is a 21st century reboot of the 1980s cartoon of the same name. The comic series re-imagines the JEM cast and setting of the cartoon to reflect modern fashion trends and to be more reflective of the issues young adults face in the present day[1].
Plot Summary[]
Main Cast[]
Issues[]
Main Series[]
- For the full list of issues, see: Issues and Volumes (IDW) & for the full list of covers, see: Covers (IDW)
_-_Default_Cover.png "IDW Jem - Main Series Outrageous Annual (2015) - Default Cover.png (7.53 MB)")
_-_Default_Cover.png "IDW Jem - Main Series Outrageous Annual (2017) - Default Cover.png (2.32 MB)")
Spinoffs[]
On July 23rd 2016, it was announced at the IDW Publishing panel at San Diego Comic Con 2016 that IDW Publishing would produce a spin-off comic series within the JEM reboot universe. The comic focused on The Misfits as the main characters, instead of The Holograms[2]. It was written by Kelly Thompson, and illustrated by Jenn St-Onge (interiors) & M. Victoria Robado (covers). As of June 7th, 2017, The Misfits ended its one story arc spanning five issues. For more information, see: Jem: The Misfits (IDW).
Following the end of the main series, on June 28th, 2017, the Infinite crossover storyline began. Infinite ended with six issues, with the main focus for each issue alternating between The Holograms and The Misfits[3]. For more information, see: Jem: Infinite (IDW).
On July 21st 2017, the Dimensions anthology was announced[2]. Each issue in the series consisted of two self-contained stories set within the JEM reboot universe, and rotated creative teams notably bringing back series creator Sophie Cambpell. As of March 7th 2018, the series ended with a four issue run containing eight stories. For more information, see: Jem: Dimensions (IDW).
Collected Reprints[]
Trade Paperbacks[]
Trade paperbacks are the collected, omnibus editions of a comic book. They typically include one or more story arcs, reprinted in book format. These books sometimes contain edits or additional material not featured in the original published issues. Currently, Jem and The Holograms has five published trade paperback editions.
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.png "IDW Jem - Trade Paperback Cover (8).png (4.57 MB)")
Trade Hardbacks[]
Trade hardbacks are the collected, omnibus editions of a comic book. They typically include one or more story arcs, reprinted in book format. These books sometimes contain edits or additional material not featured in the original published issues. These hardbacks are printed in a larger size than the original comics at 7"x11" versus the typical 6"x10" comic book format. Currently, Jem and The Holograms has three published trade hardback editions, with the first volume having a limited edition cover variant.
Jem and The Holograms: Outrageous Edition Oversized Hardcover is the first trade hardback edition released for Jem and The Holograms and was published on August 16th, 2016. It collects together Showtime, Viral!, Rio Pacheco, Boy Reporter, the first Outrageous Annual, the Holiday Special, and the Valentine Special across 340 pages. The Jem Oversized Hardcover Foil-Enhanced SDCC Variant cover variant was released exclusively at San Diego Comic Con 2016 at the IDW Publishing booth and limited to 100 copies.
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Jem and The Holograms: Outrageous Edition, Vol. 2 is the second trade hardback edition released for Jem and The Holograms. It collects together Dark Jem, Ch-Ch-Changes, and Enter The Stingers across 328 pages.
Jem and The Holograms: Outrageous Edition, Vol. 3 is the third and currently final trade hardback edition released for Jem and The Holograms and the only release for Jem: The Misfits spinoff. It collects together Truly Outrageous and Our Songs Are Better across 252 pages.
Covers[]
For cover reprints, there are box sets and treasury editions. Box sets are a collection of exclusive cover variants for a certain issue of a comic book. Currently, Jem and The Holograms has three released "holographic foil" box sets: Showtime, Part One, Showtime, Part Two, and Dark Jem, Part One. The art for the covers were done by Sophie Campbell and Amy Mebberson.
Treasury editions are compilations of logoless, textless cover variants, usually printed on a larger scale with bonus work-in-progress drafts, commentary, extra content, etc. Currently, Jem and The Holograms has two treasury editions.
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(January 13th, 2016)
.png "IDW Jem - Treasury Edition Cover (2).png (2.26 MB)")
(March 2018)
Development[]
Jem and The Holograms was announced on December 2nd, 2014 as the latest comic collaboration between IDW Publishing and Hasbro. The creative team behind the comic were writer Kelly Thompson, artist Sophie Campbell and editor John Barber. The title officially launched on March 25, 2015.
John Barber, at the time senior editor of IDW and head of their Hasbro licenses, stated that when he first came to work at IDW, "Getting a Jem and The Holograms comic going was a top priority for me[1]." Thompson - who was already in discussion with IDW about other projects - was put forward as someone who might be interesting for the comic. When approached, she knew that she wanted Campbell - who was at the time working on IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - involved in co-creating the pitch[1]. Barber had already seen Campbell's Jem fan art redesigns from 2011[4] and knew of her work[5]. Thompson and Campbell's basic pitch was "Classic Jem stories brought into the 21st century[6]" and they were passionate about giving the cast a diversity that wasn't possible with the constraints of 1980s animation and social attitudes. Some of the changes, such as Jetta being updated to be a black character, were reflections of Christy Marx's original vision of wanting a black Misfit[7] or referenced in the cartoon's canon, while others were their own stylistic choices, with an aim of making the cast more reflective of the modern world.
As of June 14th, 2017, the comic includes 26 issues over 6 main story arcs, Showtime, Viral!, Dark Jem, Ch-Ch-Changes, Enter The Stingers, and Truly Outrageous. In addition to the core series storyline, there have been a number of one-shots and tie-ins. These comprise of the Holiday Special, Valentines Day Special, Outrageous Annual (2015), Outrageous Annual (2017), and IDW 20/20.
Critical Response[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 idwpublishing: JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS Get A Comic Book Series That Is Truly Outrageous! (December 2nd, 2014) (Archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 bleedingcool: Bleeding Cool: Jem and the Holograms Step Into a New Comic Book Dimension (July 21st, 2017)
- ↑ cbr: IDW’s Jem and the Holograms Takes a Bow in April, But an Encore is Planned (January 25th, 2017)
- ↑ Comics Alliance: ComicsAlliance’s ‘Jem’ Fans Take On Sophie Campbell’s Truly Outrageous Redesigns (December 29th, 2011)
- ↑ womenwriteaboutcomics: Jem’s Sophie Campbell Talks Diversity and Revamping Jem for the 21st Century (March 2nd, 2015)
- ↑ westfieldcomics: Interview: Kelly Thompson on IDW’s Jem and The Holograms (January 9th, 2015)
- ↑ io9: See The Misfits' New Look In Exclusive Jem & The Holograms Cover Reveal (December 14th, 2014)
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| IDW Continuity Navigation | |
|---|---|
| Issues & Volumes • Creative Team | |
| Issues | |
| Main Series | 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08 • 09 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 |
| Specials | Valentine Special • Holiday Special • Annual (2015) • Annual (2017) • IDW 20/20 |
| Spin-offs |
Jem: The Misfits: 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 |
| Characters | |
| Holograms | Jem, Kimber, Aja, Shana, Raya, Synergy, Holograms Songs |
| The Misfits | Pizzazz, Roxy, Stormer, Jetta, Blaze, Misfits Songs |
| Stingers | Riot, Minx, Rapture, Stingers Songs |
| Other Characters |
Clash, Elise Harcourt, Eric Raymond, Madmartigan, Rio, Silica, Techrat, Minor Characters |