Jem – The Misfits #1 (2016) – Comic Review & Breakdown 🎸📺
📚 Genre
Drama, Musical, Slice of Life, Satire
🌟 Main Characters
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Pizzazz (Phyllis Gabor) – The fierce, green-haired lead singer with a no-nonsense attitude.
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Roxy (Roxanne Pelligrini) – The tough-as-nails guitarist from Philly with a streetwise edge.
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Stormer (Mary Phillips) – The kind-hearted keyboardist and songwriter who brings warmth to the band.
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Jetta (Sheila Burns) – The sassy saxophonist from the UK with a sharp tongue and sharper fashion.
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Eric Raymond – The band’s ex-manager who left them in chaos.
✍️ Writer
Kelly Thompson – Known for blending character depth with humor, Thompson brings emotional realism to the glam and chaos of rock stardom.
🎨 Artist
Jenn St-Onge – With a punk-chic aesthetic and expressive character design, St-Onge captures the Misfits' larger-than-life personalities perfectly.
📝 Editor Details
Sarah Gaydos – Ensuring narrative consistency and a seamless transition from the main Jem and the Holograms series to this edgy spinoff.
🏢 Publisher and Brand
IDW Publishing
Brand: Jem and the Holograms Universe
📅 Release Year
2016
🧵 Brief Plot Summary
“Green is the New Everything,” Part 1 kicks off with the Misfits at rock bottom—dropped by their record label and publicly disgraced. Despite their undeniable musical talent, no one in the industry wants to take a chance on them. That’s when the unthinkable is proposed: a Misfits reality TV show. 📺
It’s a last-ditch shot at reclaiming the limelight, but the path to renewed fame comes at a price—sacrificing every shred of privacy and control. As the band debates selling their souls to the media machine, they must also wrestle with past rivalries, personal demons, and each other. 💔🎙️
🔥 Notable Arcs or Storylines
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Reality Bites Back – The exploration of fame through a cynical, modern lens where social media and television reshape public perception.
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Stormer's Inner Struggle – A subtle yet emotional subplot involving Stormer's discomfort with how the media twists their image.
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Pizzazz’s Vulnerability – Fans see a new side to the Misfits’ tough-as-nails leader as she faces potential irrelevance.
🌀 Fan Theories or Interpretations
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🎭 The Misfits as Anti-Holograms – Some fans interpret this series as a direct critique of pop culture's obsession with perfection, casting the Misfits as raw, authentic counterpoints to Jem’s sparkle and gloss.
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📽️ The Show Within a Show – The comic blurs the lines between fiction and reality, sparking theories that the TV show depicted is a metafictional commentary on readers’ own consumption of drama.
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💚 Green as a Symbol – The recurring theme of green (hair, envy, greed) is thought by fans to represent Pizzazz’s emotional conflict between artistic integrity and fame.
🧾 Review Summary
Jem – The Misfits #1 is a bold and biting exploration of fame in the digital age. Kelly Thompson’s writing balances razor-sharp wit with poignant character development, while Jenn St-Onge’s art bursts with energy, attitude, and edge. Each character is visually distinct and emotionally layered, making the Misfits more than just rivals—they’re flawed, fierce, and deeply human.
This debut issue rocks hard, pulls no punches, and leaves you wanting more chaos, more glitter, and definitely more Misfits. 🤘💥
🎧 A must-read for fans of glam-punk, girl power, and messy band drama!
Comic Resource / Read Online (External Source)
