I recently re-watched the first season of the cartoon on Netflix and was reminded of one aspect of the program that proved most difficult to accept. I'm not talking about Synergy, the holographic computer with artificial intelligence. I'm not talking about Jerrica Benton's dual-identity as Jem, or about her crazy two-person love triangle with Rio.
No, I'm talking about the lack of consequences for the Misfits' repeated criminal acts against Jem, the Holograms, and pretty much anyone else. There was the time that they took over a yacht filled with some of this country's most rich and influential people and nearly crashed it into another ship. There was the time that they locked Aja in a bus' luggage storage unit. There were the multiple times that they very publicly assaulted Jem. But they and their manager Eric always seemed to skate out of trouble without consequence.
Of course, nobody ever actually got hurt as the result of the Misfits' actions either, which always seemed odd given some of their antics. But it was a cartoon, and we cartoon viewers are willing to give cartoon antics a bit more latitude than actual real-life antics.
That's why I actually gasped out loud when reading JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #5, which was published this past Wednesday. Last issue, Jem and the Holograms were performing at a fundraising event for the Starlight Foundation. A Misfit wannabe named Clash infiltrated the event and sabotaged the scaffolding. Which caused the lights to fall from the ceiling. Directly over Jem.
Which gets me back to my gasp. The issue starts predictably. Somebody (AKA Aja) pushed Jem away from the falling lights. Death was averted!
I turned to page #2 and realized that things did NOT turn out okay. Jem was safe, but Aja was pretty seriously injured. She doesn't die -- hopefully that doesn't seem like a horrible spoiler for you -- but she ends up in the hospital and takes time to recover.
Of course, this event really ramps up the tension between the Holograms and the Misfits. Especially after Kimber realizes that the Misfits' assistant was directly involved with Aja's near-death experience.
I cannot tell you how much I love this book, guys! If you aren't getting IDW's JEM AND THE HOLOGRAM, you owe it to yourself to begin reading this outrageous title!
"Showtime Part Five" is written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Sophie Campbell, story by Thompson & Campbell, colors by M. Victoria Robado, and lettering by Shawn Lee.