The Holograms return home from a huge concert and are hyped up from all of the adrenalin. So they do what a band of twentysomething musicians always do when they're too strung out to sleep -- they plan an impromptu movie night!
Thankfully, Synergy is the ultimate hacker and they learn that she can access pretty much any movie that's been made!
The problem is that the Holograms -- despite being super-close sisters -- are all pretty different girls. Choosing a movie is close to impossible. Jerrica wants a classic comedy. Aja wants a sci-fi movie. Shana is into fantasy. And Kimber is just pretty weird!
Their search for the perfect movie is quickly scuttled when each of the Holograms succumbs to slumber. What follows is a series of movie-themed dreams. Each movie cleverly connects to its dreamer's secret fears and anxieties.
For example, Jerrica ends up dreaming herself in a version of "Teen Wolf" -- the 1980s movie, not the recent MTV beefcake series. She finds herself transforming from mild-mannered Jerrica Benton the unassuming basketball player into Jem Wolf, her popular alter ego who doesn't suffer from Jerrica's insecurities and whose abilities are pretty unlimited.
There is a scene between Jerrica and Synergy Wolf which mirrors themes from the "Teen Wolf" movie, but also speaks to Jerrica's worries about becoming usurped by her "Jem" identity:
The other girls find themselves planted into their own movie-themed dreams, such as the Shana/"Empire Strikes Back" mash-up, which shows her being torn between her role within the Holograms and her desire to become a fashion designer. And then there is the mash-up between Aja and "Mad Max," which shows her realizing that her desire to be a loner isn't as strong as her devotion to her sisters. And then there is Kimber's weird "Muppet Babies" dream, which shows her collaborating with Stormer and trying to get the Holograms and Misfts to cooperate.
Each dreamer interacted with Synergy, who offered sage advise or provided some tool for learning a truth. I left the book wondering if maybe Synergy's ability are more than holographic. Could she possibly be psionic? That seems implausible, but I wanted to implant that suggested in this blog for future reference!
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS OUTRAGEOUS ANNUAL #1 was a really fun read, though the price tag might chase away some. But the storytelling is engaging and the various artists are all perfect. It's definitely worth picking up!
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS OUTRAGEOUS ANNUAL #1 was written by Kelly Thompson. "Wired" featured art by Amy Mebberson. "Jem Wolf" featured art by Arielle Jovellanos and colors by Josh Burcham. "Angry Asa" featured art by Rebekah Isaacs and colors by Joana Lefuente. "Shana Wars" featured art and colors by Jen Bartel. And "Jem Babies" featured art and colors by Agnes Garbowska with coloring assistance from Lauren Perry.