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Reviews
Jem and the Holograms, Vol. 4: Enter the Stingers by Meredith McClaren, Kelly Thompson, Jen Bartel
celtic_oracle's review against another edition
4.0
I love the various nods to the series and the fandom - Rio kicking the plant in a previous volume, and in this one a Rama Llama cameo! I liked the story is this one much better than Dark Jem (though I do hate that Jerrica is also affected by Riot), but the art this time around wasn’t my favourite.
droar's review against another edition
3.0
Drama, drama, drama! Lots of drama and a weird little nothing side arc for one of the sisters, but still fun shenanigans. It's building up to some drama that I am not excited about, but what can you do? The art style on the back half is a bit odd, but I like it.
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
5.0
I love how vivid the personality of each characters comes through. Love these comics! There were some iffy plot points and art style choices in this volume, but still enjoyed it through and through!
2018 Reading Women Challenge: A graphic novel or memoir
2018 Reading Women Challenge: A graphic novel or memoir
elderkinhv's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
andreacaro's review against another edition
2.0
Gonna have to DNF the series here. The art went from amazing to... really, really bad. The story was fine, but it felt like a waste of my time.
robinks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This volume also felt disjointed (exacerbated by the art style change-up), and there was a lot of implied plot that I wish we had seen. No one is handling anything well or being honest, which is frustrating to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Violence
Minor: Blood
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Do you have to insult me even when you're agreeing with me, Aja?"
"Probably."
^^like why is this also me?
Jem & the Holograms continues to offer up a story about bands but also one about sisters. In this one, each sister has her own worries. Aja cuts her hair, and the sisters all quip she's gearing up for a breakup. Aja is serious about her boyfriend and has to confront her history as someone who doesn't stick with someone for long. Shana's on a Devil Wears Prada adventure, struggling to make her fashion dreams come true. She's alone in Milan, isolated from her sisters. And Jerrica sinks deeper into the illusion of Jem, even to the point of kicking off a romance in her holographic alter ego. To be honest, Kimber isn't a major player in this volume. And neither are the Misfits, despite plenty of page time. Where they've been growing, now they stagnate, even regressing to their original villainous roles. The only exception is that Stormer is left out of their schemes for fear of testing her loyalty.
The biggest bummer of this volume is that nothing's really resolved. A lot of drama is kicked up due to a new band that's introduced. Sadly, The Stingers lack the flavor of the original two groups (hopefully they'll be developed more in future if they end up recurring). Jerrica makes increasingly erratic, questionable decisions in regards to the group's frontman, and neither the cause nor the effect is fully explored in the volume. Shana is worried about what her decision means for the sisterhood, and that's the same from beginning to end. So there's a lot of flailing but not a lot actually ~happens.~ I'm also unsure about the shift in art style. Sometimes it just takes me a while to adjust, and I'm not there yet with the new look.
I love this series and its characters. I just don't think this installment did them justice.
"Probably."
^^like why is this also me?
Jem & the Holograms continues to offer up a story about bands but also one about sisters. In this one, each sister has her own worries. Aja cuts her hair, and the sisters all quip she's gearing up for a breakup. Aja is serious about her boyfriend and has to confront her history as someone who doesn't stick with someone for long. Shana's on a Devil Wears Prada adventure, struggling to make her fashion dreams come true. She's alone in Milan, isolated from her sisters. And Jerrica sinks deeper into the illusion of Jem, even to the point of kicking off a romance in her holographic alter ego. To be honest, Kimber isn't a major player in this volume. And neither are the Misfits, despite plenty of page time. Where they've been growing, now they stagnate, even regressing to their original villainous roles. The only exception is that Stormer is left out of their schemes for fear of testing her loyalty.
The biggest bummer of this volume is that nothing's really resolved. A lot of drama is kicked up due to a new band that's introduced. Sadly, The Stingers lack the flavor of the original two groups (hopefully they'll be developed more in future if they end up recurring). Jerrica makes increasingly erratic, questionable decisions in regards to the group's frontman, and neither the cause nor the effect is fully explored in the volume. Shana is worried about what her decision means for the sisterhood, and that's the same from beginning to end. So there's a lot of flailing but not a lot actually ~happens.~ I'm also unsure about the shift in art style. Sometimes it just takes me a while to adjust, and I'm not there yet with the new look.
I love this series and its characters. I just don't think this installment did them justice.
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this series. Sisterhood! Friendships! Romance! Finding your future! Music!
Fashion! And a Bear Attack!
Fashion! And a Bear Attack!
roklobster's review against another edition
3.0
I love this reboot, but dear lord I hate the art in this volume. Because? The previous art fit SO WELL with the fashion/music themes of the stories, and very often echoed back to the original series without copying. It caught the overall feel of the series as I remember it and I loved the fresh new take on the characters!
This volumes art style is not working for me. I find myself distracted and annoyed at how characters are portrayed and more often than not I think they look... ugly. :(
The character arc of Pizzazz is also not awesome. They made her into an interesting multi-dimensional character in the last arc and then what? Brought her back to the most boring part of her personality? I was not impressed.
This volumes art style is not working for me. I find myself distracted and annoyed at how characters are portrayed and more often than not I think they look... ugly. :(
The character arc of Pizzazz is also not awesome. They made her into an interesting multi-dimensional character in the last arc and then what? Brought her back to the most boring part of her personality? I was not impressed.