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A review by rach
Jem and the Holograms, Vol. 2: Viral by Amy Mebberson, M. Victoria Robado, Kelly Thompson, Corin Howell, Emma Vieceli
5.0
Another super fun volume! I loved getting to know each of the characters on a deeper level, and seeing new sides to both the "good" guys and "bad" guys.
The first issue of the volume, with all the dreams, was a really interesting look into the minds of each Hologram - Jerrica is worried people will love Jem more than her, and eventually even her sisters (and Rio) will prefer Jem. And who is the real Jem? Who is the real Jerrica? At what point does one become the other? Aja's dream seems to indicate that she's thought about going out on her own, but has realized it's better to stick together. Shanna's dream is clearly indicative of her current inner conflict - she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, but she can't abandon her sisters, even if the band gets in the way of her own dream. Kimber's dream was just straight up adorable. Clearly she wants to be with Stormer and for the bands to get along and play music together, but even her subconscious knows that Pizzazz isn't going to let that happen.
Most of the major conflict in this volume centers around Jem and the Holograms being signed by Fivebyfive Records, and having to go on tour with the Misfits, which neither band is crazy about. I love that they are being forced to work together in a way. The Halloween party was adorable - I loved all the costumes - especially Kimber's super bowl shark, and the Misfits and Techrat's ode to the Karate Kid. I'm really happy that Kimber and Stormer made up, and the Jerrica and Rio are back together. His interactions with Jem still feel above board, and I'm still hopeful they won't bring up the love triangle.
Pizzazz's accident was really eye-opening - not only did we get a look inside Rio's life and head, but we got to see that the Misfits truly do care about one another, even Pizzazz. Stormer was so touched that she was Pizzazz's emergency contact, and when Rio finally goes to get Roxy and Jetta, they are out the door running as soon as they heard Pizzazz was hurt. It also gave the Holograms a chance to be generous to their rivals, and do what they could to pull the focus off of Pizzazz's injuries.
I loved the Christmas gift exchange story - Kimber and Stormer are really just the cutest, and I love how they both convince their bands to take the gift-buying seriously. What Jerrica said about being good guys really resonates - just because you're the good guys doesn't mean the other people are bad guys. It's about you, not about them. There doesn't have to be a bad guy, and you can only control your own actions. If you want to be good, be generous, be forgiving, and try to move on. The gifts they picked out for one another were thoughtful, and even though she was motivated by not wanting to be in Jem's debt, I love that even Pizzazz in the end got Jem the best gift she could think of.
I'm ready for the next volume, and since it's called "Dark Jem", I'm assuming it's going to having to do with what Techrat said after the Halloween party, about there being something wrong with Synergy. She's had a few moments throughout the book so far where you can tell she doesn't like being dismissed, and there's the issue over whether she's a real "person" who gets to make her own decisions. It'll be interesting to explore that in upcoming volumes.
The first issue of the volume, with all the dreams, was a really interesting look into the minds of each Hologram - Jerrica is worried people will love Jem more than her, and eventually even her sisters (and Rio) will prefer Jem. And who is the real Jem? Who is the real Jerrica? At what point does one become the other? Aja's dream seems to indicate that she's thought about going out on her own, but has realized it's better to stick together. Shanna's dream is clearly indicative of her current inner conflict - she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, but she can't abandon her sisters, even if the band gets in the way of her own dream. Kimber's dream was just straight up adorable. Clearly she wants to be with Stormer and for the bands to get along and play music together, but even her subconscious knows that Pizzazz isn't going to let that happen.
Most of the major conflict in this volume centers around Jem and the Holograms being signed by Fivebyfive Records, and having to go on tour with the Misfits, which neither band is crazy about. I love that they are being forced to work together in a way. The Halloween party was adorable - I loved all the costumes - especially Kimber's super bowl shark, and the Misfits and Techrat's ode to the Karate Kid. I'm really happy that Kimber and Stormer made up, and the Jerrica and Rio are back together. His interactions with Jem still feel above board, and I'm still hopeful they won't bring up the love triangle.
Pizzazz's accident was really eye-opening - not only did we get a look inside Rio's life and head, but we got to see that the Misfits truly do care about one another, even Pizzazz. Stormer was so touched that she was Pizzazz's emergency contact, and when Rio finally goes to get Roxy and Jetta, they are out the door running as soon as they heard Pizzazz was hurt. It also gave the Holograms a chance to be generous to their rivals, and do what they could to pull the focus off of Pizzazz's injuries.
I loved the Christmas gift exchange story - Kimber and Stormer are really just the cutest, and I love how they both convince their bands to take the gift-buying seriously. What Jerrica said about being good guys really resonates - just because you're the good guys doesn't mean the other people are bad guys. It's about you, not about them. There doesn't have to be a bad guy, and you can only control your own actions. If you want to be good, be generous, be forgiving, and try to move on. The gifts they picked out for one another were thoughtful, and even though she was motivated by not wanting to be in Jem's debt, I love that even Pizzazz in the end got Jem the best gift she could think of.
I'm ready for the next volume, and since it's called "Dark Jem", I'm assuming it's going to having to do with what Techrat said after the Halloween party, about there being something wrong with Synergy. She's had a few moments throughout the book so far where you can tell she doesn't like being dismissed, and there's the issue over whether she's a real "person" who gets to make her own decisions. It'll be interesting to explore that in upcoming volumes.