Myles:
To the surprise of no one, my pick this week is Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell’s Jem and the Holograms #4. It’s been no secret how much I love the property and this comic, but Thompson and Campbell continue to outdo themselves with each subsequent issue.
Thompson’s pacing continues to be one of my favorite aspects of this book. Each story beat moves along nicely, but she’s taking her time developing the characters, their relationships and the “origin story” of Jem and the Holograms. The whole of the first arc is feeling like an hour-long pilot episode as opposed trying to cram everything into one or two issues. That care in storytelling cements Jem’s success.
In #4, we see the Hologram’s preparing for their first proper gig, hints the duality of Jerrica/Jem secret beginning to potentially wear on Jerrica, the further complication of Stormer and Kimber’s blossoming relationship, and, of course, the Misfits being hilariously terrible people.
Thompson, of course, isn’t alone in making Jem the amazing book it is. Sophie Campbell’s art continues to shine vibrantly with each issue. Her ability in subtly expressing the emotions on her characters’ faces gives each moment additional weight. While the art in this book has been top notch since the first issue, Campbell seems to be settling into the book quite nicely as her pencils just seem to get better and better.
Month to month, Campbell and Thompson continually put out one of my favorite books on the stands. Everyone should be reading this, not just fans of the show. Despite the source material, Jem remains to be a grounded, character focused story that has something everyone can relate to.
Patrick:
June has been a great month for DC, with some powerhouse issues from ongoing series and events, to the launch of a number of new series. We spoke about this on the podcast a few months back, but I was the most intrigued to get my hands on Lee Bermejo, Rob Haynes and Khary Randolph’s new “We Are Robin” book. We were given a cover that promised a street-level version of Batman’s faithful sidekick, with a number of figures wearing the classic costume colors, and speculation and excitement grew rampant. First off, let me say that Bat-books without the Bat are some of my favorite, as I like to see Gotham from the perspective of other characters, and the primary protagonist in “We Are Robin” is just plain great.
So you find out very early that the leading figure in this book is Duke Thomas, a kid that has been in a few issues of Scott Snyder’s “Batman” run, from Year Zero to Endgame. The story started there for the teen, but continues here in “We Are Robin” as Duke is still looking for his parents who went missing after the Joker’s poison attack on the city. Duke, we have seen, is wickedly smart, brave, and here in the first issue, a kind of a loner teen, moving between foster families, surviving and fighting bullies in the schoolyard with panache because he used to “hang with the Bat.” Duke is fast becoming one of my favorite new Batman characters, right up there with Harper Lee. We get the intrigue and Harry Potter setting of the city in “Gotham Academy”, buthere we see Duke as a street level hero who prefers the ground to jumping around on rooftops. Bermejo has fleshed out this character to be likeable and now a little edgy after being in the system for a few months, and he really nails his inner thoughts. Duke comes off as intelligent, funny and most of all: really cool. Here is a kid that tried to match wits with the Riddler, survived the Joker’s sadistic machinations, and is now faced with the dark streets of the city without any help, and if he doesn’t already deserve to be a Robin because of that, then I couldn’t think of a better candidate for the suit.
I think my only issue with this introduction is that we see very little of the ‘We’ in the title, as the rest of the Robin organization is only seen in the wings of this first issue (Bird Puns FTW). I think that the focus on Duke though was important, I just wanted a little more about them up front. Why exactly did they form? Who is training them? For what purpose? I can’t wait for these answers, but I have to it seems. The art in this book is gritty and fits the tone really well, with fight scenes playing out brutally, and the city itself looking like an excellent stand-in for one of the poorer Burroughs of NYC. “We Are Robin” #1 is out today, and while you’re buying it check out DC’s other new series launches, as I’ve enjoyed them all so far.