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The Misfits #1-6
Jem and the Holograms: The Misfits
Their songs may be better, but the Misfits have lost their label and nobody will touch them in the music business. On the ropes and desperate to get back on top, they're forced to consider the worst case scenario...A MISFITS REALITY TV SHOW. Though it promises the chance to get them back in the spotlight, it comes with a heavy, privacy-destroying price.
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2017
4 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Thompson
768 books1,035 followersKELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 24, 2019
Love love loving this new version of the Jemverse!
September 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book.
At first, I missed seeing the Misfits take on Jem & The Holograms. But the more I read, the more I fell for these characters.
It gives us a better insight into who the Misfits really are. They are more than just the Jem & The Holograms's rivals. Pizzazz surprises me a few times.
She deals with her bandmates without yelling most of the time. Stormer is amazingly strong in this story. It's gotta be hard being on reality tv. .Especially having your band under the same roof. Jetta, Roxy, and Blaze all have secrets. Will this nicer Pizzazz keep her cool or tear them a new one?
At first, I missed seeing the Misfits take on Jem & The Holograms. But the more I read, the more I fell for these characters.
It gives us a better insight into who the Misfits really are. They are more than just the Jem & The Holograms's rivals. Pizzazz surprises me a few times.
She deals with her bandmates without yelling most of the time. Stormer is amazingly strong in this story. It's gotta be hard being on reality tv. .Especially having your band under the same roof. Jetta, Roxy, and Blaze all have secrets. Will this nicer Pizzazz keep her cool or tear them a new one?
January 7, 2019
With the Misfits being the villains of the Jem universe it's easy to see them as the one-dimensional "bad guys." This volume blows that away by delving into their very sad backstories. Pizzazz is revealed as the one who put this band together and formed them into a substitute family for girls who didn't have one. She's the super protective mama bear and is fierce in defending the others. I always thought of her as a shallow, entitled rich girl but after this I understand her better and I actually quite like her! This is the softer side of the Misfits and it was emotional and lovely.
June 27, 2017
A great series of vignettes that delve deeper into who the Misfits are and how they came to be. It takes old tales from the cartoon and gives them a little remix, while still staying true, as well as some new stories. Highly recommended for fans of the old cartoon or the reboot comic.
I especially love Roxy and Jetta's friendship. They were my two favourite characters growing up and having them be a kick-ass duo is really fun.
The authors knew exactly what fans wanted and how to adapt it to modern day. A perfect reboot.
I especially love Roxy and Jetta's friendship. They were my two favourite characters growing up and having them be a kick-ass duo is really fun.
The authors knew exactly what fans wanted and how to adapt it to modern day. A perfect reboot.
January 7, 2017
The Misfits need a way to get themselves back on the charts. The only option they have is a reality TV series. Pizzazz...I love this girl in this continuity. This has a very short version of how she built the band, and it's so similar to a story I was going to write that I appreciate it more. The art style is a little better than the main Holograms series. Stunning costumes at the end. I hope they go more into the backgrounds for the other girls.
August 13, 2017
This was AMAZING and actually made me love the Misfits even more. This touches on the original cartoon's storyline of Rox not being able to read, and how that all came about, Jetta's origins (they're not what you think!), Stormer's weight issues, Blaze following her dreams, and so much more. I absolutely loved it! The artwork is spot on, the story lines hit home, this is a must read for any Jem fan!
June 26, 2018
What? A comic based on a side character of a cartoon that hasn't been broadcast in 20-30 years is good? Yeah, it's really well done. The art works well, the storytelling is sharp and the writing is surprisingly deep. I expected this to be more of a kids book than it is, but it had thoughtful adult themes and stories.
November 24, 2017
Best Jem book yet! Lots of backstory and bonding for the misfits with a brief flashback fro each band member (Stormer's is maybe my favorite, but their all good). Also, serious hair goals on every page. Adorable, fun, and just weighty enough!
March 9, 2018
3.5. Some good backstories (Stormer battling fatphobia, most of the women had parents die when they were young, Rox can’t read), and we got to see another side of the band where they actually all like each other. It was a good break from ahem, which is starting to feel repetitive.
August 29, 2017
Loved it. It's exactly what I'd been hoping for in a Misfits series.
August 13, 2019
This was a very great story,A deeper look into the misfits lives! After reading the Gem series I was pretty curious about the Misfits lives. They're a big loving family(in there own ways) just like the Holograms. They argue,help each other and keep each other sane XD. Now there on a reality TV show and protecting each other is needed more than ever. Keeping each other's secrets from being revealed by telling your own and etc. This comic made me love the Misfits Even more! They care about each other more than people would think. I was so happy when I heard the Misfits opened there own music lable! I can't wait to see how it all goes!
I highly recommend this comic for Jem lovers who want to see another side of the story !
I highly recommend this comic for Jem lovers who want to see another side of the story !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 11, 2020Spin-off following the Holograms' dastardly rivals, who of course always looked and sounded better. Except that in this version it turns out they all have their own problems, between which and St-Onge's art, with its tendency to make everyone look adorable, the whole thing ends up distinctly wholesome, and thus slightly frustrating for those of us who enjoy cheering the villains.
November 19, 2020
After really missing The Misfits in Volume 5 of Jem and the Holograms, I got a whole volume dedicated to just them! Really can't beat the depth of the storytelling in these issues. I thought the made-up band names on the show posters were a super fun detail and so well done. The Misfits really do rule.
June 11, 2023
In a way, this is a more serious comic than Jem & the Holograms. It deals directly with more serious issues like fatphobia, parental neglect, illiteracy, death, and teen runaways. I think it's meant to show us how and why the Misfits are the way they are. Especially their fierce fuck-you attitude and their fierce familial protectiveness.
September 24, 2017
So, is this going to be its own ongoing series? I've always loved the Misfits more than Jem; their songs are better (literally). I wish there were sound bites of the songs they play available for download. That'd be pretty cool.
I like how in this comic it's truly emphasized that the Misfits are actually a good band and they do have a fan base. In the cartoon, the creators were so busy making them the villains and making everyone seem to hate them that they seemed to forget that in order for the Misfits to be competition for Jem, they actually had to be a good band. But hey, Misfit songs on the cartoon versus Jem songs were always ten times better, though no one on the show acted like they were.
I like Pizzazz being a well-rounded character, she's not just bitchy, she's a leader. She takes charge, she recruited her own band members, saw to it that they all worked to create the right sound, and she'll fight anybody who comes after one of her band-mates. Most touching moment is when an audience member called Stormer a whale. Pizzazz came right off-stage to beat him up, was arrested for fighting, and Roxy, Jetta and Stormer said, okay... let's get our money together for bail. They are a sisterhood.
Then, there's the relationship with Eric Raymond, who is a true business professional. I love how he sells Pizzazz on doing the reality show. "It's this or cruise lines... and not even very good cruise lines." I laughed at his words and Pizzazz's reaction.
My one critique is that they were a little too huggy. I loved that they are a family, but the "Full House" group hugs felt very out of place. There were times when Pizzazz should have blown up--and the temper flare would have been completely validated--and she didn't. Though I like that her character has more dimension than in the show (that's an understatement), she was just a tad too nice for me. I still like her to be cutthroat, though she cares for her own. You know, someone who's gruff and shows they care in other ways, like her beating people up for you or hollering for others to be professional and respect your work.
But, even with that going on, I still want to read more Misfits... and Stingers! They need a spin-off comic now too!
I like how in this comic it's truly emphasized that the Misfits are actually a good band and they do have a fan base. In the cartoon, the creators were so busy making them the villains and making everyone seem to hate them that they seemed to forget that in order for the Misfits to be competition for Jem, they actually had to be a good band. But hey, Misfit songs on the cartoon versus Jem songs were always ten times better, though no one on the show acted like they were.
I like Pizzazz being a well-rounded character, she's not just bitchy, she's a leader. She takes charge, she recruited her own band members, saw to it that they all worked to create the right sound, and she'll fight anybody who comes after one of her band-mates. Most touching moment is when an audience member called Stormer a whale. Pizzazz came right off-stage to beat him up, was arrested for fighting, and Roxy, Jetta and Stormer said, okay... let's get our money together for bail. They are a sisterhood.
Then, there's the relationship with Eric Raymond, who is a true business professional. I love how he sells Pizzazz on doing the reality show. "It's this or cruise lines... and not even very good cruise lines." I laughed at his words and Pizzazz's reaction.
My one critique is that they were a little too huggy. I loved that they are a family, but the "Full House" group hugs felt very out of place. There were times when Pizzazz should have blown up--and the temper flare would have been completely validated--and she didn't. Though I like that her character has more dimension than in the show (that's an understatement), she was just a tad too nice for me. I still like her to be cutthroat, though she cares for her own. You know, someone who's gruff and shows they care in other ways, like her beating people up for you or hollering for others to be professional and respect your work.
But, even with that going on, I still want to read more Misfits... and Stingers! They need a spin-off comic now too!
December 13, 2017
This is a tough admission on my part... but I think I may actually like the Misfits a lot more than Jem and the Holograms. I enjoy Jem’s upbeat optimism, but I like the stark realism that the Misfits repeatedly demonstrate. The Misfits are characters who don’t fear the nitty gritty aspects of life but are willing to face them directly.
In this comic, the lives of the Misfits have been turned into a reality TV show, and although I despise reality TV, the angle of lives on surveillance is really powerful, allowing the Misfits to face issues around their public personas and the revelations of their personal lives. The Misfits have to directly encounter the ways that they have been misfits - literally uncomfortable fits - in society because of the narrow parameters around social structures. In addition to the homophobia that Stormer faces, she has to deal with fatphobia from the public as well as producers, Pizzaz and Jetta have to deal with different types of family rejection that have hardened them over the years, Blaze has to deal with Transphobia, and Roxy feels the need to hide a disability. These are characters who have been drawn together by shared social rejection and EMBRACED their role as social rejects, using it as a way to speak back to an audience that is too complacent with the way things are.
In this comic, the lives of the Misfits have been turned into a reality TV show, and although I despise reality TV, the angle of lives on surveillance is really powerful, allowing the Misfits to face issues around their public personas and the revelations of their personal lives. The Misfits have to directly encounter the ways that they have been misfits - literally uncomfortable fits - in society because of the narrow parameters around social structures. In addition to the homophobia that Stormer faces, she has to deal with fatphobia from the public as well as producers, Pizzaz and Jetta have to deal with different types of family rejection that have hardened them over the years, Blaze has to deal with Transphobia, and Roxy feels the need to hide a disability. These are characters who have been drawn together by shared social rejection and EMBRACED their role as social rejects, using it as a way to speak back to an audience that is too complacent with the way things are.
November 11, 2017
When I first started this, I wasn't loving it. I preferred the art in the Jem series, and I couldn't remember who any of the Misfits were. But my problems with this quickly went away as I got into the story. The art grew on me, the characters were great - I like how they all had their own little story about how they got into music and how they found their way into the Misfits. And I really liked the main story, the reality show and whatnot. Pleasantly surprised by this one. I just wish my library had more Jem.
June 13, 2024
Remember that cartoon Jem and the Holograms? Apparently, they have a comic book now. I haven't read that. Remember their arch-nemesis band, the punk to combat Jems' pop, the Misfits? They also have a book now, and this is it.
I kind of made myself finish this. It wasn't bad or anything I was just not that into it. Which is a real bummer because I think, in retrospect, The Misfits were influential to me as a youngin' in ways I am only just now realizing. Also, they were HOTTT.
Do we think there's Misfits FF? MisfitsxJem FF? Now THAT is a comic I would read! (I guess that's kind of what Band v. Band is, actually, isn't it? Huh.)
I kind of made myself finish this. It wasn't bad or anything I was just not that into it. Which is a real bummer because I think, in retrospect, The Misfits were influential to me as a youngin' in ways I am only just now realizing. Also, they were HOTTT.
Do we think there's Misfits FF? MisfitsxJem FF? Now THAT is a comic I would read! (I guess that's kind of what Band v. Band is, actually, isn't it? Huh.)
June 1, 2018
Even better than the Jem and the Holograms series.
The TV series was a childhood favorite and, I never thought I'd say this, but I like the Misfits better. Seriously. I would totally hang out with these girls. They're all about friendship and loyalty above all else, all the best Slytherin qualities (not their fault that sneaky, tricksy Jerrica came along and messed up the music gig for them). And I got all kinds of feels.
I love a book that takes a previously-known villain, presents their story, and makes me like said "villain" even more than the so-called "hero." Disney's Maleficent did the same thing.
The TV series was a childhood favorite and, I never thought I'd say this, but I like the Misfits better. Seriously. I would totally hang out with these girls. They're all about friendship and loyalty above all else, all the best Slytherin qualities (not their fault that sneaky, tricksy Jerrica came along and messed up the music gig for them). And I got all kinds of feels.
I love a book that takes a previously-known villain, presents their story, and makes me like said "villain" even more than the so-called "hero." Disney's Maleficent did the same thing.
March 24, 2019
I went into this thinking that it would be a cute trip through memory lane, full of nostalgia and fluff. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging it was. The Misfits aren't just two-dimensional foils for Jem and the Holograms, rather, they are fully developed characters with problems of their own and lots of motivation for a rivalry with Jem and her bandmates. On top of that, the title confirms what we all knew as kids in the 80s: the Misfits' songs truly are better. Looking forward to seeing more of this title.
October 21, 2017
Perfection.
This is all that I was hoping for in the backstory for the Misfits. I love how Kelly Thompson kept true to the original series with keeping certain plot points from the cartoon while also adding and modernizing the misfits while still keeping true to the spirit of the show.
The Misfits? They aren't so different from the Holograms when you get down to it. And I think this adds more depth to the oftentimes one dimensional villains we know from the cartoon.
This is all that I was hoping for in the backstory for the Misfits. I love how Kelly Thompson kept true to the original series with keeping certain plot points from the cartoon while also adding and modernizing the misfits while still keeping true to the spirit of the show.
The Misfits? They aren't so different from the Holograms when you get down to it. And I think this adds more depth to the oftentimes one dimensional villains we know from the cartoon.
April 23, 2018
The Misfits have been dropped by their label and are pretty much universally despised, so they take an offer for a reality program to win people back over. I really enjoyed Pizzazz in other Holograms books, so I was glad for a full-Misfit book. They were all really interesting, well fleshed out characters, and I loved seeing them all interact together and seeing their background stories. Great art, great writing.
October 5, 2018
This collection brought some more depth to the Misfits, although if I hear about Roxy loving bagels one more time, Imma punch someone. We learn about Jetta's secret past (which is really kind of an unexciting reveal), Blaze's desire to be in a band of her own, Stormer's insecurities with her weight, Roxy's loss of her father, and Pizzazz's secret love for her band family. This is an okay collection that scratches the I-want-more-Misfits-shenanigans itch but it doesn't break any new ground.
April 20, 2018
Huuuuuh... The Misfits is what I wanted Jem and the Holograms to be. The characters get more development and they are actually interesting! There's no ridiculous drama with fellow bands (which is fun, but took over the narrative in the central book so that characters felt flat and silly at times). Even Pizzazz feels like a person, and the book takes on some heavy topics I didn't expect.
March 19, 2019
If you didn't already love The Misfits, this book will change your mind. Each member is given their own chapter to show how they were recruited into the band, and which obstacles they've wrestled with to get there. The Misfits may be a mess but they're also a family, a point that was always pushed but now feels much more genuine after this edition to the series.
May 14, 2021
A very cute look at the Misfits! After being dropped by their label, they have their own reality tv show. Except they aren't as wild and crazy as usual. These are a softer deeper look at the Misfits and how they formed their little family. I really wish they'd incorporated more of this into the main series because it was a nice look at the other side of the coin.
May 31, 2018
I loved this. I love how the Misfits are just an aggressive and resentful reflection of the Holograms. They are also family, just a different kind of family, and just as fiercely protective of each other.
August 24, 2017
A fun way to get backstory for each of the characters in The Misfits.
Totally worth it.
Totally worth it.
September 2, 2017
I love everything Kelly Thompson is doing with Jem, and The Misfits are fertile ground for deeper character exploration. LOVE.
September 4, 2017
Read in singles.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews