“GREEN IS THE NEW EVERYTHING,” part 1! 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.
Writing
With the popularity of the Jem comic, it was inevitable that IDW would have to answer the demand for more content. Enter The Misfits, the frenemy band of the Holograms who just so happened to have had a major plot point open for them thanks to recent issues of Jem. In short, the band has been let go from their record company and thanks to their past, well let’s call them “indiscretions,” they have become a black mark for any recording company. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to explore a bit more about these characters and what makes them tick.
This is where writer Kelly Thompson really makes this new series feel like something more than simply a convenient spinoff. The majority of this issue is spent in flashbacks showing how the Misfits came together as a band and even showing a bit more about Pizzazz. There could be an entire storyline just showing her growing up in a broken household but the subtle mentions of it are more than enough to help to get a mental picture of what it was like. A perfect example of “show, don’t tell” which makes the reader wish they could do something to improve her situation.
Artwork
The artwork for this issues has Jenn St-Onge (Josie and The Pussycats) on art and M. Victoria Robado (Littlest Pet Shop) doing the color work. The two artists come together and complement one another’s styles to produce a pleasing mixture which seems to tap into the previous incarnations of the characters but at the same time helps to give them a sense of originality. The subtle changes to each of the characters through the flashbacks to show them as younger is a very nice touch and really helps to wrap the first issue up with a bow.
Conclusion
IDW has another success for their audience and given them what they want but at the same time doing so in a very fulfilling and enriching way. Too many times publishers are simply it in for a cheap cash grab and don’t offer anything deep or meaningful in the process. Make no mistakes Jem fans, this is far from cheap or simple, and instead is a book you won’t want to miss checking out.
