Jem And The Holograms Comeback Queens

Devised by TV and comics writer Christy Marx, Hasbro’s Jem And The Holograms was before its time when the animated series and accompanying toy line first debuted in 1985. Now ahead of a new film later this year, the enigmatic front- woman and her band are set to star in their first ever US comic series courtesy of IDW.

“Jem really stood out back then for being all about female characters in a way that most other shows were not,” says writer Kelly Thompson, who will be teaming up with artist Ross Campbell. “But while there was obviously an appeal to female fans, there was also a high action- adventure and sci- fi element to the show, which appealed to both girls and boys.”

But while the ’ 80s synth sounds that the Holograms originally specialised in are now more popular than ever, Thompson insists that the book won’t have a nostalgic appeal. “We’re essentially taking the classic Jem stories and updating them to the 21st century, so as to explore concepts such as music, media and celebrity in a 2015 context,” she says. “Part of what made Jem so great back then was that it felt so modern, timely and forward- thinking. So while it would be fun to have some stories that continued that original stuff, it goes against the very idea of Jem to keep it rooted in the past.”

Jem And The Holograms is out in March.

Brenton Thwaites’s Nic looks like he might have had better days.