‘Jem And The Holograms’ Rock Stars Kimber And Stormer Will Be Lesbians
The beloved 1980s cartoon series Jem is getting a Hollywood reboot – called Jem and the Holograms – but an accompanying comic book will give two of its characters a new twist. That’s right – Kimber and Stormer are going to be gay.
The creators of the Jem and the Holograms comic book sat down with the Advocate to discuss their decision to add a bit of diversity to the Holograms line up. After artist Ross Campbell confirmed that Kimber and Stormer will indeed be lesbians, he suggested the Jem and the Holograms reboot may not stop there.
“Beyond those I’m really hoping to see some more queer characters. It just really needs to happen. I’d love to have some gay Holograms or Misfits fans in the story. That would be awesome. Maybe they could be on the Holograms’ street team.”
Back in the day – that day being the 1980s – Jem and her Holograms were pretty diverse, but the era and the fact that Jem was a children’s show limited its ability to make any of the Holograms or Misfits openly gay. But Jem laid excellent groundwork to take that diversity even further with a contemporary audience, writer Kelly Thompson explained to the Advocate.
“Kimber and Stormer are indeed both out gay … in the comic and as Tumblr will very excitedly let you know, we’re going to be exploring a romantic relationship between (Kimber and Stormer). We have some other plans for LGBTA+ characters as well but it’s still early days and we’re still figuring out how some things can fit together to tell the best possible story.”
The first look photo from #JemAndTheHolograms is kind of awesome…: http://t.co/sOwia4atMB
— moviefone (@moviefone) February 27, 2015
News of the forthcoming #JemAndTheHolograms movie has ignited long-dormant feelings. pic.twitter.com/qFkk0C42cY
— Josh Green (@JoshGreen1234) February 27, 2015
Jem was a big hit with gay boys — and little girls — in the 1980s. Thompson and Campbell think this is because Jem and her Holograms weren’t like other female characters, and the show had “high-octane adventure” that made it okay for boys to like it. And, of course, Jem and the Holograms were known for their “music and fashion and fame.”
The internet exploded Thursday with the first stills from the Holograms movie. Pegged as a “musical fantasy flick,” Jem and the Holograms features Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, complete with blue hair; Audrey Peeples as the pale pink-coiffed Jem; and Stefanie Scott as Kimber, hot pink hair and all, the International Business Times reported. And along with the stills came some tantalizing details about the Hologram’s plot.
“As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden.”
For those who weren’t die-hard Jem fans in the 1980s, a normal girl named Jerrica could pose at the rock star Jem via a holographic computer called Synergy. Jerrica became Jem with a mere turn of her earring, and took the stage with her band- the Holograms.
The Jem comic comes out next month, and Jem and the Holograms will be released in October.
[Photo Courtesy MOVIECLIPS News screengrab]
