By now most people should be aware of one of the most bizarre break out shows in the past three years, that show being “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”. Recently IDW publishing, a comic book company, got the license to make a comic series based off of this cult show. The comic will be ongoing but is currently starting off with a four issue arc. The comic is written by Katie Cook and drawn by Andy Price.
The issues are going to be released monthly and as of this report there are only two issues out. For the first arc of the comic, the main six characters from the show (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity) have to rescue the younger siblings of Applejack, named Applebloom, Rarity, named Sweetie Belle, and their equally young friend Scootaloo ponies from a villain named Queen Chrysalis who has kidnapped them as revenge on their older siblings, who she is constantly at odds with.
Despite the fact that the little synopsis sounds overly technical, a first time reader doesn’t really need to know much about the show to understand what’s going on. When writing for the comic, the writer, Katie Cook, made it so that a new reader doesn’t have to watch the show beforehand to know who the characters are. That isn’t to say that Bronies or Pegasisters (“My Little Pony” fans) are left out as there are a lot of references in the fandom from sayings to background characters.
However, what really standouts in the series is the wonderful art work by Andy Price who went beyond the call of duty for the comic. For those who don’t know, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” is animated with the computer program “Flash”. While it’s very above par animation, “Flash” is a rather limiting program n terms of what t can allow the animators to do. The fact that this is a young children’s show also mean that the show has to play within certain limits. However, this comic isn’t under those limits and Andy Price has taken advantage of this.
The characters are much more expressive in the comics than in the cartoon which is a delight. Andy knows how to give great expressions so that they don’t feel ridiculous and the reader gets a laugh. There are also things that Andy puts in that wouldn’t be allowed on the television series such as daggers and even a grenade. Mind you they were part of a visual gag and weren’t in the hooves of our heroes, but it’s still interesting to think of “My Little Pony” having weapons in it.
If there is anything bad to say at this point, there is one thing. While on the adventure, the reader gets to check in on Queen Chrysalis, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. There are parts of the story that show the three young ponies talking about how to get their Cutie Marks (The butt tattoos the ponies have in the show, which are actually biological) and Queen Chrysalis talking about how stupid the three are. These scenes tend to be a little repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall this is a fun comic which comes highly recommended. This is a good point for people who want to try out the show but don’t know where to start since this is still coming out while the show is finishing its third season. If you’re a Brony or Pegasister and you haven’t gotten this comic, then this is a must read. If you’re a non-Brony or Pegasister, it’s still a fun comic that you might enjoy.