General Comic Chat - 75 Issues of FiM and Counting

here a forum about pony (General Pony Talk)

Moderators: Wayoshi, Venusy

Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluts
Stare Masters
Posts: 306
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 10:53 pm
Gender: Male

General Comic Chat - 75 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Wayoshi (?) » Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:52 am

Yeah, it's been 5 years since the FiM main comic series started, for 60 months and 60 issues. Time keeps flying by, huh? There will also be another holiday special next month, I think Legends of Magic is still going, and so on and so forth.

I had just made one generalized thread for all discussion of future issues - main and side series - before the site went down. No reason not to continue that now...

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Fri Nov 10, 2017 2:47 am

(ResetEra repost)

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #60
This was a fun issue, with a nice lesson about standing up for what you want to do.

The real standout was the art, which was adorable. Gilded Lily in particular has a cute design. The issue even manages to fit in some good Rarity expressions.
Image

Fancy Pants's involvement in the story was unexpected, but it's nice to see him, especially since he isn't a jerk here, other than assuming Lily will want to be important and influential.

It's weird how the cover focused on Gilded Lily getting a trendsetting cutie mark, when that wasn't the direction the story went at all. Her story does have some similarities to Rumble's, with her trying not to participate in camp events, but in this case, it's because she knows she enjoys camping yet feels obligated to make her family happy. The big split happens when she does get her mark in astronomy and has to deal with it. Of course, this and the cook filly raise questions about how getting your cutie mark actually works, since they seemed to be well aware of what they liked beforehand.
Image

I liked the parallels with Scootaloo's suggestions being shot down and her easily giving up, with her ultimately deciding she'll work alone to help ponies get extreme sports cutie marks, and that doesn't mean she's giving up on the Crusaders.
Image

Overall, a nice and enjoyable issue. Some story beats are a bit too similar to "Marks and Recreation", but it does go on its own path.

From Silver Quill's review, I somehow didn't notice that Lily's hairstyle completely changed after she got her cutie mark, with her mane unfurling to show that her true self has been revealed. I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree about her design being weak or not.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Nov 16, 2017 1:02 am

Legends of Magic #8
This issue continues Stygian's journey, first as he recruits Rockhoof, and then ends in the middle of his quest to get Meadowbrook to join his party.

Honestly, after "Campfire Tales", it's kind of hard to make sense of Rockhoof's character, since we know we magically gained all of his strength. Plus, while the idea of them having to divert the river to protect fish from lumber bears is good, the art undermined this by depicting the forest the river was going through as just a small patch of trees. Captain Steela was pretty neat, though, with her punching right through the bears and shattering them with kicks. Stygian also uses some relatively advanced magic, showing that he's only weak in comparison to the other Pillars.
Image

I enjoyed Meadowbrook's section much more. The attacking animals were fun, and it was great seeing Meadowbrook in detective mode again. You know, I could probably read a Mushi-shi style series just about her going around fixing magic and illness related problems. Some of her close ups were kind of wonky looking, though (image below is meant for the previous sentence, not this one). It was also fun seeing a hippgriff reference.
ImageImage

From Silver Quill's review, I indeed hadn't noticed that Sunburst isn't in this, nor that it still hasn't provided Stygian's name.

Highbrow Dash
User avatar
But why would you post such a thing?
Rarity's Roughnecks
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:23 am
Gender: Male

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:58 am

Wait, are there 60 issues in the main series or do you mean 60 issues in total?

Either way, I'll never catch up :v:

Adiwan
User avatar
Patreon supporter
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:40 am
Gender: Male
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Adiwan (?) » Fri Nov 17, 2017 11:30 am

Friendship is Magic: 60
Micro Series: 10
Friends Forever: 38
Fiendship is Magic: 5
Legends of Magic: 8
Movie Prequel: 4
Annual 2013: Equestria Girls
Annual 2014: Power Ponies
Equestria Girls Happy Holidays
Holiday Special 2015
Annual 2017: Guardians of Harmony
Deviations (2017 the what-if story with Prince Blueblood)

If I'm not mistaken then I think that there are 131 original comics (not counting the comics with screen-shots from the episodes, and magazine comics that are of dubious quality and canonicity)
:bookmobile:
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

Applepie2017
User avatar
Nostalgia nerd
Posts: 236
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:25 am
Location: Land of Fire

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:57 am

Image
But...
This one's too young

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Wed Nov 22, 2017 12:50 pm

February 2018 comic solicitations
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #63
Christina Rice (w) • Brenda Hickey (a & CVR A) • Sara Richard (CVR B) • Jen Vaughn (CVR RI)
Image

A boycott against sweets imperils Sugar Cube Corner! Will Pinkie and her friends be able to convince Ponyville that desserts are still worth having?
  • A hilarious tale of health hysteria!
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #11
Jeremy Whitley (w) • Tony Fleecs (a & CVR A) • Brenda Hickey (CVR B) • Magdalene Calbraith (CVR RI)
ImageImageImage

The legendary ponies meet up with the last member of their hoped-for team—the magnificent Starswirl the Bearded! Before the team is complete, Starswirl must overcome suspicions about one of the group.
  • The final issue before the exciting climax to this year-long adventure!
Not sure what to make of the FiM issue. With LoM, I like all of the covers. I wonder if the series really will end after #12. If it continues, I could imagine it covering their adventures in the present day.

By the way, that last cover? It's from fan artist dSana! Always nice to see fan artists turn pro.

Adiwan
User avatar
Patreon supporter
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:40 am
Gender: Male
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Adiwan (?) » Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:36 pm

I like the FiM #64 cover A. It has a good framing and displays well the core issue in that issue. It's not always the case that the picture on the cover has something to do with the content inside. I appreciate that.
The end of the Legends of Magic series makes me sad. Most of the issues were great and the tie-in with the show was handled expertly.
I also like to see the Pillar ponies discovering the new Equestria and comparing to the old Equestria they have left 1000 years ago. It'd be a fantastic opportunity for world-building.
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:13 pm

Octavia helped make Pinkie cry....

So, Octavia is new worst horse?

Applepie2017
User avatar
Nostalgia nerd
Posts: 236
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:25 am
Location: Land of Fire

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Thu Nov 23, 2017 12:32 pm

So looking forward to #60
But...
This one's too young

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:43 pm

Crosspost from ResetEra
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #61
This issue on its own was a lot of fun. It was great seeing Twilight interact with all of these characters, both old and new (and background), act diplomatic, and then dive into a pile of paperwork. It was odd getting such sudden focus on Raven, who you might remember as a background character who most notably appeared as Celestia's unicorn assistant once but also appeared as an earth pony as Mayor Mare's assistant (this comic goes with the former). I almost wonder if she'll appear in season 8. I particularly liked seeing Twilight bond with the librarians and archivists, and the new characters were decently interesting. It was also nice to get some followup to the events of The Movie, with Queen Novo appearing (both as a hippogriff and a seapony) and mentions of the Storm King's defeat changing the political situation.
Image

The art was generally good, with a lot of fun details and cute moments (such as Twilight and Cadance hugging as two male guards stare), but it also felt sloppy at points. Notably, there's one moment at the start where Raven is randomly wearing sunglasses, not as part of a gag or anything. I can only imagine the line drawing depicted her glasses as fully reflective, and the inker misunderstood this. Panels were sometimes visually confusing, and I feel like there isn't much continuity from panel to panel, with characters jumping around a lot. Many of the details with who was at the convocation were strange, and it's hard to tell what to take seriously and what's just a gag. Like, did the Pony Tones just show up for that one panel, or should we expect Rarity and Fluttershy to pop up again later in the story? And Longhorn is the bovine delegate? Really?
Image

Still, it was fun and I would have loved to see more of just Twilight going around the convocation making friends. It's a shame they felt the need to introduce a big conflict in the end.
Image

Silver Quill's review makes an interesting point about how Twilight takes a much more proactive and excited approach with her princess duties than often presented in the show, where she's usually bored by them. I did really like how Twilight was so excited about experiencing what the other nations had to offer, and brought the bureaucrats with her to share in the wonder. This is a princess going out of her way to encourage friendship between nations, completely on her own initiative.

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:54 pm

I was digging just having a fun, mellow story about the assistants of the rulers.

Then they introduce a stupid conflict at the end....

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:02 am

Crosspost

MLP Holiday Special 2017
While it was entertaining enough, I was dreading the direction this story was going in. As Flim and Flam take advantage of the season to sell Hearth's Warming merchandise super early, Twilight and Applejack grump about how this goes against the spirit of the holiday. I thought for sure it was going to go in a hypocritical "don't be consumeristic on Christmas but also BUY MLP" direction. There were jokes about that latter part, but I figured it was just going to be that. However, once Twilight stops Flim and Flam's plans, everyone actually does call her out for being inconsiderate, and thinking that they were somehow being tricked by Flim and Flam. They even point out that her solution, declaring that all of Flim and Flam's products were free, was a real abuse of her power as a princess. The actual lesson of the story is, "Jesus, just ease up and let people enjoy what they want!"
Image

There's a lot to enjoy from this issue. First of all, it's a pretty rare instance of Twilight and Applejack being the focus characters. I know someone on another board who ships the two, so he should be happy. They're largely there to rain on everyone's parade, but they still get nice moments.
Image

This story confirms that Snowdrop isn't canon, since there isn't a legend about where snow comes from! Flim and Flam take advantage of this absence to market Windy the Windigo, an adorable mascot for the season, who has her own song, and you can help her out by buying her favorite cookies, which shows her just enough kindness to keep the snow soft and friendly.
Image

The art by Brenda Hickey is great, and everyone is wearing festive new outfits, even Flim and Flam. We really need to see the ponies in scarves more, especially Twilight. Biggest shame of the issue is that we didn't get a close up of Fluttershy wearing her cap with bunny ears, or Rarity with her Russian hat. There's also a fun cameo from Fry from Futurama, doing the "take my money" meme.
ImageImage

Holy crap, just noticed that Twilight's dialogue in the first panel could be seen as calling out Snowdrop. Also, kind of considering this (edited) as an avatar on another board.
Image

Silver Quill's review mentions how the Holiday Specials have all been bizarrely cynical compared to most of the normal issues. The first one was about the CMC cyberbullying Sunset Shimmer. The second was satirical, but did heavily rely on the characters being unpleasant in the tales. This is also pretty cynical, and Twilight and Applejack are somewhat unpleasant, but I think it's handled much better than the previous specials, and there's a nice lesson in the end.

Image

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:10 am

March 2018 comic solicitations
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #64
Image ImageImage

Thom Zahler (w) • Andy Price (a & CVR A) • Sara Richard (CVR B) • Tony "Pencils" Kusisto (CVR RI)

Fluttershy and Rarity travel to Manehattan where Rarity is shocked to discover old ugly fashions are back in style! Can Rarity find a way to push her creative instincts past... the past?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
  • A touching story of growth and creative renewal!
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #12
ImageImage

Jeremy Whitley (w) • Tony Fleecs (a & CVR A) • Brenda Hickey (CVR B) • Meaghan Carter (CVR RI)

The most legendary ponies are all gathered, and now they must face the might of the Sirens! The future of Equestria is at stake, and hidden danger looms in the group’s midst!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point
  • The thrilling final issue to this year-long adventure!
Rarity having to deal with the fact that something she finds unappealing is in style could be fun, even if we know that she's more than capable of overcoming bad taste. Sad to see Legends of Magic end. I thought it was quite good. I hope we get a replacement series, because it will be a shame to go down to just one MLP comic after all this time.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:20 pm

For the first time, my ResetEra version of this post will be the crosspost, and you guys are getting this first!

Legends of Magic #9
First of all,
Image

That Cadance Image

Meadowbrook continued to be the best character of the group so far in this issue. I've said this before, but I'd love to see an episode or comic spinoff of her journeying across the land and fixing problems, Mushi-Shi style. I enjoy her calm but concerned attitude, and her potions are a lot of fun. It's a shame that she stopped journeying after the zombie pony incident, but who can blame her?
Image

You know, the more I see of her, the more it's clear that this is how Zecora should have been presented.
Image

The animal attack was great. I have to say, Rockhoof is surprisingly useless; he just held the door closed and couldn't even do that after the animals got swoll. Stygian becoming concerned about the potion labels was a nice character moment, though really Meadowbrook, you could have labeled them better. Rockhoof falling in love with Meadowbrook was a bit out of nowhere; maybe this ties into how they interact in season 8? In any case, this is another good character moment for Stygian, as those two grow closer together and he doesn't interact with them at all.
ImageImage

This is another story where the character on the cover doesn't actually appear until the end. And even then, we only maybe see him from the back. Still, Rockhoof bonding with that soldier was a nice scene, even if the Flash jokes were a bit forced.
Image

Overall, I thought this was a good issue during the Meadowbrook section, while the Flash Magnus section was just set up.

I hadn't noticed until I read Silver Quill's review, but they dropped all pretense and start addressing the scholar as Stygian now. Not as a grand reveal or anything, but they just start using his name in that first panel I posted. His review also points out that the writer ships Meadowbrook and Rockhoof.
Image

Can't argue with his reasoning.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:01 am

April comic solicitations
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #65
Thom Zahler (w) • Andy Price (a & CVR A) • Sara Richard (CVR B) • Trish "Nanook123" Forstner (CVR RI)
ImageImageImage

Princess Celestia disguises herself to live amongst ordinary ponies for a day. What she learns about her subjects, and herself, will surprise her!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
  • A funny and poignant story of learning about those around you!
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic Annual 2018--SPOTLIGHT
Jeremy Whitley (w) • Brenda Hickey (a & CVR A)
Image


My Little Pony: Legends of Magic wraps up in oversized fashion with this annual! The Pillars face a new danger that will test their skills as a team and take them one step closer to their fateful final encounter in ancient Equestria!

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Bullet Point
  • Your favorite legendary ponies unite for their biggest adventure yet!
Surprise! Legends of Magic #12 isn't quite the end! I was disappointed before that we apparently weren't going to see what led to Stygian turning into the Pony of Shadows, but it looks like we will now!

The main series issue looks like a lot of fun, and that disguise design for Celestia is great.

Adiwan
User avatar
Patreon supporter
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:40 am
Gender: Male
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Adiwan (?) » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:06 am

I'm also super hyped that the series gets one final issue. The latest arc is great and every pillar so far is wonderful, especially Meadowbrook. In my opinion she is a show stealer.
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:25 am

Kind of wish they weren't using the same storyline they've used before for the Celestia comic, but it still sounds like lots of fun.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Fri Jan 26, 2018 2:04 am

Legends of Magic #10
This issue was a lot of fun, and we actually got through a full Pillar team up sequence this time.

The Flash Magnus sequence was actually the first time in a while I felt like Rockhoof was a really good character. The lessons he learned from his focus issue (#2) came into play as he realized there was maybe another reason why the dragons were attacking, and he was able to encourage Meadowbrook to talk to the dragons about it. Meadowbrook herself continued to be interesting and is the real problem solver of the group. I enjoyed seeing the dragon and Flash form a ceasefire until they deal with the annoying interlopers. Flash Magnus unfortunately seems pretty pointless as part of the group so far. He encourages just attacking the Sirens right now, but Stygian rejects this, and thus he doesn't do anything.
ImageImage

Stygian explains the elements he's looking for in their team, which interestingly haven't been solidified into what the Pillars represent yet.

Breaking from the pattern of the previous issues, Somnambula is introduced and she joins the team before the issue ends. The mummy encounter is the highlight of the issue, as all the heroes join in on the fight, and the mummies themselves are pretty interesting. First of all, it's quirky that they are considered a form of legendary creature, apparently not associated with dead ponies. Secondly, they are actually the result of a gem that brings dreams to life, hence why they're acting like zombies---the dreamer is confused.
ImageImage

Somnambula's personality from her focus issue (#5) persists, so she continues to be best old pone, though Meadowbrook isn't far behind. And apparently that glowpaz necklace can give her a Super Saiyan aura, so that's neat. Her role in the group is to act as a mediator, quickly bringing up ideas and rejecting suggestions from the others in a friendly way, and she does some daring things with the hope that it will turn out well. Also, the prince was cursed by someone, but we never learn if they ever caught that person. I guess it will work itself out.
ImageImage

Mistmane's introduction at the end is odd, just showing her for a bit before a plant eats her. With this happening while she waters plants in a greenhouse, I wonder if they'll make some connection with that Equestria Girls short, "My Little Shop of Horrors". Probably not.

I admit, due to the gap between me reading this and me writing the review, I had to rely a bit more on Silver Quill's review than usual, hence me hitting a lot of the same points as him. Still, this is overall a good issue that nicely showcases the non-Flash characters. But Flash is alright too.
Image

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed Jan 31, 2018 12:42 am

What a terrible ending to the diplomatic conference arc. The Griffon's are assholes, and Celestia was ready to just hand over half the country based on an ancient piece of paper that no one living remembers. She makes one offer, and when it's rejected, literally goes off to prepare a speech to surrender. :facehoof:

And then the resolution ends up being "oh look, a missing scroll". :v:

This was an entertaining set up without another "big dumb threat to Equestria" conflict, and I really wish the show and the comics would learn you don't need that to tell a fun story.


Was nice seeing more of Raven though. :-I

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Sat Feb 17, 2018 2:37 am

Whoops, never posted this here.

Friendship is Magic #62
Yeah, that chase scene was pure padding.

It's a shame because it was, like the previous issue, fun just seeing the characters talk politics and bureaucracy and interact with other cultures. I liked how Celestia handled the situation, owning up to the problem and working out a good solution with the griffons, while still asking for Twilight and the others to continue investigating. The fact that the follow up treaty was misfiled due to clashing measurements of time between the involved cultures made sense.
Image

It was neat seeing Raven talk about how Celestia's government, and her in particular, followed up on resolving situations the Mane Six helped with, like "Over a Barrel" (although the heroes really did nothing to help that episode).
Image

Having an evil griffon who wants to destroy the follow up treaty was completely unnecessary, and I get that Twilight wouldn't want to hurt any of diplomats, but can't she just put the treaty in a shield or something? At the very least, Twilight did know better than to trust Goldstone with the treaty, so that's good.

Still, the art remained a highlight even during that.
Image

From Silver Quill's review, I hadn't considered the fact that this is yet another story where Celestia is left completely powerless, though I feel that's understating her role in keeping the other griffons calm and buying time. Also, forgot to mention, Rarity and Fluttershy are indeed at the convocation and not just a one-off gag. So why not get their help? Plus, apparently Equestria didn't bring its own guards.
Image

Overall, this two parter was heavily marred by its need to have a conflict, but it's a very solid story when it, well, doesn't have a story.

The retail incentive cover is still neat, though, albeit overblown.
Image

==

And this is a shock. Replacing Legends of Magic is a new miniseries called...

My Little Pony: Ponyville Mysteries #1
Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska (a & CVR A) • Philip Murphy (CVR B) • Brenda Hickey (CVR 1:10 RI) • Andy Price (CVR 1:20 RI)
Image

Welcome to a new series of mystery and intrigue! The Cutie Mark Crusaders discover their inner detectives and solve crimes nopony else can! Will they be able to discover who is stealing supplies from Ponyville hospital and get their schoolwork done at the same time!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

TENTATIVE RELEASE DATE: May 16th, 2018

If you weren't aware, there's a chapter book series of the same name, but according to ED's brief interview with Bobby Curnow (senior editor), while there will be some references, this can be read standalone. It's a five-issue series.

Honestly, I was expecting Equestria Girls to finally get a comic series, given the web series and everything. This is only five issues, so maybe after?

Also, from the ED article, I'm completely thrown for a loop that someone else remembered Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:03 am

Reposted comic reviews.

Friendship is Magic #63
I don't know how to feel about this issue. It involves a mare named Temperance Flowerdew coming into town proclaiming the dangers of sugar, and she convinces most of the town to give it up. This is presented as a bad thing. In the end, Twilight is able to convince her that she isn't making anyone happier, and that the answer is to eat sugar in moderation.
Image

There are a couple of problems with this. First, ponies are shown eating sugary treats all the time in the show, with little fear of gaining weight, and they're even presented as legit meals often. We look past this because they're cartoon ponies, but once you introduce the idea that these ponies are, in fact, facing the same risks us humans do with sugar, suddenly you start to question all of that. Maybe all those 2011 comics and fanfics of Pinkie getting diabetes could actually happen! And secondly, sugar is a real threat for people, especially children. The comic wants us to view the mare's concerns about sugar's dangers as silly, and that it's fine to eat in moderation, but it doesn't really show us what that looks like. Is it the amount of sugar eating from the show? Because that's super unhealthy for a human.
Image

The issue is clearly going for the larger idea that it's rarely right to be all-or-nothing about something, with sugar just being a particular example, but I think using that to demonstrate this was a mistake.

However, the art is very strong and there are a lot of fun gags, including the Apple Speakeasy.
ImageImage

I hadn't realized until I read Silver Quill's review, but Temperance is directly based on Carrie Nation, one of the main women behind the prohibition of alcohol. He doesn't bring up my concerns with the sugar theme, instead talking about how in real life, it's better to convince the public about an issue rather than "winning" against a single speaker.

Image

Overall, the issue covers its story well enough, but I don't think this was the right story for this series.

Legends of Magic #11
This issue has Mistmane join the group and introduces Starswirl. Unfortunately, I just didn't find this a particularly interesting story. It turns out Mistmane wasn't actually in any danger, and Starswirl is just in the middle of writing his "Magical Mystery Cure" spell (which he left incomplete).
Image

I didn't like the entire thing with the super strong plants because it completely undermined the supposed heroics of the Pillars that they could be overpowered by things that weren't even a real threat. In particular, Rockhoof's entire thing is strength yet he continues to be largely ineffectual, and Flash Magnus hit his head and upset plants, nothing else. Somnambula was cute, and Meadowbrook was the only one who was actually useful here, by figuring out how to trick the plants to let them in. It is interesting how they defer to Stygian for leadership at this point; presumably once Starswirl joins, they completely switch over to him. Mistmane reveals the ability to talk to plants, and, uh, cool, I guess. But she was absent for most of the issue, so we didn't really get to know her well.
Image

The section with Starswirl was cute for how it references other events, including the aforementioned spell and him having to take care of bratty teenage princesses.
Image

The art remains a highlight of this series, with a lot of fun expressions, and the greenhouse had a lot of interesting colors.

The next issue is the final one, until the annual special. Given that it will focus on the actual defeat of the Sirens, and the annual special is about Stygian becoming the Pony of Shadows, Mistmane unfortunately doesn't seem like she'll get a moment to shine.

I hadn't noticed until I read Silver Quill's review, but they messed up and referred to Flash Magnus as Flash Sentry once!
Image

Niels Olof
User avatar
Rarity's Roughnecks
Patreon supporter
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:42 am
Gender: Male
Location: Aarhus, Denmark

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Niels Olof (?) » Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:11 pm

MLP:FIM #64

This is a thoroughly delightful issue, easily surpassing many of the most recent offerings. The pairing of Rarity and Fluttershy worked very well, everypony were behaving rather splendily according to their character, and the crises were handled most satisfactorily.

It also doesn't hurt that Price has a gift for expressions, and this issue is no exception.
Image
Image

He is also fully capable of adorable, such as Coco Pommel drinking:
Image

Or the incomparable ms. Rarity:
Image

I have no doubt that Price had a lot of fun with this one.
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libroEverywhere I sought tranquility but found it nowhere save in a corner with a book

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Mar 29, 2018 2:59 am

Oh, I see you already posted the images :fluttershock:

Friendship is Magic #64
This issue was presented as being about Rarity having to overcome the return of bad 80's fashions, but there are two major deviations. First of all, Rarity's distaste doesn't entirely come from dislike of those fashions, but rather because the cyclical nature of fashion has already returned to where she started out. This means that if she wants to remain up to date, she'll have to cover the same ground she did before, meaning she won't have a chance to make anything new. Secondly, this story is only half about that. The other half is Fluttershy attending a conference of animal sanctuary owners.

Rarity's story is another story that makes her feel rather old compared to her EQG counterpart. She's been around long enough for fashion to return to where she started and she's worried this means there's nothing left for her to give. We especially see this when she talks to Coco Pommel (well, Miss Pommel due to rights issues) and she has the same thoughts. There's also an adorable moment where Coco licks tea out of her cup like a kitten, but I digress.

There are issues with both plots. Rarity explains the problem over and over again, and Fluttershy's problem is that there are all these rules and regulations with sanctuaries that she was unaware of and she's frustrated, which both doesn't feel compelling and takes away some of the "magic" of her sanctuary.

However, we get a brief flashback of Filly Rarity making 80's clothes, and then I think the issue really picks up when the two stories collide. When Fluttershy exclaims she wished she could have started her sanctuary over again, Rarity realizes she was looking at things the wrong way. This is a chance to use what she learned since she first started out to avoid the mistakes she made before and explore routes she never had the chance to. What follows is a fun sequence where Rarity and Coco use Fluttershy to try out dress ideas while she's adorably grumpy about the situation.

Then Rarity offers advice to Fluttershy, pointing out that she was able to create something wonderful on her own, and maybe instead of fretting over what they should have done, the conference is better suited for figuring out how to help others just starting out. This leads to a nice moment of Fluttershy asserting herself at the conference and spreading what she learned from her experiences.

The art from Andy Price and coloring by Heather Breckel is as fantastic as ever, filled with references in the background, and the fashion is a ton of fun.

Though it was kind of slow getting there, I really enjoyed how the story turned out. Silver Quill was a big fan of it and doesn't appear to have the same issues I did.

Legends of Magic #12 - FINALE
With the Pillars of Equestria assembled, Stygian finds himself deferring to Starswirl in all matters and downplaying his part in everything. Starswirl doesn't mean anything by this, and even asks for Stygian's thoughts, but he also completely turns down Stygian's idea and presents his own as superior. Starswirl is the great hero and not Stygian, so of course he would assume Starswirl's ideas are better. And with this, Stygian lets Starswirl do all the talking and grows distant from the rest of the team, despite their encouragement.
Image

Stygian has a plan to slowly rescue the ponies under the Dazzlings' thrall, which will take away their source of power. Then, they'll be weakened enough to be reasoned with and they can maybe figure out why they're doing this. However, Starswirl decides that these creatures are too dangerous to keep around, because you just can't change who someone is. He has a humane solution, though: he knows of several dimensions lacking in magic, and he'll send them to one of those.
Image

This comic bringing up the possibility of turning the Dazzlings good makes me wonder if they're setting up for this in Equestria Girls. I like them well enough, but I'm not too invested personally in them returning. However, I know for a fact that they have a ton of fans, so this will have been a long time coming if they go through with it.

Something I found really interesting was the explanation of what the seventh element is that Stygian represents. People had assumed this would match up to whatever Starlight represents, but this comic went with a direction I found much more clever. Starswirl represents sorcery, but Stygian represents friendship. There aren't seven elements, but rather one was mistakenly split up into two all those years ago. Both Starswirl and Stygian represent the Element of Magic.
Image

And that makes me think this actually explains one of the big oddities of the franchise. If the Element of Magic produced by the Tree of Harmony is incomplete, since it was only planted with the sorcery aspect and not the friendship aspect, that's why it acted so oddly in the first Equestria Girls movie. To achieve its true potential, it needs friendship from its wielder, and without it, it's just a wild source of sorcery.

I'd love to see if they followed up on this, perhaps with Stygian completing the Element of Magic, but season 8 synopses show no sign of him, so probably not, unfortunately.

There's a short bit with Celestia and Luna that's pretty cute, where they're worried about him going out on an adventure at his age and they're surprised he actually has friends. I was a bit confused by the panel where they poof away and then are in front of him, but that was probably them teleporting. There wasn't any effect for them appearing in front of him.
Image

It was kind of weird that the fight with the Dazzlings is different than what's depicted in the show. Not hugely different, but the Dazzlings actually talk, for one thing.
Image

(Oh, and reminder that this comic series confirmed that the Dazzlings are sisters. Sorry your fanfics were ruined.)

At the end, Sunburst finishes reading this journal from Stygian (that was the framing device, remember) and goes to talk to Stygian himself about it. He points out that if things went differently, Stygian could have been like Princess Twilight. I'm not sure if he means he could have been an alicorn or what. But more importantly, he points out that Stygian is a hero.

I found the ending odd. Sunburst openly questions if Starswirl was the actual source of most of Equestria's problems, thus making him history's greatest villain, and Stygian says that's an interesting theory. They fact that they bring this up makes me assume it has to be addressed in season 8, and I'm thinking this will be the reason why Starswirl is in the episode "Friendship University".

Of course, despite being the finale, this isn't the true end. The 2018 Annual Special next month will tell the story of how Stygian became the Pony of Shadows and what really happened.

Silver Quilll's review doesn't have too much else to say, but I agree with him that if you were holding out to see how this series turned out, then it's definitely a recommended read.

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Thu Mar 29, 2018 1:07 pm

The pillars series went on way too long. The individual issues were nice, but we didn't need a 6 issues story of them coming together, it just dragged on.


The Fluttershy and Rarity comic was great.

Adiwan
User avatar
Patreon supporter
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:40 am
Gender: Male
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Adiwan (?) » Thu Mar 29, 2018 2:11 pm

Au contraire! I enjoyed the Legends of Magic a lot! (I haven't read the finale yet).
So far every issue surpassed easily most of the Friends Forever or other side-series comics in my opinion.
Every panel with the potion-throwing ninja pony Meadowbrook was delightful.
I wish the series would continue.
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:24 pm

Well the annual was Celestia and Luna get captured story #48392

Would have been nice to have this issue be a bridge between the Legends and Celestia and Luna's time protecting Equestria. But no. They get captured. It's mentioned how powerful they are, and they continue to do nothing. Starswirl continues to just be an asshole. Really let down by this one.


But the mainline series had a Celestia story. They did something similar in a previous comic as a short story (Celestia in disguise to talk to her subjects). I liked that one better, but this was different enough to still be fun without being repetative. And Celestia resolves the issue herself, which is nice.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:45 am

I've been forgetting to post there here.

Friendship is Magic #65
This issue was about Celestia using magic to disguise herself as a pegasus and travel around to see what ponies really think about her. Then it becomes about a young thief with an abusive adopted aunt and a corrupting magical device.
Image

I would have liked the story to focus a lot more on Celestia reacting to ponies' real thoughts. The thief stuff wasn't bad, but it was a wasted opportunity. Maybe we could have seen all of the Mane Six unknowingly talk to Celestia. I was also disappointed that Celestia felt the need to reveal herself to Twilight; it would have been cooler if she got Twilight's help as an anonymous pony.
Image

Celestia's disguise has a great design.
ImageImage

Well, not much more to add on my end. Besides more drink licking.
Image

Silver Quill's review talks about how the story diminishes the stakes in many ways, particularly by setting the thief part in Ponyville and giving Celestia immediate access to Twilight.

In the end, it's a fun enough story with great art, but it doesn't meet its potential.

Legends of Magic Annual 2018
Image

What I expected: deep dive into Stygian's thoughts during the time period where he turned into the Pony of Shadows.
What I got: Some nice moments of the Pillars interacting and then a weak adventure that seemed to go out of its way not to have a lasting impact on anyone involved.

In my review of Legends of Magic #1, I compared the story to that Star Wars: Clone Wars story where Anakin is confronted with a vision of himself turning into Darth Vader, but then he loses his memory of it so it doesn't matter anyway. This is even more like that. The Pillars run into an alternate reality version of the Pony of Shadows and then escape. This Stygian is so far gone that he doesn't recognize his alternate self, so our Stygian doesn't get a hint about what he will become. Celestia and Luna are unconscious during all this, so they don't learn anything. We get some great moments with the Pillars at the start, but during the adventure proper, only Starswirl and Stygian are noteworthy, and neither learns anything from this adventure. All this story really did is wrap up how the beings in issue #1 could have known what they knew: they worked with a version of the Pony of Shadows that had already gone through all this, but missed the opportunity to get Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon on his side. We do see Stygian growing to be more frustrated with Starswirl, though, which is nice.
Image

The entire first half of this issue is a lot of fun, though. The Pillars play off each other well, with moments like Rockhoof and Meadowbrook connecting; Mistmane and Stygian's polite argument; and Cheerleader Sombnambula. It was also nice to see Rockhoof's captain again; she's way cooler than him. The part at the start with creatures attacking from all the mirrors was intriguing, and I wondered if the story would go into Starswirl messing up so many worlds that all of them are angry with him. Instead, I guess Alternate Pony of Shadows hijacked all of them, or something.
Image

The art is great. I especially love the expression Meadowbrook makes in reaction to the polite argument. Silver Quill's review goes more into the art, particularly the color choices.

DrForester, from his review, it looks like Celestia and Luna being kidnapped is a common complaint, so you definitely aren't alone on that. Silver Quill enjoyed it more than I did, so mileage obviously varies, but I'd only really recommend this for the parts before they go into the Alternate Pony of Shadows' dimension.

PonyHag714
User avatar
Here comes the helmet!
Posts: 317
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:14 pm
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:10 pm

Just picked up FIM #65. I liked it.
Image ("Don't try to reform me, Hag, because I'm made of cold stone.")

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu May 17, 2018 1:24 am

Friendship is Magic #66
When I heard about this story, I assumed it was going to be about the ponies reacting to how the movie about them is getting everything wrong, but instead it goes into a pretty pretty weird direction.

Image

First of all, the way movies are handled in this universe is interesting. The bits I love are how it's black and white, so the actors are all completely different colors than the Main Six, but look the same in grayscale. This matches up to how in black and white films, set decorations often weren't the colors the real objects would be, because another color works better in black and white, or there was no need to be accurate. I also thought it was really charming how during the movie screening, they had a pony narrate and speak aloud the dialogue.

Now where I thought they went too far was making everything still images. First of all, we've already seen films in the show, specifically the Cloudsdale water video from "Hurricane Fluttershy", which had both motion and audio. Secondly, we know for a fact they have color photos. I could accept the idea that they haven't advanced enough to not have full color films be very expensive, and the same with audio, but making movies into slideshows is too much.

ImageImage

Anyway, the story. First it seems like it will be what I thought, but then the director randomly gives up and tells the girls to direct, which everyone goes along with. And then after Rarity directs the movie to favor her, all the girls decide to make their own movies(!) And then it's the movie premiere where all of their bits have been cut together somehow with none of them knowing what the end result is like.

Besides being rather nonsensical, we don't really have enough time to fully mine everything for comedy. Still, the bits of the final movie are decently fun.

ImageImage

This is one of those stories where you just have to accept the nice art and largely gloss over the story.

Also, this had zero Twilight, which is a real shame. Maybe she could have kept things in order. The story says she's busy running the School of Friendship... but what are five of its teachers doing spending all their time at a movie studio, then?

Image

From Silver Quill's review, I do agree it's nice how they were able to demonstrate how movies work without any narrative explanation at all; after all, why wouldn't a pony know how all this goes? And indeed, Rarity is the best part of this story.

Image

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu May 24, 2018 2:11 am

August comic solicitations

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #69
ImageImage

Paul Allor (w) • Toni Kuusisto (a & CVR A) • Sara Richard (CVR B) • Sophie Scruggs (CVR RI)

Pinkie Pie finds a magical apple that gives her extraordinary abilities! Will she use her new power for good… or fun?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
  • Pinkie Pie craziness cranked up to eleven!
My Little Pony: Ponyville Mysteries #4
ImageImage

Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska (a & CVR A) • Philip Murphy (CVR B) • Trish "OMGari" Forstner (CVR RI)

The Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to solve the case of the missing spa water! But what happens when all signs point to a member of a Crusader’s own family being the culprit?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
  • Use your detective skills to see if you can solve the mystery before the Crusaders!
Before I get into the contents of the synopses, it's worth pointing out a major fact: FiM #69 is drawn entirely by fan artist pencils, known for Anon's Pie Adventure and Sunbutt Sunday. As a disclaimer, both can get somewhat lewd, but my understanding is they aren't explicit. One of his fancomics below.
Image

It's awesome to see a fan artist has made the move to professionally working on a full issue of the comic. He also did some covers before.

Speaking of which, the Retail Incentive cover (not pictured) is drawn by another fan artist, Sophie Scruggs. However, I don't know what name she goes by for her art, so I can't provide any examples.

Trish "OMGari" Forstner is another fan artist (same deal as Sophie), drawing the RI cover for the Ponyville Mysteries cover.

Anyway, story. The Pinkie one sounds very similar to that issue where she gained Discord's powers, but I don't think it will go the same route as that. Still no clue what Ponyville Mysteries will be like; we'll see shortly.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Sun Jun 24, 2018 3:40 am

Oh, I haven't posted any comic reviews since the August solicitation? Well to sum things up, Ponyville Mysteries hasn't impressed, and it's weird how small scale they are when the chapter books involve the CMC fighting a unicorn who was around before Discord was first sealed in stone and overpowers Starlight Glimmer who then steals the helmet of Nightmare Moon and becomes an alicorn.

September comic solicitations

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #70
Jeremy Whitley (w) • Toni "Pencils" Kuusisto (a & CVR A) • Sara Richard (CVR B) • Magdalene "dSana" Calbraith (CVR RI)
Image Image

Rainbow Dash decides the elderly ponies of the retirement village could use some more excitement in their lives. So she invents EXTREME BINGO! What could go wrong?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
* A touching tale of crossing the generational divide!

My Little Pony: Ponyville Mysteries #5
Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska (a & CVR A) • Philip Murphy (CVR B) • Konrad "Pony-Berserker" Kachel (CVR RI)
Image Image Image

The Crusaders have their biggest case yet when a priceless artifact belonging to superstar Songbird Serenade is stolen!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet Point:
* Final issue!

Wow, not only is Pencils continuing as a main artist, but dSana and Pony-Berserker are both making covers (the last pictured for each issue respectively). Great to see brony artists hitting it big! Note that Pencils drew a cover well before he was announced for main art, so it will still be some time before we see if it's the same for the others.

As for the stories themselves, the main issue one could be fun, or boring depending on how it goes. With Ponyville Mysteries, clearly they saved a Rarity mystery for last because it would be the best. Oh, and Songbird Serenade is involved too, I guess. No news yet of what will replace this series, if anything. The thing that would make sense is finally launching an Equestria Girls series.

ED's unveil of the Ponyville Mysteries issue mentions that Songbird Serenade had an exclusivity deal with Target that prevented her from appearing on any merchandise not sold by them. Was that really a thing? Songbird did appear on the cover of one of the chapter books earlier (which was actually a stealth Lyra and Bon Bon secret agent story, BTW).

dSana is best known for long-running fan comics like The Shadow Shard (page 1), but she also has one-shot art like the below.
1, 2, 3

Oh, it turns out she had drawn a comic cover before.

And Pony-Berserker is known for his changeling comics, but he also does stuff with the other characters.
Comic 1, 2, 3

Perrydotto
User avatar
Agents of Chaos
Posts: 1277
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 6:20 am
Gender: Genderqueer
Location: Somewhere Far Beyond
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Perrydotto (?) » Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:22 am

Kinda funny to see Pony-Berserker in there when he basically draws Andy Price style anyway :v:
Image /// Image /// Image

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:47 am

Ponyville Mysteries #3
Like the previous two comics, the mystery is simple and there was no malicious intent. This time, there's a fire at the Ponyville Retirement Village, and the Crusaders check to see if it was arson. It wasn't.

Image

As investigators, the CMC are pretty dumb. Someone tells them pony A could have done it, and either they keep directly asking others about pony A or they confront pony A directly and take them at their word when they deny it. When they confront Diamond Tiara with the possibility that her father was behind it, she's rightfully insulted, and it just seems like the CMC carelessly burned a bridge. And unlike the previous issues, there is actually an active investigation into the potential crime at this point, so things could have resolved themselves if they let things be. Given how this appears to be aimed at a younger audience than the main comics, it feels kind of irresponsible for the CMC to break into a restricted area and have that be what provides the key clue to their investigation. And yes, I'm largely basing this paragraph off of Silver Quill's review.

Image

That said, I still enjoyed the comic overall. It was nice seeing the Crusaders as Filly Scouts and interacting with the characters that appear, and the sequence where they sneak into where the fire was is cute.

Image

By far the most interesting part is that we get to see Scootaloo's lesbian aunts, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty! And their house!

Image
Image

Given how the Pillars all matched how they appeared in the show, I have to imagine these are their official designs. The most likely time they'll appear is in "The Washouts", since that's a Scootaloo episode. Oh, and they got fan art already!
Aunt Lofty and Holiday by digimonlover101 on DeviantArt
Image

Also, the s'mores that use prickly pear are weird.

Overall, I think this is probably the best of the series so far, but it's still not particularly great.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Jul 26, 2018 2:08 pm

October solicitations

Friendship is Magic #71
ImageImage
(W) Ted Anderson (A/CA) Andy Price
Twilight's new students experience Nightmare Night in Ponyville for the first time! Big scares are in store, but things start to get downright dangerous when they wander into a very haunted Castle of the Two Sisters!
* An annual tradition goes delightfully awry!
Release Date: October 10th, 2018

This will be the first appearance of the Student Six in the comics, I think. The covers both look amazing.

And we have a new series!

Nightmare Knights #1
ImageImageImage
(W) Jeremy Whitley (A/CA) Tony Fleecs
Powerless and threatened by a great evil, Princess Luna discovers she can't count on her sister or any of the usual heroes of Equestria. Running out of time and with nowhere to turn, Luna assembles a team specially suited to save the day... a team of former villains!
* A brand new mini-series featuring former villains turned heroes!
* A crazy caper story the likes of which My Little Pony has never seen!
Release Date: Oct 17, 2018

This is a really unexpected miniseries, but it seems interesting. I wonder if we'll just keep getting miniseries for the second comic series until the end of G4.

I'm curious about the premise of Luna losing her powers and having no one to turn to but these former villains. I feel like the reason for Luna not turning to Celestia and Twilight will be contrived, though.

~~~

Friendship is Magic #68
I enjoyed this story arc a lot! As a refresher, Tempest wanders around Equestria until she ends up at the Crystal Empire, where she reunites with one of her old friends, Glitter Drops, and Tempest has... feelings about that.

While begrudgingly helping Glitter deal with something stealing food and messing up fences, Tempest is cornered by an Ursa Minor once again, and despite her constantly imagining the new and improved Tempest Shadow of the Storm Fleet being able to conquer this old enemy, she freezes and has to be rescued by Glitter in a gorgeous panel.

Image Image

Tempest is angry about this and takes it out on Glitter. But to her surprise, Glitter is apologetic. Since she was the one who threw the ball that Tempest went after, she felt at fault for Tempest's injury. Tempest had never actually thought about that part; it only seemed natural to her that she'd go after the ball, and all that upset her is how she was treated after. Knowing how things turned out, and that it could have been Glitter who was hurt by the Ursa, Tempest realizes she would have chosen to go in anyway.

Image

Glitter explains things from her view. Whenever they hung out after Tempest broke her horn, she just seemed so sad, so she thought it would be best to give her some alone time. And as for why she didn't write from Magic School, it's because she was struggling with the coursework and eventually dropped out. That isn't to say Glitter was entirely innocent; after hearing Tempest's perspective, she realizes that maybe they did kind of abandon her.

Image

There's still the matter of the Ursa. Glitter realizes it's calling out for its mother, so she uses illusion magic to create an Ursa Major and then draw it back to its actual mother. Tempest realizes that the Ursa that broke her horn was just like this child, probably just as frightened of her as she was of it. And she realizes that even if Glitter isn't a soldier, she's strong in her own way. In the end, she lets Glitter call her Fizzy instead of Tempest.

I theorized before that Glitter's direction in life was affected by the Ursa encounter that injured Tempest too, and while they don't outright say it, that's clearly the case. She became fascinated by dangerous animals and even wanted a position exploring the Everfree Forest, but it's gotten just too crazy around there and Ponyville for her. While Tempest had fantasized about her next encounter with an Ursa, where she would get revenge and show how much braver she is, Glitter learned to respect and understand them.

Image

Tempest returns to see Cadance at the end, but I thought this was a bit of a weak point. They don't explain how Cadance actually knew about the connection between Tempest and Glitter, and though Cadance has a snide remark about the Princess of Military Supremacy, I don't feel they adequately resolved Tempest's issues with her. Still, some smug Cadance is nice.

ImageImage

Silver Quill's review mentions the odd continuity issues. The panel showing past villains includes comic-exclusive ones, notably the mirror dimension Celestia and Luna, who have an odd place in that the Reflections arc can't possibly be in-continuity now. The comics have switched to using the "Shadow Play" version of Starswirl, and that's completely incompatible with the version of him in that arc and the timeline presented. And there's the panel showing Sunset around the same age as Glitter, meaning she's around the age of Tempest... whatever that means. Of all the frustrating things about EQG, the fact that they won't say anything concrete about how Sunset's timeline works is one of the most.

Image

The art in this issue is fantastic. The Ursa has a more realistic look going for it, which I actually feel makes it more sympathetic when it's sadly calling for its mother. The colors work really well in this snowy environment. One detail I liked is during one part where they're hiding in a bush with their tails sticking out, but Glitter's tail actually blends in pretty well with the snow.

Overall, I strongly recommend this issue and the one before it. This is a story I'd love to see animated.
Last edited by SigmasonicX on Thu Jul 26, 2018 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

PonyHag714
User avatar
Here comes the helmet!
Posts: 317
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:14 pm
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:01 pm

I enjoyed Tempest's story arc. I think we got a good look at her feelings and motivations, that we wouldn't have had time for in a 22 minute TV episode.

Looking forward to Nightmare Knights. It looks pretty good.
Image ("Don't try to reform me, Hag, because I'm made of cold stone.")

The Doctor
User avatar
Turner Of All Things Timey Wimey
Celestia's Champions
Patreon supporter
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Location: Time & Space

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by The Doctor (?) » Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:47 pm

Tempest story was good, and I think Cadance came out better than she's ever been in the show.

I can't get excited for the Nightmare Knights story, knowing there's a 99.9% chance that the reason Luna is "powerless and can't count on help from her Sister" will be dumb as hell, and almost certainly "they got captured"

Nightmare Night with the new students sounds like a lot of fun, and that Andy Price cover is gorgeous.

SigmasonicX
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:07 am

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Thu Aug 16, 2018 3:28 pm

Oh right, didn't post this here.

Friendship is Magic #69
This comic marks a milestone, with a fan artist drawing a full issue of the official comic: Toni Kuusisto, AKA Pencils. As an artist known for drawing suggestive art (though he seems to have a bigger safe:lewd ratio than most artists known for that), people made a lot of jokes about the issue number, but the issue is completely safe.

First of all, the big problems: this scenario is contrived as hell. Applejack just has a magic apple grow on her farm that grants any number of wishes, and Pinkie eats it. This issue not only comes only a year or so after the "Discordant Harmony" tie in issue where Pinkie takes over Discord's realm and becomes a Princess of Chaos, but the implementation of Pinkie's reality warping is very similar to season 4's "Inspiration Manifestation". And this is another story that involves Pinkie not noticing the damage she's causing, right after "Yakity-Sax".

Image

Now, ignoring all that, I thought this story was enjoyable. Pinkie's attempts to make ponies happy that are just making everyone miserable are fun, and while she's oblivious at first, she realizes her mistake after being asked the right questions and fixes things without using her wishes. So in the end, she isn't presented all that badly. Plus, one of my favorite gags below.

Image

The story is pretty simple and straightforward, really just working to showcase the art, which is pretty impressive for an artist's first officially published comic.

The art is good. I was reminded of Don Rosa's Duck comics, in the sense that he was a fan artist that managed to draw official comics, and he went out of his way to fill the backgrounds with details. This isn't near the level of random things as Andy Price's art, but this is still more than we usually see with the other artists. I hadn't thought of this until reading Silver Quill's review, but Pencils is much more willing to draw the ponies in poses not seen on the show than most artists on the comic in their first issue.

Image

Plus, note details like the reflection in this panel.

Image

There was one weak point to the art, though. Fluttershy is supposed to be impossible for anyone to see, but this is depicted by her being completely pink. This doesn't work at all; I assumed she just blended into the first area she was in but could be seen just fine elsewhere, and was confused by how ponies couldn't see her.

Image

Still, it's overall quite solid, and the fact that he is drawing the next issue too shows that IDW appears to have a lot of confidence in him. I hope Pencils manages to break out of just doing Pony art and IDW hires him for other series.

Applepie2017
User avatar
Nostalgia nerd
Posts: 236
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:25 am
Location: Land of Fire

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Sun Aug 19, 2018 3:41 am

SigmasonicX wrote:
Sun Jun 24, 2018 3:40 am
Wow, not only is Pencils continuing as a main artist, but dSana and Pony-Berserker are both making covers (the last pictured for each issue respectively). Great to see brony artists hitting it big!
Job well done.
But...
This one's too young

Adiwan
User avatar
Patreon supporter
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:40 am
Gender: Male
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: General Comic Chat - 60 Issues of FiM and Counting

Post by Adiwan (?) » Sun Aug 19, 2018 6:32 am

I'm not a fan of Pony-Berserker's art. Aping Price's style doesn't work well for me.
The art quality in FIM #69 I can get behind and I prefer it much more than some other artists from previous issues like Fosgitt or Garbowska (although she improved a lot in the recent year).
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

Post Reply