My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Comics

So. I've been reading my way through a bunch of older comics I got on Humble Bundle, and honestly they aren't that bad? I mean, apart from a few actual stinkers, most arcs are either fairly inoffensive or mostly just don't mesh well with the show. Granted, there are a few actual issues here and there. Mostly, I think people focus on the controversial issues and forget about the ones that didn't raise any drama. Which makes sense, admittedly, but still. Plus, as I think I fall into here myself, there's generally a lot more to say about what you don't like than what you do.

The Return of Queen Chrysalis was a solid adventure story, all in all. Very enjoyable. The trip through the caverns and the Forest of Leota was very nicely written, and Chrysalis was deliciously evil.

I know Reflections garnered some controversy, but I liked it. Mostly I don't buy that you can just "absorb" someone's evil into yourself, which also reinforces the uncomfortable brainwashing-into-goodness vibes from the show's own pilot, but the rest was nice — and the wishing garden is gorgeous. It's honestly kind of a pity that its premise is now incompatible with the show establishing that Starswirl vanished before the Sisters were even fully grown.

The Dragon Town arc I honestly think handled issues with racial tensions about as well as you can expect for such a, ah, touchy subject. The main issue is that it doesn't actually make sense for dragons, specifically, to be in that position, and it only made less sense as the show went on. If it had been, I don't know, griffins or diamond dogs or something else instead, I don't think the arc would have been that badly received.

The Discord time travel story was fun enough, although I still can't figure out how Sweetie could have looked at a depiction of what's clearly a bipedal jackal and though "hey, is that Nightmare Moon?" Also, you gotta stop and wonder about what this bit implies about Equestria's future — cities of aliens and cyberponies certainly seem to be a part of it.

Now, Root of the Problem, that one was bad. Besides the preachy holier-than-thou elf analogues, the biggest issue with it is that this very clearly seems to be a case where the writers wanted to tell a very specific story even if it didn't make sense for the setting. The central premise of the whole thing is that the deer are remarkable for being In Harmony with Nature, tending to the forest's needs and protecting and caring for the animals, and that the forest is remarkable for being this magical, harmonious place tended to be these caretakers... but this is simply how ponies and Equestria have always been portrayed. The ponies are supposed to be awed at the deer for doing exactly what they do and at the Everfree for being exactly like what the rest of Equestria is like? Sure. Okay.

I mean, pretty much every deer-pony interaction is predicated on the idea that ponies are these arrogant people who don't care about nature and don't think about the consequences of their effects on the environment — they're clearly meant to be stand-ins for the usual "arrogant, environment-destroying humans" thing that pops up in every work where magical creatures live in tune with nature, which given that these are the same ponies who make weather, manage seasons, hoof-make bird nests, wake hibernating animals, care for and feed wildlife, and direct migrations, is... ridiculous.

That, and the attempt to make the Everfree wondrous and special does the exact opposite — like I said, I feel like the arc wanted to use a very specific story, and that would involve a magical land that's supposed to be special because it lives in a balanced natural harmony with these magical wardens watching over everything, but given that that's how everywhere else already works, because the original show used the exact same premise, it doesn't make the deer or the Everfree special. It just makes them more of the same, and removes what was special and unusual about the forest.

Night of the Living Apples was very, very fun. Bad Apple may have had the character depth of a cardboard standee, but sometimes you don't really need a complex antagonist — sometimes you just need a hammy, mustache-twirling, dastardly villain who just wants to Take Over the World.

Well, looks like we're finally getting that Transformers X My Little Pony crossover people have been imagining for a long time.

Not sure how I feel about Chryssi being the villain yet again.

Truth be told, she's kinda overused by now and barely feels like the threat she's supposed to be. Hopefully Megs or another Decepticon takes over as the true Big Bad

Edited by VengefulBale on Feb 10th 2020 at 10:44:36 AM

That seems most likely. It sounds like she just kicks things off by messing around with forces she can't control.

Isn't she a statue?

I heard the comics take place in an Alternate Continuity.

Not quite, they conflict with canon but have never been outright stated to be non-canonical, given how the reformed Changelings eventually appeared.

Here. Let the sight of Pinkie Pie throwing pie at Shockwave brighten your morning.

Oh boy, Pinkie will drive Shockwave insane.

Say, what if IDW decided to do a MLP/Sonic xover comic?

Welp, Season 10 is officially a thing now.

Yes, and two pages in particular have caused a bit of debate among readers.

What pages?

These two pages have sparked a lot of discussion about who was in the wrong in this situation.

For full context, Applejack is going on a journey to Zecora’s homeland, and didn’t ask whether Zecora was okay with it.

How's there a debate about this? Zecora explained her reasons quite clearly and Applejack was being very entitled.

Also holy shit Applejack got Zecora mad enough that she stopped rhyming.

Sweet Celestia...

I should probably actually read the issue for a better idea, but from what I can tell... Zecora was right, and AJ was wrong.

Anyway! Has anyone read the MLP crossover with Transformers yet? My usual sources are failing me...

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Aug 15th 2020 at 5:09:03 AM

From what some have claimed, Zecora didn’t explain her reasons at all. She just says she doesn’t want to go back home.

Also, a lot of people have taken issue with her bringing up Applejack’s dead mother just to make a point.

She's a refugee from a situation too horrible to mention in an all ages comic?

That’s just it; we don’t know why she hates the idea of going back. The rant above is just a hypothetical.

When she does go back, no one bats an eye at her return. Her old friends even welcome her with open arms. Zecora isn’t so kind.

Sounds like she left cause they were annoying.

This is interesting to me, as I visited Zebrica in my own fanverse. There, Zecora WAS a refugee (de facto. Not officially). Also, I was right that not all zebras are black and white, but wrong in portraying all zebras as having a speech quirk (I had their king speak entirely in haiku, for example)

I don't see that Zecora needed to provide any reason to begin with. I really don't think you need to explain all the why and wherefores of why you don't want someone to pry into your private life. If anything, having to do that would defeat the point.

Yeah, but that's how Applejack rolls, she has no idea of when she's ever wrong unless you shove it in her face and make her see it herself.

Gonna have a doozy in a few months!

Pinkie Pie tying the knot with Cheese Sandwich?! I don't know how to respond to that...