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My Little Pony The Art of Equestria Review

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My Little Pony is a franchise that I was mostly unaware of back in the day. Sure, I’d heard of the name in the past, but I had no real opinions on it. That all changed when Friendship is Magic came out and I finally got to see some clips of the show and read some of the comics. The theme song still isn’t great, but it is very memorable, which is always a good thing I suppose. This art book does a good job of discussing the characters and the paths not taken. Even hardcore MLP fans will learn some new things after reading this title!

There are a few different sections in this book as it tries to cover as many My Little Pony topics as possible. First, we have a long interview with one of the main creators behind the latest iteration as she discussed her reasons for getting involved and how she gets her inspiration. It’s a good interview, but I would have liked to have seen some more of the dynamics of things that she wanted in the show, but Hasbro objected too. The strife and the epic tensions would have made for a nice chapter.

Next up, we got to see the characters as they evolved from the previous shows. Their personalities and designs are discussed and shown. An interesting section was Twilight Sparkle’s as she was originally going to have gray hair and then almost had it with blue streaks instead of red/pinkish. It’s a tough call for me to decide which form is the best as all three options sound pretty good. I’m thinking that gray hair would have made Twilight Sparkle seem a little more powerful, but it wouldn’t affect all that much.

The book also spends a decent amount of time showing off the various locations in My Little Pony world. I liked the futuristic city that they visited in the superhero episode and Manehattan is always a classic location. There have certainly been quite a few epic bases as well and we’ll never forget the times where Ponyville was destroyed or conquered. The show definitely had some darker/intense moments back in the day, but I have to wonder if we’ll ever see epic moments like those again in the show. The time for those may be past at this point.

Side characters and villains were also explored. Tirek was actually deemed to be a little too scary so his design was altered a little. Ironically, the alterations actually made him look cooler so that ended up being a plus for him. He still may not have been as threatening as his G1 incarnation, but this guy could now pack a punch! A lot of the side characters will probably stay as background ponies forever, but a few have made a name for themselves like Derpy so there’s always a chance for a nice comeback.

The end of the book also shows some pieces of fan art that were officially licensed by Hasbro and can now be counted as real pictures. That’s definitely considerate of the company and it shows that they care about their fans. Now they can make more money off of the additional resources while also allowing artists to have their moment of fame and glory. This book is decently long at over 200 pages, but since most of the pages are filled with artwork, it all finishes very quickly. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting since it was a pretty engaging read.

So long as the art is good, I tend to enjoy art books. They may not have a story behind them, but they are like guidebooks that are very illustrative. Another section even listed several episodes where the reader gets to see the storyboards behind them. Then you can appreciate the intricate details like how the facial expressions for each character helps to set the tone and the stage.

I haven’t even seen the show yet, but I’m confident that I know about as much as the average MLP fan thanks to all of these guidebooks and comics. The final page of the book even tries to point out that the show is loved by people of all ages and there’s nothing stopping you from becoming an MLP fan today. You’ve just gotta get past the negative social impact of admitting that you’re a fan of the show and then you’ll have made it in the world.

Overall, This is an artbook that I recommend to all MLP fans. Furthermore, if you haven’t gotten into the series yet, then this is a good way to quickly get caught up to speed. It’s not as detailed as the other guidebook that I read a while back and it’s not as fascinating as that one, but it makes for a good read. It’s a short read, but one that will still satisfy you provided that you didn’t buy it for a very high price. I look forward to seeing what other MLP products come out soon and until then, this’ll probably be my last MLP review for a long while. It’s been fun though!

Overall 7/10

My Little Pony Friends Forever Volume 2 Review

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Have you ever had the urge to go outside and buy a My Little Pony video game just because you could? I’ll admit that I was tempted to buy the GBA game, but I haven’t had a chance to put this to the test because most stores don’t sell gameboy games anymore. Still, if I ever see it, you can be sure that I will check it out! The Friendship is Magic franchise has already become an integral part of the My Little Pony multiverse and it’s pretty amazing to see how much it has grown. It has 4 different comic series, a long running show, and it just keeps on coming! This spinoff series isn’t as good as Pony Tales, but I still prefer it to the first volume of the main series.

This collection brings 4 issues inside. The theme of the series seems to be to pair up 2 characters for a team up of sorts. It’s a way to see how everypony interacts with one another on a one to one basis. After all, they can all be pretty tough when in a group, but can Twilight Sparkle really get along with Applejack if they are thrown into a dangerous situation? That doesn’t happen, but it’s an example of what to expect in these issues.

One of the comics features a team up with Pinkie Pie and Princess Luna. Princess Luna is sad because the ponies don’t find her funny. This means that she is going to get stomped by Princess Celestia in the annual laughathon. (Close enough to the actual name) She asks Twilight Sparkle for help and the heroic pony quickly refers her to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie is skeptical at first, but agrees to teach Luna how to have fun and be a good pony.

Well, this was a Pinkie Pie story, which meant that it should have been super special awesome, but it actually wasn’t as good as it could have been. I thought that Pinkie Pie was really out of character for the first scenes as she was a little mean to Princess Luna. By the end, the two of them are able to bond and Pinkie Pie’s advice pays off. The ending is happy for the heroes, but you still have to wonder who ended up winning. I don’t believe in draws anymore.

Rainbow Dash got to team up with Trixie in another story. One day, Rainbow Dash gets a letter stating that a kingdom wishes for her presence so that she can perform some neat acrobatics. Rainbow Dash has never been a pony to leave her fans hanging so she heads on over. To her dismay, Rainbow Dash finds out that a kingdom of dogs sent the request and their new queen is Trixie. Trixie was coerced into taking the position once the dogs found out about her skills as a gem creator (Hmmmmm…) and she realized that this deception has put her in a bind. Can Rainbow Dash help her escape the land?

Rainbow Dash would just fly her out of there, but the dogs foresaw this and put an enchanted crown on Trixie. The only way to get away is to make the dogs not want her to be their queen anymore. This was probably the second best story behind the Rarity team up. Rainbow Dash still proves herself to be a tough pony as her super speed feats are always impressive. She’s also more direct than the other ponies as she even asks Trixie why the hero should help. Trixie reminds her about friendship power and all, but it’s nice that Rainbow Dash had to ask. The solution to get out of this bind is a good one and Rainbow Dash got to prove her speed once again. We also got a nice moral about why deceit is never the best option.

Fluttershy teams up with Zecora in their adventure. Fluttershy wakes up one morning to discover that a Squirrel can talk. As she heads outside, the pony realizes that she can understand all of the animals. She realizes that this could be the work of some dark magic and asks Zecora to help. Zecora must now run some tests to see if this magic is reversible or if Fluttershy is simply losing her mind! Either way, this has certainly shaken up the city!

Well, this story was interesting, but I have to question Fluttershy’s distress at the animals learning how to talk. Given how friendly she is with them, I would have expected her to have been thrilled about this happening. I’d assume that she would just have enjoyed it no questions asked, but she seemed pretty alarmed at first. I suppose that it did happen suddenly, but it still didn’t feel like her usual self. As for Zecora…boy am I glad that she’s not part of the Mane 6. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of her. The rhymes are clever since it must be tough to think of rhymes for every sentence, but she couldn’t help Fluttershy at all. It makes you wonder why she was in this story. In all of the other team ups…there was a team up. In this issue, Zecora seemed to just be in it for the Wow factor. The twist of how the animals can now talk makes a lot of sense even if I didn’t guess it before hand. After all, there aren’t many beings who could achieve such a feat right?

By leaps and bounds, the best story is the team up with Applejack and Rarity. Given the two personalities of these ponies, you can be sure that their adventure should be a lot of fun. Applejack has to head to the West (Or was it East….!) coast to finalize a deal for some apples. Rarity decides to tag along because she loves road trips that result in great sight seeing detours. Applejack is glad to have the company at first, but Rarity’s passion for fashion starts to derail Applejack’s plans. Can the two ponies find a way to put aside their differences to get the apple contract signed or should Applejack have left this job to Big Mac!

In this issue, it’s easy to feel bad for Rarity. She loves fashion design, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she has the most business experience from all of the ponies in Equestria. Applejack doesn’t want to acknowledge this for most of the issue and I feel like she was in the wrong for most of the disagreements. It was Applejack who got on the wrong train after all and likewise, it was she who didn’t think up a proper business strategy. Even the very first time something went wrong, Applejack was asleep. Don’t think that she was the sole reason why things went south, but Applejack certainly played a big role. In contrast, Rarity was very well behaved and continued to help Applejack even when the latter was being rather petty. (Spraying mud on Rarity and calling her names) Rarity showed that true friendship can stay strong through disputes and she knows how to put her friend’s needs before her own. Through her actions, Rarity got Applejack to remember what being a real friend is all about. The ending is happy and I gained a lot of respect for Rarity.

From the Mane 6, Pinkie Pie is still my favorite. I think it’s safe to say that Rainbow Dash is still second with Twilight Sparkle in third. That being said, Rarity has jumped over Applejack for 4th and I don’t see her dropping below that anytime soon. She can be a little over dramatic at times and her venture into romance holds her back, but through and through, she is one of the nicer ponies and certainly the most professional one.

The art is decent although I definitely think it could be better. Some scenes like the one where Fluttershy yells in surprise at the squirrel talking can be a bit exaggerated to say the least. Still, on the whole it will definitely remind you of the classic MLP style. The colors are vibrant and none of the pages are ever too packed so you always know what’s going on. It makes the collection that much easier to just pick up and start reading.

Overall, Friends Forever is another successful spinoff to add to Friendship is Magic’s resume. As with Pony Tales, each issue is a stand alone story so how much you like each one will determine how good the collection is. At 4 issues, the collection is very small so you will likely breeze through it. If you’re a Rarity fan, you’ll be very happy with her portrayal in the comic. You can certainly tell that the author appreciates the well rounded nature of the pony. I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of the main series or the show. If you’re on the fence about starting the infamous/legendary/controversial series, this is a good place to start. You’ll get to meet some of the Main 6 and get introduced to the universe in general. The comics are just a lot of fun as well, which is likely why the series got so large so fast. Whether or not you’re a big fan of the franchise, you can’t deny that it is an uplifting title to read and it leaves you feeling content. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for Derpy’s cameo. That pony is always around somewhere and you just have to be on the lookout for her! Hopefully the library gets more volumes of the series so that I can review some more soon. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the main Friendship is Magic title.

Overall 6/10

My Little Pony Pony Tales Volume 1 Review

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It’s time to look at one of the My Little Pony spinoff comics. It’s been a while since I read a comic for this franchise and you may remember that I wasn’t thrilled with the first one. It had some animal violence and that wasn’t cool. Luckily, this one holds true to the show and it feels like it’s higher quality than the last trade paperback. Each story is a stand alone for a different pony, which is typically not my favorite format. It can work though as long as each story is interesting. Let’s see if the stories worked!

One story is about Applejack and her family is preparing for a nice feast. A holiday is coming up so now they can enjoy their food and bond as a family. The problem is that a monster is stealing their food. Applejack decides that she must stop him and she wants to do it by herself so that her family won’t need to worry. Can she really handle this task on her own?

The moral for this story is about letting others help out because sometimes it is for the best. It’s never good to deal with every task by yourself since everyone needs help once in a while. It’s a pretty fun story although it’s certainly weaker than the other stories. Applejack seems like a nice pony and her goal was pretty noble so I don’t necessarily disagree with her decision. Of course, accepting help was the right thing to do, but she wasn’t mean to the others when declining their help either, which is a nice change of pace from what would have typically happened in this situation.

Rainbow Dash’s story saw her go up against some mysterious beings who feed on negative energy. Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Boom seems to have no effect on their fortress of wind and they damage her wing. Her confidence is shaken and the villagers are starting to get riled up. A sense of dread and sadness fills the village and Rainbow Dash is the only one who can stop the villains. Can she get over her fear to do this?

The moral is a classic one about facing your fears and not getting too overconfident. That’s not even the exact moral as it was a little more complex than that. This was a fun story and we actually got some new villains, which was pretty neat. Rainbow Dash may be nervous for most of the comic, but it doesn’t feel too out of character since it’s handled pretty well. I think that the other ponies could have certainly been a little nicer about the whole thing, but not every pony in Equestria is nice. Only the ones who really count. It can be frustrating to see the villains crushing Rainbow Dash’s attempts, but the stakes are certainly higher than usual. This was a fun story.

Next up, we have Twilight Sparkle as she is sent to help out at a library/book place. Unfortunately, her temporary boss is pretty grouchy. Twilight Sparkle does her best to still remain very polite and do her work. The icy feelings between these two ponies start to thaw a little, but then Twilight Sparkle finds out a secret that could change everything. What has she done!?

I admit that it was probably a little out of character for Twilight Sparkle to look through the door into the lady’s secret room after being told not too. Sparkle doesn’t seem like the type of pony who can’t control her curiosity after all. I can’t say that with 100% certainty though so maybe I’m slightly off the mark here. This was a fun comic though and it reminds me why Twilight Sparkle is my second favorite pony. She is certainly very reasonable and a lot nicer than the other members of the Mane 6 beyond Pinkie Pie. (Pinkie Pie is always the best at everything after all) This may have been the best story in the collection.

Pinkie Pie may be my favorite pony, but she doesn’t get my favorite story. A clown has been helping many ponies laugh and smile through the years, but he is now retiring. Pinkie Pie must get him to see why being a clown was so much fun again, but is it really right to try and stop him from retiring?

In the end, Pinkie Pie see that it is a little selfish to try to stop someone from leaving their work when they have finally had enough. That being said, she also helps the clown realize that he can always help the industry out in other ways and Pinkie Pie gets better at being a clown through this experience. She is certainly good at cheering people up already so you may wonder just how much cooler she can get from here right? She didn’t act quite as crazy/insane as usual, but she doesn’t need to always be like that to be a fun character. She still has a lot of personality.

Rarity’s story naturally revolves around a fashion show that she is setting up. Her friends decide that she can use a little rest so they send her to a new spa that has opened up. Rarity is thrilled to go there until she finds out that it isn’t much of a spa. The mud baths are pretty literal and the food is all healthy to the point where it is barely edible. Can she really make the best of this?

I felt pretty bad for Rarity here since this is a case where she is really the victim of the moral. The moral is naturally to give things a chance and trying out new experiences isn’t bad, but…the spa went pretty far. The owners do have a good reason for this though and there are many emotional plot twists. It’s good that Rarity was able to help out, but it still would have been nice if she had gotten an actual vacation. This story certainly didn’t help her pass the other ponies, but she has her moments I suppose. Deep down, she’s as nice as the others.

Finally, we have Fluttershy’s story. It’s really a coincidence that she was last as I was mainly writing down the summaries from memory and hers I happened to remember last. (I had to double check for Rarity’s so at least Fluttershy’s was more memorable) Fluttershy has made a painting, but she is nervous and believes that it didn’t look very good. So, she enters it in an art exhibit, but she makes sure to be in disguise. Will the officials like this?

First of all, I have to say that this is where it comes in handy to be friends with Celestia’s protoge and with an expert in the form of Rarity. The officials naturally say that they can’t stand the painting and try to make Fluttershy feel bad (Along with all of the other painters) but then Rarity walks in and announces that it is quite good. The rest of the Mane 6 agree and they even managed to bring in Princess Celestia who announces that it is amazing. It all works out and Fluttershy decides to be more confident in herself. Her lack of confidence is why she isn’t one of my favorite ponies, but I do like the fact that she has a strong bond with animals so that helps to balance it out a little. You will definitely feel bad for her here. This was another good story and it’s probably second behind Twilight Sparkle’s.

The art is very good here even if the cover isn’t great. Yes…I think the cover could hurt sales and I seriously wonder why it was chosen! Well, mistakes happen I suppose. Still, the artwork inside of the graphic novel is consistent and all of the characters look accurate. This helps you fast blast through the comics pretty quickly even if the text can be a bit on the small side.

Overall, This was the My Little Pony comic that I had been expecting when I read the first graphic novel a while back. The short stories were all pretty good or interesting and this was a nice way to see if each of the ponies could hold their own story without relying on the others. I’d say that they succeeded in that area and the comic is a lot of fun to read from start to finish. It certainly never drags on or gets boring. There may not be a lot of action, but the writing is very good so that doesn’t end up being a problem. If you are on the fence about starting the franchise, this is a good way to get into it. I also recommend it for fans of the TV show as it isn’t a quick money grab. They did put in a good amount of effort here and I look forward to reading the next volume. It may be a while, but I do have another one of the spinoffs to review coming soon….

Overall 7/10

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Volume 1 Review

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My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is one of those franchises within the master My Little Pony franchise that has always seemed very intriguing. It got a huge fan base in a really short amount of time and it seemed to be even more well received than the last show. I’ve always told myself that I would check out the show at some point since it seemed to be a pretty good one, but in the end I decided to check out the first collection of comics. It took a while due to library issues, but now I finally got to read it. I can see why it’s a hit, but is it something that I would recommend? Time to find out!

This collection deals with the Mane ,6 (Pun intended!) as they are having a good time when they realize that something isn’t right. It would appear that the Changelings are back and they’re ready to take over. They’re led by Queen Chrysalis who wants revenge on the ponies for what they did to her in the TV series and she’s going to take it out on Twilight Sparkle. This way, Celestia will be devastated and then nobody can stop her! It’s a very ambitious plan, but can it succeed? The Mane 6 don’t think so and they head off to fight her in what could be the ultimate showdown!

That’s the plot in a nutshell. I’m going to talk about the Mane 6 and discuss who was the best and who was the worst. Let’s start with the best, AKA….Pinkie Pie! Pinkie Pie is pretty awesome and I have to say that she blew the other 5 ponies out of the water. She made them look like novices compared to her and she had a trick up her sleeve for all scenarios. The costumes idea was brilliant and the fact that she was able to carry them around with her was even better. She definitely knows what she’s doing as she even prepared super sticky gum to trap the enemies. Unlike the others, she doesn’t take the insults too seriously and just keeps on bouncing back. Power wise, she doesn’t’ seem as skilled as the others, but then again…it’s not like she’s trying. To her, the whole thing is a game and that’s partially why she’s so cool.

The 2nd best pony would be Rainbow Dash. To be honest, I figured that she would have been the best, but she’s still high up. The fact that she can fly is a big advantage and I like how she always makes things difficult on the other ponies. At one point, one of the ponies complains that nobody is listening to her so then Rainbow Dash says something along the lines of, “What did you say?”. It was a classic troll moment and Rainbow Dash pulled it off wonderfully. Not to mention that Rainbow Dash didn’t really forgive the others when they had their group apologies and she talked the toughest against the villains although she couldn’t really back it up.

Next up, we have Twilight Sparkle. She’s a pretty fun character and I wouldn’t really say that there are any negatives with her except for the fact that her magical abilities seem to be useless against even the weakest of opponents. She is regarded as the leader and I suppose that she fits the bill, but she’s not quite as likable as Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie. She definitely has potential with her spells, but she needs to learn how to properly wield them in a fight. Twilight Sparkle is also the most gullible from the 6 ponies so she definitely needs to work on that.

In 4th place, we’ve got Applejack. I’m definitely not a big fan of her and it’s really because I’m mentally picturing a very thick accent. I’m not sure how she actually sounds in the show, but I can definitely imagine it. Technically, she’s not a bad character, but I can’t think of much pros for her either. She’s around and I’m glad that she talks tough, but I always have trouble remembering that she’s one of the Mane 6. She seems like she’s more of a supporting character than the other ponies.

In 5th place, we’ve got Rarity. Rarity is definitely not my type of character since she worries about looking good during a fight and doesn’t seem to take things in stride. In a fight, Rarity doesn’t seem like the ally that you’ll want and she needs to have her “Pony Up” scene already. Things got personal for her in this comic, but you may forget that as you’re reading.

Finally…we’ve got Fluttershy. I really wanted to like her a lot, but she represents some of the things that I really don’t like in my blog fighters characters. She’s very shy and timid but when the going gets tough, Fluttershy has the meanest face of them all and she scares the others. To go into this, I don’t like when any character is typically comic relief/shy and can quickly switch into “serious” mode and then frightens all of the characters. A good example of this is Isshin Kurosaki and the 1st Hokage. If you’re going to be serious, then be serious and likewise for comic relief. The two can mix, but not usually. It’s why I really don’t like when Goku shouts at his friends during a “tense” moment and they all quickly obey or fear him. Unfortunately, that’s what happens with Fluttershy and it seems like it happens in the show as well. (Fluttershy rage moment. Fans of the show will automatically know what scene I’m talking about) That being said, she’s not a bad character…she’s just not my type of character. I can’t really root for her, but I’m glad that she likes animals.

I don’t have much of an opinion on Spike. He was around…that’s about it. I did like Princess Celestia in this comic since she was so rude and condescending to the Mane 6. When Spike went to tell her what was happening, she was very stern with him and rudely pointed out that she was busy as she blasted some poor villains into oblivion. Once she did show up, (Conveniently after the battle was over) she seemed completely sarcastic the whole time and I don’t think that the Mane 6 even realized it. Definitely a solid way for her to make an entrance. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t great either as they joked around a little too much considering what their inevitable fate was.

I did not like Queen Chrysalis and she actually brought the overall rating for the comic down. If any comic could avoid the animal violence cliche, I would have thought that My Little Pony could, but apparently I was wrong. Queen Chrysalis violently destroys an animal in the comic to show how “evil” she is. She is definitely evil, but you can’t take her seriously since she’s used for comic relief throughout the whole comic and she doesn’t act like a villain. The fact that she was draining the happiness from the animals all around with the Changelings was actually pretty dark for the series and unnecessarily so. You feel bad for the animals since the ponies evidently do not care enough to liberate them and they’re basically doomed without even knowing it since they don’t seem to have a brain in this series.

The climax was intense, but it was hard to know who to root for. The ponies were tricked very easily and I have to say that their bonds are pretty fragile. The Changelings had a field day with them and fooled them so easily that I was shocked. I didn’t think that the Mane 6 would fall for something like that and it was definitely an eye opener. Queen Chrysalis was definitely superior to the ponies in terms of power and Twilight Sparkle’s super power at the end was basically plot hax. Most comics fall into that hole, but I hope that she will not use the powers of friendship as a crutch.

I do have to say that the art was pretty bad. Exaggerated facial expressions are one thing, but this one had at least a dozen per page. The art just felt sloppy overall and did not feel like it was intense enough for this series. The facial expressions are part of the reason why I could not take some of the ponies seriously in this version. There’s also the fact that they were losing to a human level opponent and that Twilight Sparkle’s attacks proved to be ineffective. The art is the main turnoff from the comic as the dialogue is pretty strong for the most part.

One character who deserves his own paragraph is Derpy. The comic gave her some major props and I can already see why she’s one of the greatest characters in the franchise. Derpy was the last pony to fall against the Changelings and I like to believe that he was already fatigued from defeating dozens of other opponents. You can’t help but feel bad for her since the Mane 6 ignored her plight and didn’t even try to help her. With “friends” like those…… Anyway, I’m definitely ready for some more Derpy action. Derpy definitely means business and isn’t the type of opponent to go down without a fight.

Overall, the animal violence is what destroyed the comic in the end. It was the tipping point that led to an overall negative score, but it should be noted that the comic was still decent. It may not have been quite as good as I was expecting, but considering that this is only volume 1, it can only go up from here. The main things that should be changed are the artwork and the animal violence. With those things out of the way, this comic could have easily gotten a 6 and beyond! The actual characters are fun and I look forward to seeing more of Derpy in the future. After reading this comic collection and being introduced to the MLP FIM franchise, I can finally say that I am a fan. It’s fun and suitable for all ages. (Not the comic. I’m talking about the show. The comic is a little too graphic for little kids due to animal violence and I would wait until the kids were teens for them to read it) The comic actually reminded me a lot of Strawberry Shortcake and fans of that show will like this one. I recommend this comic to fans of the MLP series as well, but if you want to see happy animals portrayed in a way that’s at least 20% cooler, check out Pokemon!

Overall 4/10