Twilight actually looks rather epic here |
The three main cover designs this time are drawn by Katie Cook and, to be honest, I don't think they're as impressive as Andy Price's work for the launch issue. It's nice that the three pairings (Rarity/AJ, Twilight/Fluttershy and Pinkie/Rainbow) match those that transpire later in the story, and I love the contrasting ways each pony reacts to the spiders... but I'm just not that keen on the way those ponies are portrayed. It doesn't have quite the zip that Price's #1 covers did. Some of the variants are great, but they're so hard to get in the UK.
Brushie, brushie, brushie! |
A very great deal happens in the course of the comic's 22 pages of story, with the "epic adventure" feel very much being maintained; I was actually surprised to find that it was only 22 pages, given the lack of a backup tale. For the great bulk of the comic, up until the end of the (utterly fantastic) spider encounter, everything is pretty much perfect. I do think it flags just very slightly in the last couple of pages, although even that is saved by the brilliant Chrysalis/CMC interplay. Someone write a panto!
Pinkamena Diane Pie, as terrifying as ever |
After the determined, forward-looking ending of #1, it was something of a shock to discover the much more downbeat conclusion to this issue. Had it not been for the map (which itself prompts many more questions than it answers) the final acts of all the ponies — other, cleverly, than the now restored Pinkie — would have been whinging at each other and setting off in the pairs depicted on the main three covers. I am certainly glad that it's only going to be a couple of weeks until issue #3 comes out!
She's got a map of the world, pinned up on her wall... |
Problems? Not too many, although there are a few mistakes once again. I guess we have to expect this in comics, just as we do in the show's animation, but it's still mildly annoying to see pegasi left without wings more than once. There's also what seems to be a strange typo on the end map ("Sight of the Battle of Discord"?) and at one point Fluttershy and Applejack seem to have got their speech bubbles mixed up. Still, none of this actually affects the story, so I can't be too harsh.
Overall, I think this is another brilliant comic, and it's extremely encouraging that the team didn't use up all their creative energy on the debut issue. I'm sure Jim the Cave Troll is already in some fanfics, and one or two of the spiders (especially the Derpyfied one!) might well join him. This issue doesn't score quite as highly as #1, largely on account of that relatively flat cover design, but it's still a very easy recommendation
9/10
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