Comic mini-review: Legends of Magic #1

Zachary Sterling's cover was, of course, unmissable!

Good grief, I'm getting behind with these comic reviews. I haven't forgotten about main-series #53, but for now it's the first issue in the Legends of Magic series. I'm pleased to say that the Whitley/Hickey/Breckel team have got it off to a strong start. Apart from a rather irritating portrayal of young Celestia – thankfully modified later – this look into the past is great. Starswirl (who seems to have gone back to having a one-word name) is quite a lot of fun and the artwork is varied and colourful, too. For that, and the look we get into the Royal Sisters' relationship pre-Nightmare Moon, this is well worth picking up. ★★★★

Comic review: Guardians of Harmony

Yet another comic from IDW now. I am just slightly wondering whether they're overdoing it a bit – it's starting to get expensive! – but this is a story I've been looking forward to ever since it was announced. Time to see whether the real thing matches up to my expectations. Not a mini review this time, as I'll be going through each chapter in turn in a spoiler-cut section after the main review.

Andy Price's main cover is, as expected, great

Guardians of Harmony ties in with the toy line of the same name, and is rather more transparently toyetic than usual. This isn't fatal in itself, and with one exception things don't look too out of place in Equestria. The comic is also a multi-creator deal, with six chapters, each from a different writer/artist pair. (Heather Breckel is the only colourist credited.) The story is inevitably episodic, and there's less smooth continuity than I'd have liked. There are also a couple of slightly irritating character decisions. The chapters themselves are of uneven quality, and there's not really enough action-adventure for the GoH brand, but they're generally at least decent. This is a good comic, but it blows its chance to be a great one. Considering the high cover price (it's marketed as an annual), I can't really award it more than ★★★.

Now, come with me past the break for some spoilery comments on each chapter.

Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #37: Rarity and Trixie

Here's the penultimate Friends Forever issue, and it's an interesting team-up – especially when you consider that Sapphire Shores is also involved. Actually, Sapphire is my favourite character here, if you don't count a fun cameo by Babs Seed. (Let's face it, comic cameos are all she'll ever get now.) The Whitley/Garbowska/Breckel team does its usual solid-but-not-amazing job. Continuity is a problem, though: the level of antagonism Rarity has for Trixie seems to be several years out of date, especially given 2014's Gem Thief arc, and it grates badly. Frustrating, because I think this plotline had four-star potential. As it is, an uninspiring three. ★★★

Comic not-as-mini-as-usual review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #50

Some excellent oval-ball sport last night. I mean rugby union, obviously. Italy 7 Wales 33 was a decent enough result, though until the last 20 minutes it was a bit of a nail-biter. Sadly I can't see Wales winning the championship, but I'd love them to beat England. (For those unaware: I am in fact English, but for various reasons I support Wales at rugby.)

Andy Price's main cover hits just the right note

The "Accord" arc comes to a close with the landmark 50th issue of the MLP comic. And I'm pleased to say that it does so in some style. While Ted Anderson's story doesn't totally blow me away, nor does it seem like the horrible let-down I'd slightly feared. Accord's own story concludes reasonably, Starlight is used in a sensible way, there's a nice visit from some old friends (not ponies) and the final page – though a bit cheesy – is fine for a celebratory issue like this. I'd have preferred a tad less fourth-wall breaking before that, but still. Andy Price's art is bright, colourful (thanks to Heather Breckel) and varied, which is expected but appreciated.

This being a special (and more expensive!) issue, there's also a ten-page backup story. The writing, by Jeremy Whitley, is pleasant fluff: lightweight fun in the style of a short Friends Forever comic. There are even (doubtless unintentional) echoes of Sunny Skies All Day Long. The art is by Jay Fosgitt; I don't hate his stuff in the way some fans do, and for the ponies it's fine. The way he does Discord, though, just looks weird, and I simply can't accept a draconequus drawn the same size as a regular pony. A shame, as this lets down an otherwise entertaining story.

So, the issue as a whole? Very enjoyable, with a few irritations that stop it being the truly superb comic that would have made issue #50 something for the ages. I still recommend it, though, and indeed the whole arc. Not great, then, but it is very good. ★★★★

Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #28: Luna and the CMC

Watched "Newbie Dash" again, having read some pretty critical reviews. Nope, still like it. Still makes me happy. Still find the impersonations funny. Mind you, I also still quite like both "Rainbow Falls" and "Bats!", so I'm clearly a terrible person. :P Anyway, I've finally got round to reading the latest Friends Forever comic.

Being me, I chose this Sara Richard cover instead

Quite a moment, this: the point at which the IDW comics catch up with the Cutie Mark Crusaders' new status – as seen on the main cover, with its "Now with more cutie marks!" splash. I'm not in the "Oh no, it's Jay Fosgitt!" camp, and Heather Breckel is a reliable colourist, so I don't have too much of a problem with the artwork. Unfortunately, the story itself is a real disappointment, well below Jeremy Whitley's best. The biggest problem is a trio of new characters – two baddies and a goodie – who, quite frankly, I don't care much about. The bullies are nowhere near as interesting as (old-style) Diamond and Silver, while the nice guy has a really pretty ridiculous special talent which is only useful for about two pages right at the end. Luna has the odd funny line, and the CMC are okay, but I can't really praise this issue. ★★

Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #26: Shining Armor and Blueblood

The Sub cover is by Sara Richard. Of course I bought it!

Before I get on to the review, a PSA: I'll be away over the Easter break, so although I will (I hope) get to see the start of Season Six on time, the premiere review will be a few days late. So don't worry: it'll be late, yes, but it will be up before the following weekend!

Thanks to yet more messing about with release dates, the latest Friends Forever comic came out on the same day as main-series issue #40. And no, I still don't understand how something as dysfunctional as the comics industry stays in business. Bad news to start off with: it's only 20 pages. Why it's two short I don't know, but I hope that doesn't become the norm. Anyway, Jeremy Whitley, Tony Fleecs and Heather Breckel look a promising team and so it proves here. You really need to find Blueblood's character amusing to enjoy this comic, but if you do then you probably will. The story moves along at a good pace, the artwork is good and there's a nice little twist. (Also a potential loose end to be picked up by a longer arc sometime...) This was a really good read, and it rates a strong four. Easily recommended. ★★★★

Comic mini-review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #37

It's another nice cover by Price, at least

We reach the end of the four-issue Siege of the Crystal Empire arc, and it's been an interesting ride. Sadly, this final instalment doesn't manage to close things out in style. Everything's wrapped up much too neatly, with a particuarly irritating ending for Sombra. Considering that the show has now given us a glimpse of a full-scale war, I don't think the "kids' comics can't have serious battles" argument holds water any longer.  The Umbrum are still interesting (I'm surprised they haven't caught fanfic writers' attention) and Discord's cameo is amusing, but this isn't the epic ending that I'd hoped for. Still, the first half is decent. ★★

Comic mini-review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #36

Andy Price did the standard cover this time

Guess what? IDW's schedule is still a mess. How do comics companies get away with this? In some sectors of periodical publishing, you'd go bust if you were this poor at maintaining a reliable schedule. Right now, ComicList reckons that Art is Magic is already out (but Amazon have told pre-orderers that it'll be mid-December) and Art Gallery II has no firm release date at all. Sorry, IDW, but this is just not good enough.

End of rant. Here we are with the third part of the Siege of the Crystal Empire arc. I enjoyed the previous issue, which (perhaps generously) scraped a four-star rating, but this one knocks it into a cocked hat. This is definitely the best – and darkest – instalment so far, and a good deal of that is down to Chrysalis. I do hope she's never reformed; she's a truly evil villain, and that's great. There are some striking and disturbing panels in this issue, not least a "mind's eye" flashback and a reveal of one character's true form. I have to say I'm not sure how Whitley can tie everything together in #37 without rushing things, but I'll reserve judgement there. For now, I'll take this: it's a really satisfying read. This one gets an easy four. ★★★★

Comic mini-review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #35

Sara Richard's cover art is always striking

IDW are all over the place with their release dates at the moment: the Art Gallery II has been delayed until early December, while the Art is Magic book now has no definite release date at all, perhaps to avoid a clash with The Art of Equestria. Still, as I'm also all over the place with my comic review dates, I suppose I can cut them a bit of slack this one time! It wasn't all my fault, though, as a comic ordered from an eBay seller failed to arrive. Happily, a replacement ordered from Albion Toys instead came quickly. So...

This is the second comic in the four-issue Siege of the Crystal Empire arc that began moderately promisingly last month. This month's issue is also pretty good, I'm pleased to say. The first few pages deal with Sombra's origins, but thankfully it's not just a straight reprinting of his Fiendship story. Sombra and Chrysalis make a genuinely worrisome team-up, though I really can't believe the likes of Iron Will or Lightning Dust would go along with truly evil plans. Radiant Hope plays a significant role and is... naive, to say the least. Still, it's a solid issue with good artwork, and a fine full-page scene featuring Twilight just nudges this one into four-star territory. ★★★★

Comic mini-review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #34

Andy Price's main cover is really very nicely done

After several generally rather disappointing main-series stories in IDW's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series, this month we get the start of "Siege of the Crystal Empire", the first four-part outing since the controversial "Reflections" arc. Notably, this one is drawn by Andy Price but not written by long-time collaborator Katie Cook; Jeremy Whitley does the honours. Heather Breckel is the colourist. I think it's a definite improvement, too: although not perfect (one pony says "my hand slipped", a shoddy error) there's a lot of actual intrigue going on by the end.

Price's artwork looks good for the most part, as does Breckel's colour work, while Whitley's writing certainly seems rather stronger than Cook's was, slightly uncertain opening scene aside. The question of why certain characters would team up will need to be addressed, so I can't be more than "cautiously optimistic" right now, but here's hoping. Probably the most enjoyable main-series comic since issue #24 – it's a three-star issue, but a top-end three and at last I can recommend a main-series comic again! ★★★

Comic mini-review: Friends Forever #20: Discord and Luna

Amy Mebberson's main cover promises a little more than the issue delivers

With a pairing like that, this month's IDW comic was one of the most eagerly awaited in ages. The established team of Jeremy Whitley, Brenda Hickey and Heather Breckel maje a reasonable job of it, though it isn't the classic I'd been hoping for. There's not much wrong with the artwork, and the colours are lovely and vibrant. The writing, though, is variable. Luna is generally written pretty well – especially when she's being sarcastic. Discord, on the other hand, seems a bit off, with his usual easy style made to feel a little awkward. Also, there are heaps of references, some I don't get (those talking hands?) though I do question dressing Apple Bloom as Inara. Not quite the classic I'd hoped for, but a fun read and pretty enjoyable. ★★★

Comic review: Friends Forever #16: Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon

Jenn Blake's Sub cover: simple but effective

Villains month is over, and so we're back to nice, friendly My Little Pony characters like, er, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Oh well, looks like there was an extra entry! This intriguing pairing (well, for Friends Forever) brings a new name to the IDW comics: Jenn Blake, who's quite well known for her pony art already, just not drawing a full comic. Jeremy Whitley handles the words, while Heather Breckel is the one with the colours. This comic looked interesting to me; was it? Let's see.

Comic mini-review: Fiendship is Magic #1: King Sombra

There's absolutely no way I'm going to be able to manage April's Fiendship is Magic villains event if I try to do full-scale reviews, so I'll stick to minis. This first issue got the series off to a very good start. The backstory was new and interesting, including the odd hint about Cadance, and Sombra's corruption made a reasonable amount of sense. It was also satisfyingly dark: there's one scene where (as Jeremy Whitley has said) it's obvious Hasbro insisted on a character not actually dying, but otherwise this is a much more rounded look at Sombra than we ever got in the show. Brenda Hickey's art and Heather Breckel's colours are both excellent, and this comic is well recommended. ★★★★

Comic review: MLP Friends Forever #14: Luna and Spike

The cover, as ever, lies. Sadly

It's been a while, hasn't it? More than two months, in fact! Thanks to another port strike in the US, IDW's comic schedule has been really messed up lately. Thankfully, they've now taken the decision to print their commercially viable titles (obviously including MLP) domestically, so things should calm down a bit. Anyway, this time we're back in Friends Forever territory, with writing duties handled by Jeremy Whitley and artwork by Agnes Garbowska – the same team, in fact, who did FF #13, though that's a distant memory now! Read on...

Comic review: MLP Friends Forever #13: Rarity and Babs Seed

Rarity looks like she's just stepped off an actual carousel

It's comic time again! Now that I've caught up a little, I'm actually reviewing an issue which came out less than a week ago. This is what I try to do all the time, honest! It just doesn't always work out that way. Anyway, this time there's one of the slightly more unusual team-ups: Rarity and Babs Seed. (And yes, I'm with those who'd like to see Babs in the show again at some point.) Jeremy Whitley's last Pony writing gig was on the solid main-series issue #24, while Agnes Gabowska last appeared as the artist for the reasonable Fluttershy/Iron Will FF. Off we go.

Comic review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic issue #24

"It's all chaosy-waosy, really..."

Apologies for this review being quite so late: for some reason (I don't know what it was) IDW failed to get its My Little Pony comics to UK distributors until a full week after they were released in the US. This happened once before, in the comic's early days, but it's always a pain and I hope it was just a blip. Happily, Level Seven Comics really pushed the boat out to get it to me as fast as possible. Anyway, this month we saw the first collaboration between writer Jeremy Whitley and artist Brenda Hickey. With stalwart Heather Breckel doing the colouring, would issue #24 prove a hit?

Comic review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic issue 23

Sara Richard's wonderfully striking Cover B

The MLP comics are coming thick and fast at the moment: Friends Forever #9 is already out, and the Annual appears later this month. But for now, it's back to IDW's main My Little Pony comic. This time we have a one-shot, written by Jeremy Whitley and drawn by Amy Mebberson, with Heather Breckel on colouring duties. As well as being a self-contained issue, this one's unusual in that it stars the ponies' pets. Does the risk pay off? After the break, we'll find out!

Comic review: MLP Friends Forever #7: Luna & Pinkie Pie

"They didn't have sticks when I was banished"

Apologies for the delay in bringing you the latest My Little Pony: Friends Forever comic review. I had to order in this month's issue, and I've only just received it through the post. Anyway, this time around we have Jeremy Whitley doing the words, Tony Fleecs handling the drawing and Heather Breckel on colouring duties. There's certainly the potential for Luna and Pinkie to make a brilliant double act, but can they pull it off? You know what to do...

Comic review: MLP Friends Forever #2: CMC & Discord

I bought the nice Sub cover by Lea Hernandez, also new to Pony

This review is late, I know, thanks to a combination of a comic getting lost in the post and my continuing poor health. Let's get to it, though! I was not a fan of the first Friends Forever comic, which I thought was underwhelming to say the least. This time round, we have a character partnership which almost everyone has been excited by and a different creative team. Writer Jeremy Whitley makes his My Little Pony comic debut, while Tony Fleecs is an established IDW artist who's drawn several others in the series. Past the break!