Pony #1 makes the top 100 comics for 2012

Diamond have released the list of the Top 500 comics sold to North American comic shops in 2012, and here it is. And yes, MLP:FiM #1 is there at no. 90! It's one of only two non-DC/Marvel comics to break the top hundred, the other of course being the market-leading The Walking Dead #100 by Image. Pony is also by far IDW's most successful comic, with the publisher's second-placed entry being Mars Attacks #1 down in 417th place!

Given the billions of variant covers for the debut issue, I'm sure there'll be a considerable drop in sales for #2, especially with all the confusion about release dates, the Nook leak, etc. I really hope, though, that it maintains a healthy circulation. This is a great comic, and one you should be reading. Now, if not sooner.

Short absence

Just a quick update: for personal reasons entirely unrelated to MLP, I won't be updating this blog for a little while. I honestly don't know when I'll be back — it could be tonight; it could be a week. But I do intend to be back. Thank you for your understanding.

Top 10 pony tracks of 2012, part one

Octavia by Dahtamnay, Apr 2012. CC by-nc-nd 3.0

This is, of course, inspired by Everfree Radio's Top 100 Brony Tracks of 2012, but with a few differences. One, I'm too lazy to pick more than ten. Two, it is a pick, not (as Everfree's was) a public vote. Three, remixes of show music are not eligible. And four, the only date criterion is that their YouTube upload is datestamped 2012. (A song written in Dec 2011 but posted in Jan 2012 is eligible, but one written in Dec 2012 and posted yesterday would not be.)

Here are numbers 10 to 4; I'll make another post in the next few days with the top three. The links all go to YouTube, and the number in square brackets after each title is the position the track attained on the Everfree list mentioned above.

10. Hay Ms Derpy (Forest Rain) [33] — There are any number of Derpy-related songs to choose from, but I didn't particularly like any of the (sometimes overly) emotional "Save Derpy" ones. This is a much happier song, and one that seems entirely appropriate for our beloved grey pegasus.

9. Fluttershy — The Voice of Nature (Legendary) [N/A] — This beautiful, floaty, vocal piece failed to make the Everfree Top 100. That was, frankly, a travesty. The version on YouTube has some slightly irritating show vocals near the start, but you can download a "clean" version. Do it.

8. Discord (The Living Tombstone Remix; orig. Eurobeat Brony) [1] — It was hardly surprising that this song topped the Everfree charts, given its enormous popularity. I like both this and the original version about equally, but the punchier remix has nudged ahead very recently.

7. Sweetie's Big Race (Toastwaffle's Remix) [N/A] — Everfree listeners went for "Gypsy Bard" in a big way, pushing it up to no. 17, but this is my favourite original song from Friendship is Witchcraft. The version used in the show is good enough, but Toastwaffle's remix is quite stupidly catchy.

6. Loyalty (Acoustimandobrony) [2] — This is a fantastic rock number devoted to Rainbow Dash, and it absolutely deserves its enormous popularity. The Aviators remix is decent, but I think the original is better, if a bit long. It also includes the best guitar solo of any pony song I've yet heard.

5. So Much Left to Know (MandoPony) [N/A] — This just sneaked in (upload date 3 Jan) and maybe it was actually written earlier, explaining its absence from the Everfree list. This is a lovely song that really captures what it is to be Twilight Sparkle... but also to be Twilight learning with her friends.

4. The Moon Rises (Ponyphonic) [10] — This is another song that did well with Everfree listeners, and quite right too. Although it's disappointingly short, what is there is astonishing. Probably the closest we've come to a ponyfied Phantom of the Opera, and utterly dramatic with it.

Simon says... ponies!

The correct answer is "Fluttershy", Mr Pegg

Yes, this is real. Dodgy language uncensored in the original, of course. If only Pegg were female, so he could be a genuine "Pegg-a-sister". Ahem. Props (mad or otherwise according to taste) to Ultraboy94 on UKoE for noticing this.

Review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic issue 2

Twilight actually looks rather epic here

It's been rather later than we'd have liked, owing to a port strike in California, but at long last issue #2 of IDW's comic is out. I picked up my copy for £3.15 in a somewhat busy Nostalgia & Comics in Birmingham, and you can see it above. Having received rave reviews for the debut issue (including right here!) could Katie Cook and Andy Price (not to mention Heather Breckel and Robbie Robbins) bring home the bacon for a second time? Short answer: yes! For more, follow me past the jump.

Review: "Spike At Your Service" (S3E09)

Spike attempts to explain to AJ what "graceful" means

Well now, this was the last episode before the show takes a break for a couple of weeks -- and it was a strange one and no mistake! Dave Polsky and Merriwether Williams teamed up and gave us... something. Spike episodes generally have been slightly odd, come to think of it. I can't think of a lot more to say here that wouldn't be spoilery, so follow me beyond the jump to learn more...

Welcome to 2013!

Vinyl Scratch by Troggle, Sep 2011. CC by-sa 3.0

I hope everyone had a nice Hearth's Warming break, but now it's time to get back with the pony. No need to stop celebrating just yet, as Vinyl herself demonstrates, but before getting on to the latest episode review (coming soon!) we can also have a quick look at some things that might be of interest in the year ahead. So, what might we see in 2013, especially from a British point of view? Well...

Season 4
It's speculation, of course, but it would seem at least likely that, at some point in the next few months, the existence of S4 will be confirmed. After what to some (though by no means all) fans was a slightly shaky start, S3 has come up with some excellent episodes, so there's clearly still the requisite fund of ideas. You'd also think that Hasbro would be most reluctant to let go of such a cash cow just yet. I doubt we British bronies will get proper TV coverage any time soon, though. One other fly in the ointment might be that we might again have to put up with a 13-episode season.

A two-pronged approach by Hasbro
It's fairly clear that what sells to bronies and what sells to six-year-olds does not always overlap too well. In the UK, for example, the monthly magazine is most definitely aimed at the target demographic; conversely, I doubt that many kids read the IDW comic. We can already see this happening, if officially unacknowledged, with Derpy: she's in the IDW comic, on trading cards, on con-special toys... but nowhere to be seen in kid-friendly merch and apparently also on the way to being completely dropped from the show itself.

BUCK 2013
After the great success of last year's inaugural edition, next year's British con looks set fair to be... well, a great success. Holding it around the August Bank Holiday weekend has its pros and cons, especially for those using public transport, but the decision to keep it in Manchester seems an excellent one. As far as I know, no guests, events etc have actually been announced yet, though there is hope that this might be the first BUCK at which "official" people might be guests. My personal wish? Someone associated with the comic.

More Euro merch
There will be more licensed merchandise in European markets in 2013 than there was in 2012: we have that from the pony's mouth. We don't yet know the fine details, though we can hope that there'll be at least some acknowledgement of the very significant chunk of the UK market provided by the periphery demographic. (That's us!) Stationery is my own personal wish, but it would also be nice if next Christmas there were actually MLP calendars in Calendar Club!