Comic Review: Issue #3 · 6:38pm Feb 7th, 2013
Before anyone asks why I didn't review Issue #2, two reasons:
A) I wasn't able to get it until just now.
B) By this point, it's pretty much redundant.
So let's look at the third issue in the ongoing series and see just what happens this time.
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The story opens with Spike (dressed as a carnival barker) narrating the story so far. Chrysalis has kidnapped the CMC and, after a failed invasion of Ponyville, is holding them hostage in her kingdom. The ponies have three days to get there and rescue them, which happens to coincide with a comet that will enhance Unicorn magic. During the second issue, however, the group got separated in an abandoned mine and were split apart with a contrived friendship issue by Changelings, and thus have broken into teams of two: Twilight and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, and Applejack and Rarity.
But then we flashback even further to how Chrysalis got her kingdom. Yeah, turns out this wasn't the age-old land of her ancestors, but rather a peaceful, happy land populated by peaceful, happy cat...things who loved everything and everyone. The scene starts out with a bit of dark humor, with Chrysalis and one of the Changelings hugging each other for dear life at the repulsive display of sugary sweetness. But then...it gets dark. REALLY dark. Remember what Changelings feed on? Yeah, they just landed into the world's biggest buffet spread, and rather than go the way redemption fics do and have her siphon off a little at a time and promote stability, she just has her minions to go town, sucking the very souls out of the cats and terraforming the land to match their own purposes.
This is one of the comics' strengths and weaknesses. Freed from the constraints of a Y/Y7 rating and twenty-two minutes an episode, Chrysalis is allowed to actually show some real villain chops. Her actual plan for the Mane 6 shows a great deal of cunning and savvy, demonstrating that she knows how powerful friendship is...and how to make it even tastier. On the other hand, several scenes border between pitch black comedy and downright disturbing levels of uncomfortableness, especially when Chrysalis seemingly splatters one of the cat things in front of the CMC to make them shut up. (It's later shown that it was just thrown into one of the cocoons, but still...)
There are some fun moments with the other groups as well. Pinkie Pie somehow has giant costumes of herself and Rainbow Dash ready to go, and her just...casually revealing this is hilarious. Rarity and Applejack more or less act out their scenes together from "Sleepless in Ponyville." And Twilight and Fluttershy...are just meh. That is, until they all run into monsters. In particular, Twilight and Fluttershy encounter a Chupacabra, Applejack and Rarity deal with sentient plants and a waterfall, and Dash and Pinkie fend off flesh-eating Jackalopes. All of these sequences are a lot of fun, especially when the ponies meet up again with their respective dangers still chasing them. If I had to complain about this part, though, it's how it ends. There's a rather gruesome scene off-panel, and all the ponies are disgusted...except for Fluttershy, who thinks nature is awesome. Um...Fluttershy does not work that way.
And between all that, we have more scenes with Chrysalis reacting to her Changelings' reports on everypony's process, getting dizzy when the crystal ball she was watching through gets rolled down a hill, and almost being driven to a murderous rage over the CMC. And just like the last two issues, the fillies are insufferably annoying here. Fortunately, Spike returns to wrap things up, including what might be the most awesome scene in comics today:
Overall, this issue was much better than the second. While that one was a bit contrived with the group breaking up and the Brony Troll, this one is just a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying the epic adventure feel to the story, which is helped by Chrysalis being allowed to act like a real Big Bad and hatch devious schemes. Outside of just how morbid some of the story is getting, this is still a pretty enjoyable series, and definitely worth picking up.
Man, I've really gotta read those comics.
Fluttershy happily feeds carnivores their preffered food. We've seen that before. Of course, I haven't seen the comic yet, so I might be missing something, but I don't think that's enough to put her out of character.
805584
Here's the panel.
cdn.derpiboo.ru/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDIvMDYvMTRfMTNfMDFfNTMwXzIzNTIzOV9fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmVfdHdpbGlnaHRfc3BhcmtsZV9yYWluYm93X2Rhc2hfcGlua2llX3BpZV9mbHV0dGVyc2h5X3Jhcml0eV9hcHBsZWphY2tfaWR3LmpwZy5qcGciXV0/235239__safe_twilight-sparkle_rainbow-dash_pinkie-pie_fluttershy_rarity_applejack_idw.jpg.jpg
805594 Bwahaha! A bit over the top, but I'm willing to forgive that for humour.
I just got the comic number #2 as well, so if you have the time and stamina, I would love to read your thoughts on it as well. I didn't read this one, because SPOILERS and stuff.
what happened to the previous post talking about a brony doc that apparently died?.....
805950
Check my user page. I deleted it after it was discovered to be a non-issue.
I personally thought this issue to be wuite awesome. Best issue yet, I daresay.
All I can ask is where the hell you got this thing.
807262
I got my copy through iTunes (only because I had a gift card from Christmas still). You can get it through your local comic shop, several online stores, or through digital distributors like Comixology. (That's the one I usually use.)
807276 Huh.....Damnit now I'm trying to remember if my area even has a local comic store. I trust online distributors about as far as I can through a bulldozer. Oh and if you wanted to know, I did edit the link to the new comic.
807284 Well... just gotta give praise to those crazy people over at midtown comics. I ordered issue #2 overseas here to Europe. The 32-page comic was backed with cardboard and in plastic wrapping. Then it had been packaged inside several layers of brown paper. Then came the 2-inch bubblewrap around it. And then the enormous cardboard box.
For a single. 32-page. Comic.
808108 Your avatar fits your comment so well.
808146 hmh. I get that a lot, you know?
808340 I get it on occasion as well.