Comic Review: Micro-Series #6 (Applejack) · 5:28pm Jul 10th, 2013
At last, we've reached the final Micro-Series issue staring the Mane 6. Applejack, the eternal “Best Background Pony,” finally gets her chance to shine...along with her family, of course. Can they sort out this cryptozoology horror and save Hearth's Warming Eve?
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It's a few days before Hearth's Warming Eve, and the Apple Family is hard at work preparing apple products to sell before the holiday. Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh are in the spirit of the holidays, loving their time together as a family...while Applejack is having a panic attack over all the stuff they still need to get done. But real trouble strikes the farm that very night, for a beast swipes many of their apples and leaves behind that most vile, disgusting of fruits...SQUASHES!
Granny identifies the culprit right away. During her youth, Sweet Apple Acres was visited by the Sass Squash, a humanoid squash monster that was, well, sassy. She managed to scare it off, but now it's returned to plunder their apples once again. The whole family is ready to go to war, but Applejack refuses to accept any help, preferring to harvest all the apples earn the promised funds run the Apple Family Reunion capture the Sass Squash all by herself. Can she do it? Or will she have to learn to accept help and not take on all the world's responsibilities?
The art in this issue is very good. Brenda Hickey and Heather Breckel do a fantastic job capturing the look and feel of the show, especially the faces. Seriously, the expressions the ponies convey throughout are the epitome of perfection, most particularly during a sequence where Applejack tries to think like a Sass Squash...complete with a slacked jaw and pseudo-derping eyes. The Sass Squash is also very well designed, and feels like there was some Loony Tunes inspiration going on. The one weakness I can find is with the coloring on Granny Smith. It just feels a tad off; her coat is too pale and her scarf is the wrong color.
As you gathered two paragraphs ago, this is another retread of the typical Applejack plot. A problem presents itself, AJ is stubborn and has to do things on her own, she fails, and only succeeds when she accepts everypony else's help. In that regard, it suffers from the same issue as Fluttershy's outing, but unlike that one, this issue is far more entertaining on its own merits. Applejack's insanity is of the fun sort, and the crazed traps and stunts she pulls to capture the Sass Squash are creative and a joy to watch.
The rest of the Apple Family is also a hoot. Apple Bloom is her usual hyperactive self, even if she plays only a minor role in the story. Granny Smith is also fun, offering her usual allotment of homespun wisdom, near-senile stories, and a tiny dash of snark. But the real fun is with Big Mac. As always, he says little throughout, but he steals every scene he appears in. And he apparently still has Smarty Pants, which he now sleeps with like a teddy bear.
Overall, the issue is a solid one, but suffers slightly from a recycled story. If you've seen any AJ episode, you've read this one. Still, it's funny, heartwarming, and silly, and you can't ask for much more from ponies. It sits comfortably behind Pinkie's issue as the third best in the Micro Series so far.
Next month, the CMC get their chance to star...BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THEM?! CELESTIA IN TWO MONTHS!
Sass Squash? Oh the puns, the horrible horrible puns...
So basically this is a Loony Tunes comic in MLP form? With Applejack in the role of Elmer Fudd? I can get behind that.
Just read it. It was fine but as you said it feels like a retread. Can we ever get an Applejack story that isn't "Applejack needs to accept help from others"?
One word: Net.
Okay more words. Yeah, another review I more or less agree with completely. Decent issue, but it's a shame they can't seem to find another plot to use with AJ.
Huzzah for the best background pony!
So now we're getting musical numbers in the comics. I wonder if they're going to publish the music...
1201890 Hi welcome to MLP: FiM, home of wonderful names like Canterlot, Manehatten, Las Pegasis, and Trottingham. And those are just the cities.
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I know but it does get tiresome after a while, at least when I write I try not to be obvious with the horse puns...
next season they need a plot where AJ is able to succeed in what she sets her mind to.