IDW Main Series #81 Review · 4:39am Dec 26th, 2019
Like I often do for Christmas I get pony comics and do reviews of them, and as I always do I like to open each issue with a bit of retrospective on where things were at the time of the issue's original release. Sometimes the passage of time and events in the present can affect how something is perceived. Anyway, the summer of 2019 passed mostly uneventfully for the fandom, aside from "Rainbow Roadtrip" and the early release of "Sunset's Backstage Pass" (alongside the news that the Equestria Girls franchise had been cancelled) it seemed like it was all quiet until the show's return for the second half of Season 9. But then the leaks came back yet again, to the point where even the finale got leaked early overseas and spoilers abounded. Meanwhile, the comics were in a bit of a dry spell. No one had really taken to the Cosmos arc, which was overextended and ended anti-climatically, and no main series issue since had met with much fanfare. The mini series was preparing to shift from "Spirit of the Forest" (which did deliver on giving Diamond Tiara more focus post-redemption, but that was about it for positives) to "Feats of Friendship", a three parter series focused on the Student Six. And with word that the comics would continue for an exclusive "Season 10" in 2020, everything was perfectly aligned for this issue to fall by the wayside and be forgotten. But did it deserve its reputation in what was shaping up to be a year of letdowns and farewells? Well, let's find out.
Right off the bat I should mention how basic the artwork is, it's on the levels of early micro series art. It never descends into Jay Fosgitt levels of "Uncanny Valley" but it does still have its problems in that it can undercut a lot of intended emotion, and there are scenes where the ponies look strangely bipedal (such as when Thunderlane is standing over Rumble's hospital bed). The story itself follows a pretty basic three act structure of initial conflict, escalation, and de-escalation and resolution. Rumble and Scootaloo are at Wonderbolts Academy with Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash, and Rumble is participating in a special show where he can wear a Wonderbolts flight suit and fly with other young pegasi. Scootaloo surprisingly is okay with all of this, there's no anomosity from her towards Rumble, and neither does Rumble seem to be acting like his smug, arrogant self from "Marks and Recreation", he seems to have gone back to what we mostly assumed of him prior: Sweet and innocent. It's not bad, I think they overdid it on Rumble's personality in "Marks and Recreation" (Vincent Tong didn't help matters, he sounded way too distracting aside from singing), but at the same time I feel like he and Scootaloo are too friendly for something that should carry more emotional weight. Even if Scootaloo wants to be supportive I feel like a part of her would be a little jealous that Rumble's flying and she's not. It's like Spike's crush on Rarity, you can't just drop something about a character all of a sudden when it's been a huge staple of their personality.
Rumble gets suited up and Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash (as well as Spitfire) accompany him to fly while Scootaloo cheers Rumble on from the ground. But another young flyer (even though the artwork doesn't convey it) blows past Thunderlane and cuts off Rumble, causing him to crash! Spitfire calls for a medic and Rumble is diagnosed with a sprained right wing, meaning he'll be grounded for a week or two until it heals. He's naturally distraught about it, but Spitfire tells him to rest while phrasing it as an order from the captain, which may tie into Friends Forever #11 and "The Washouts" showing that she's not great with kids (at least when she has to coach them or supervise them). Thunderlane says he'll stay with Rumble, but Rumble insists that his big brother go ahead and fly so at least one of them is doing it (no mention of their family at any point, make of that what you will). So Thunderlane agrees, as does Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo is left alone with Rumble, who immediately complains about being grounded before realizing Scootaloo is right next to him. Instead of the typical "No offense. None taken" routine, or even the exception where Starlight got angry when Rainbow Dash brought up her past in "Shadow Play" (it really wasn't necessary, even if it wasn't intentional), Scootaloo acknowledges it but then quickly dismisses it. I do think this is good, showing that Scootaloo has made peace with her disability, but I feel like she could put a bit more heart into it or even argue that "Where one door closes, another opens".
Scootaloo quickly decides to convince Rumble to leave his hospital bed and tour the academy grounds (even though the doctors told him to rest). No one stops them and they sneak into a museum on the academy grounds even though it's supposed to be closed (for whatever reason, it does look like it's night time out but there is no indication as to how much time has passed). They discover framed pictures of various Wonderbolts leaders of the past, but are surprised to come across a statue depicting an earth pony. At that moment, a random stallion catches the two trespassing, but decides that he can let them off the hook since they're curious about Wonderbolt history (so if they had this on the academy grounds, why didn't Rainbow Dash ever tour it at any point even when she was studying for her reserve exam?). He explains that the earth pony stallion was called Wind Sock, he desired to be a Wonderbolt even though he had no wings. He was so determined that he got the only job an earth pony could get at the academy, janitor. And as was expected he was subjected to a lot of ridicule from the other Wonderbolts who questioned what Admiral Fairweather (it seems to be the closest resemblance possible) was thinking in hiring him. And while they may be jerks I think they have a point: Why would a team of aerial performers that occasionally double as rescuers or military back-up hire a pony that wasn't able to fly at all and most likely had to have a cloud walking spell cast on him to even be able to work at the academy (unless they moved it to the ground for him)? It's not that they were bigoted since their leader obviously had a soft spot for him and let him stay, they legitimately couldn't offer him any kind of position that wasn't a token gesture.
But then one day a Wonderbolt strayed too close to a canyon with turbulent winds and crashed during a storm. None of the other bolts could overcome the winds and reach the injured stallion, their only hope was to wait for the storm to pass even though said bolt was trapped and could not fly back out. However, Wind Sock had been experimenting with a way for a non-pegasus like him to be able to fly, though all of his earlier inventions had crashed. Now, however, he was able to use the cloth from a medical stretcher to fashion a glider that could support him. Since there was no time to set up a controlled environment, Wind Sock took it upon himself to field test for and try to reach the injured bolt. It worked, though he would later learn that the glider was a fixed wing that actually could work better than normal wings in certain circumstances. He was able to reach the bolt and rescue him, earning him a spot in the Wonderbolts proper. According to the story he was successful as a Wonderbolt and his glider proved to be more effective than normal wings for cargo transports (though they don't say that's where he eventually ended up), so there's the mystery of why he was forgotten since at no point does it seem like the Wonderbolts made an effort to hide his legacy. Heck, the one telling Rumble and Scootaloo the story is the same Wonderbolt that got injured and would've still been trapped in the canyon if not for Wind Sock.
The next day, Scootaloo is in the stands as we learn that the junior flyer who blew past Rumble and cut him off was grounded (most likely them were dismissed from the team). Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have inexplicably shown up (I think Bow and Windy would've fit better) and wonder where Rumble is since he isn't with Scootaloo (do they secretly ship the two now? Did Rumble and Scootaloo patch things up at some point after "Marks and Recreation" and "The Washouts" after both came to terms with their own problems?). But Rumble has shown up with a glider so he can still fly in the show, and mentions Wind Sock to Thunderlane who seems surprised, with Rumble saying Wind Sock's legacy shouldn't be forgotten. And the CMC cheer Rumble on with the crowd as even Spitfire seems impressed.
And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? Well, the basic artwork and basic structure of the story do undercut it a lot, it makes this whole issue feel like it was a rushed job from start to finish meant to fill a deadline. And it's a real shame because this issue is quite fine for a one off story, there's some good world building and I do like how it utilizes its characters. For those who found Rumble intolerable in "Marks and Recreation" this is definitely a good remedy. I can't help but feel like the glider idea is something they lifted from my headcanon on how Scootaloo could work around her disability, but I know that they couldn't have known that and I'm not sure how many other fans ever gave thought to gliders. There are a lot of things about the story that don't get explained, particularly why Wind Sock was allowed to join the Wonderbolts despite the problems that would ensue from him being an earth pony, why Wind Sock was forgotten despite having a statue of himself in the museum and a bolt still on the staff who remembers being rescued by him, and where Rumble got the glider he uses in the show. They're not really plot holes because one can easily assume that Wind Sock was never a prominent member of the Wonderbolts and the time passage means that Scootaloo and Rumble could've built and tested a glider that worked good enough for Rumble to use, but a little explanation would go a long way towards making this story better. I think it's fine for what it is, a nice bit of fluff, a feel good story about overcoming limitation to achieve a dream. It even has ship fuel for Rumbleloo, a ship that even I drifted away from after "Marks and Recreation" (with stuff like this I think it's possible to make the ship work, I feel like there's mushy romantic stories waiting to be written about Rumble letting Scootaloo borrow his glider after he doesn't need it). But especially considering the state of the main series comics in 2019 post the Cosmos arc, it really feels like this one (and many others) were after thoughts created because IDW wanted to maintain the monthly schedule (even though stuff like this makes a good case as to why they shouldn't be trying to maintain it). If you think this is something you'd like pick it up, though you definitely don't want to go outside the five to ten dollar range for something low key (and kind of low quality) like this. And if you think you won't like this because it looks cheap or feels underwhelming, then skip it because you really won't miss too much. It's all up to you.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll review my other Christmas obtained pony comic: Main Series #84.
I really have to say this, the artwork in this issue is so rushed and distracting. Half the time the art doesn’t really pop up so much and it looks kinda awkward, also if you haven’t noticed, they literally used vectors 4 times in the first few pages, I’m guessing they were cutting corners here and boy does it show.
5175399 I didn't quite notice that, but the artwork is definitely cheaper looking than usual. I don't think it's been this basic since the beginning of the micro series.