Comic Review: Friends Forever #2 · 2:26pm Feb 26th, 2014
Remember how Friends Forever #1 was the worst comic to date and, quite possibly, the worst thing in all of G4 so far? Well, it's time for the second issue. And after digging their way straight to the frozen bottom of Hell, can the CMC and Discord dig their way back up?
Our story begins with the CMC, once again, running out of things to try. All of their latest attempts to get magical butt tattoos have failed, and they can't think of anything they haven't already attempted at least once. But then they go into the forest and discover a mimic who... I mean, they go into the apple orchard where Discord is “kindly” helping Applejack increase the farm's profits. The CMC see a golden opportunity: since Discord is literally a god of chaos, he could think up ideas they couldn't possibly imagine. And he's oh so happy to do it...
Let's start with the obvious first – this issue is a huge step up from the first. The writing is much more focused, even if the actual tale is essentially just a string of gags, and the art is...serviceable for the most part. I will never understand what Tony Fleecs sees in giving everypony big, visible teeth whenever they open their mouths, or contorting said mouths into unseemly and off-putting shapes, but it's definitely better than his previous work.
Just like with “Three's a Crowd,” the comic may be starring the CMC, but Discord is the one who drives anything and is given the most focus. It works much better here, however. Discord initially appears to be using his dark powers for good (experimenting with giving apples different tastes), and the first few tricks with the CMC aren't necessarily his fault, as the CMC are the ones who screw up figure skating and football. But then they have that same wondrous affect they had in Season One and begin digging under his skin – as it turns out, they've actually done most of the things Discord can think of – and he begins throwing in wilder and crazier stunts.
What doesn't work quite as well is the secondary conflict. Discord pulls these reality-warping tricks off by erecting a forcefield that essentially separates the area around them from the rest of the world. None of the Mane 6 can break through, and the CMC can't see them, but they can see the fillies getting thrown into one dangerous situation after another. That alone would have been fine. But then the barrier starts getting bigger for no reason, begins destroying the town, and...it just feels like they were tacking the whole thing on to heighten the tension, but never managed to fold it back into the comic's actual story.
If you aren't a fan of referential humor, don't worry, because there isn't a lot of it outside of some general themes and ideas. We have the CMC trying out football, skating, firefighting, cart racing, and commanding the Enterprise (with Discord's obvious reminiscing of days gone by before Sisko knocked his ass out), and the humor actually really works. The jokes fly by at a rapid pace, but it never feels like the issue's being bogged down like the Bookworm arc was. And beyond Discord, we have Apple Bloom's failed attempt at stand-up comedy (Granny Smith is best heckler), Rainbow Dash's only idea being to charge at the barrier, and the CMC trying falconry. (Which forced me to spend God-knows-how-long scouring the web for that one death from an ancient computer game that nobody else will remember because I'm old.)
Overall, this wasn't an outstanding issue, but I thought it was pretty good and some nice fun. And unlike last month, it actually plays the CMC and Discord off each other, rather than waste time shoving in emoticons and derailing the plot to focus on background characters. (Not to mention how last issue lied about its premise.) So yes, this one gets a pass.
Next time we have Spike and Celestia. After that, who cares, because Spike and Celestia!
Let's hope the trend of them getting better continues, because... Spike and Celestia!
I always figured that Q got bored, created the universe of MLP:FIM, and became Discord.
I really enjoyed this issue.
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That's... a startlingly good headcanon.
If so, the Elements shed an interesting light on the "Can God create a rock so heavy He can't lift it" question.
As I am reasonably sure there is no falconry related death in Quest for Glory, I am gonna guess it's another Sierra game. A King's Quest game maybe?
I am so behind on the comics
Whoa the next issue is Spike and Celestia? Awesome!
And this seems like a pretty entertaining issue too maybe I'll pick it up sometime.
And here was me wondering how the hell that falcon was flying with its hood on.
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I figured that Discord is Q is the headcanon of everypony.