Comic Review: Friends Forever #12 (Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie) · 4:53am Dec 11th, 2014
2014 is almost behind us, and it's time to wrap up a full year of Friends Forever with a classic pairing: Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Can Twilight save Pinking from her greatest enemy...herself?
Ponyville has once again been blessed with the annual snack cart invasion, an impromptu festival where traveling food peddlers treat ponies from all corners to unhealthy foods, bizarre creations, and overpriced novelty snacks. From her crystal fortress of doom, Twilight and Spike witness the amazing festivities, and the latter is about to go get a crystal pretzel...when Pinkie shows up, panicking and screaming for help. As it turns out, one of the snacks is the Phenomnomenons, an impossibly delicious treat that is the favorite of party ponies, big Russian guys, and alien world-devouring locusts everywhere. The last time Pinkie was allowed to gorge freely, she did something unspeakable under the influence of her sugar high, and needs Twilight's help to kick the addiction. But can even Twilight save Pinkie from her love of recreational snacking?
Pinkie Pie and Twilight is one of my favorite character pairings (not ship, mind) on the show. The two form a classic odd couple, with Pinkie as the wacky master of all things silly and Twilight as the barely-together voice of reason. This issue is no exception, as Pinkie is repeatedly overcome with her love of tasty treats and Twilight goes to insane lengths to keep her away from her vice. The main difference is how overwhelmingly cartoonish things are here. While fourth wall jokes are standard for Pinkie, we also have Twilight manifest a crane out of nowhere, transform her castle into something straight out of Mouse Trap, and censor a swear with “Cheezburger.” To be honest, it's a little overboard for this series, even if Pinkie is one of the stars.
The characterization is pretty strong in this issue. Pinkie Pie spends most of her time breaking down and running off to gorge, while Twilight struggles to keep her in line. We see the standard progression of events, even if things are very wacky this time around, until right near the end. Twilight finally gives in and eats one of the Phenomnomenons (for science, of course), and becomes so enamored with them herself that she eats until both she and Pinkie are sick. And now that she knows how tasty Pinkie's addiction is, and how little the pink pony really wants to change, she just gives up...which is what ultimately solves the problem, as Pinkie's love of making her friends happy and throwing parties for the downtrodden overwhelms her desire to stuff her face full of cake.
Again, this is how to write Pinkie Pie. I recommend that this issue and the Pinkie/Luna Friends Forever be required reading for anyone writing her character from here on out.
Twilight is more straightforward, as she's largely here to play the straight mare role. Again, she does give in and eat the treats, and finally has to admit that fixing Pinkie is too big of a task for her, but beyond that she's little more than a foil. The most interesting part – something that Pinkie points out in the end – is that she seems to have an inordinate amount of locks and chains just lying around her new castle. Did the box just spawn them when it turned into the season's hot new toy? Or have we discovered Twilight's fetish?
The only other major characters (besides Spike, who's mostly there for the crystal pretzel gag) are the two ponies manning the Phenomnomenons cart. They at first just seem like overly-happy confectioners, but once Pinkie starts trying to beat her addiction they seem to turn into something like dealers, employing good signage and glowing red eyes to entice Pinkie to keep eating. Then again, this could just be in Pinkie's head. They do seem genuinely saddened when she succeeds; they can probably see the bank foreclosing on the factory and their foals starving in the streets now that their meal ticket is gone.
The art is simply fantastic. Brenda Hickey is a perfect fit for this issue, as she does an excellent job capturing each pony's look and style while still making things stretchy and cartoony for Pinkie Pie. This is practically an entire issue built on seeing what kinds of faces the ponies will make. There are also ponified versions of two characters from Kill la Kill, apparently; I only watched one episode of that show, so I really have no idea what to make of this other than hey, it's another cameo. And it's not done by Cook/Price, so you're allowed to like it.
Overall, the issue is a lot of fun, although if you prefer more serious-minded pony works this one would be a good issue to miss. It's simply a comic full of concentrated goofiness and Pinkie Pie's signature humor, and just might put a smile on your face.
Not allowed to like Cook/Price cameos?
Oh, I need dis. This is also one of my favorite pairings, both for friendshipping and the romantic kind.
Some of the bits were just a bit too wacky (especially that Cheezburger censor), but on the whole I really enjoyed this one.
And now that you mention the Luna/Pinkie issue, haven't we gotten Pinkie as one of the pairs in three different FF issues already? Seems a tad high for just twelve issues in the series so far, but then again it's not like we have dozens of possible starring characters. Since I'm curious, I looked up the issues:
1) Applejack and Pinkie Pie
2) Cutie Mark Crusaders and Discord
3) Celestia and Spike
4) Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor
5) Fluttershy and Zecora
6) Rainbow Dash and Trixie
7) Luna and Pinkie Pie
8) Applejack and Rarity
9) Granny and the Flim Flam brothers
10) Fluttershy and Iron Will
11) Rainbow Dash and Spitfire
12) Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle
13) Rarity and Babs Seed (still weird)
14) Luna and Spike
Actually...that's a pretty good distribution. Every M6 is represented, most twice other than Rarity, and she gets her second showing next month. Spike will be twice as well once we get to issue 14.
IHA, you need to find better people to talk to if you're seriously worried about what narcissist trolls think.
2647286
That was meant to be sarcastic. Still, it's incredibly annoying how petty a few fans can be about references.
2648086 preaching to the choir here IAH. It was not fun watching the targeted attacks happen on the IDW forums. I still can't believe that it happened.