IDW Main Series #21 Review

I already talked a lot about the state of the comics prior to this issue when I reviewed Main Series #22, so I'll just sum it up briefly to avoid repeating myself. Now that "Reflections" had ended, there was concern amongst the fans that the comics may dip in quality upon their return to two part slice of life tales. Deciding to borrow some inspiration from one of their Friends Forever comics that featured Trixie, IDW had a two part mystery story focused on her. Did it work as good as the Friends Forever comic Trixie appeared in, or was the second part the saving grace of an otherwise forgettable story?

Well, let's find out.

We begin with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Apple Bloom arriving in Manehattan and meeting Babs Seed for a performance at Carniegh Hall. There's never an explanation given for their visit, though I assume it might be because Apple Bloom wanted to see Babs Seed, and Babs had tickets to the show, and Rarity and Fluttershy were the only ones available to attend. Alternatively, Applejack has relatives in Manehattan, and Rarity knows fashion designers from "Fashion Week", and we know about Babs. Fluttershy perhaps had nothing better to do, but decided a change of sceneary wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, we learn that there have been a series of jewel thefts in Manehattan as of lately, so Rarity has declined to wear jewelry with any of her outfits. The girls take their seats, and are shocked when their learn the performance is a magic show put on by none other than Trixie. I have to wonder how none of the characters could be aware of this fact, unless Trixie was not mentioned on the tickets (which does not seem likely considering how much Trixie loves being in the spotlight). Thankfully, they are quickly silenced as Trixie performs her magic show, impressing the audience with several classic magic tricks such as the moving boxes, escape while in a straight jacket, and the deck of cards.

For her final act, Trixie reveals a valueable dimaond, and declares her intent to make it disappear without ever touching it. To further hammer home this point, she blindfolds herself, has herself tied upside down with a rope that's been burnt, and she's dangling over a vat of pudding. Definitely over the top, and considering she never said anything about not using magic, it's no surprise she can easily escape this situation. Yet the audience is impressed, until Trixie finds that the diamond isn't under her hat as she planned.

It turns out that Trixie is working with the Manehattan Police to catch jewel thief Rough Diamond, and the diamond Trixie used for her performance was a fake planted with a tracker. The fake jewel is traced to Applejack's hat, which makes it seem like Rough Diamond has somehow slipped away. Then, the theater manager comes running out, declaring that somepony entered his office and stole the diamond from the safe. The police investigate, and the code to open the safe is the airdate for the original G1 televison special "Rescue From Castle Midnight" (April 14, 1984 or 4-14-84). Upon opening the safe, the police set off a smoke bomb, and it seems like the real diamond is missing. However, the police chief reveals he had the foresight to equip the real diamond with a tracker too. The tracking spell reveals that the real diamond is in Trixie's hat, and we get to what is probably the biggest problem with this issue. Trixie is accused of stealing the diamond, and while she has the opportunity and knowledge (and depending on the time of theft has no alibi), there's no established motive for her theft. Without a motive, Trixie is innocent until proven guilty.

The police chief tries to arrest Trixie, and the girls (who he thinks are Trixie's accomplices, despite there being no evidence or reason suggesting that's the case), but Trixie tosses a smoke bomb and gets herself and the girls out the window. With the pressure on her, Trixie drops the third pony acts and claims she didn't steal the diamond, and that she's changed. After a bit of reasonable suspicion from the girls (criminals usually won't confess to committing a crime willingly, unless they believe they'll get something out of it, or because they'll feel safe in prison if they are blackmailed or threatened), they all agree to help her. They quickly flee from the police, escaping on a subway train bound for Hooflyn, where Babs lives with her sister.

On the train, everypony discusses who Rough Diamond could be, and how she might have stolen the real diamond without being caught. But they fail to come up with any solid leads or clues as to what Rough Diamond's next target might be. Then, Babs notices something in Trixie's hat, it turns out to be part of a map. Through some deductive reasoning, Rarity concludes that Rough Diamond is after the Hoof Pendent stored in a museum in Manehattan. The issue ends with Applejack declaring that the gang will have to go to that musem and catch Rough Diamond in order to clear Trixie's name.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? Well, there are a couple of things I have to wonder about that don't really get answered. Such as why only Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Apple Bloom came along, and why they didn't seem to know Trixie was the performer until the show started. I also have a problem with the police deciding to arrest Trixie right on the spot upon finding the diamond in her hat, without first establishing a motive. They also don't know for sure when the diamond was stolen, so they have no way to know for sure Trixie was around when the theft took place. At best, with the information they have, Trixie should be a suspect. I also don't see what sort of logic indicates Applejack and the others are Trixie's accomplices. Just because they may have been with her, and may know her from somewhere doesn't automatically mean they were involved in any sort of crime she might have committed. Like Trixie, they are only suspects until any incriminating evidence can be found. It's largely a nitpick, but it's a pretty harsh one considering this is a crime drama/mystery. Still, this is a good issue that's worth picking up, especially if you're a Trixie fan.

Now, I must sadly inform you that this is the end of the comic reviews for now, as this is the last of the comics I got for Christmas.