A Guide to IDW's MLP Comics part 2

So here we go, part 2.

How can I get the comics?
You have a few choices when it comes to buying and reading them. The first is of course to buy the issues in print. But since the main series alone is on it's 51st issue now after years, that could be a little difficult. You can also catch up with them as digital comics, sold by Comixology.

It's an extension of Amazon that sells digital comics and manga, so you can use your Amazon account there, or make a Comixology account. They have a great comic reader system that lets you go panel by panel. All of the issues are there. You can read them on a laptop or Kindle, at least I think so about that last one. I've never tried that so I'm not 100% sure.

Now you may also say that getting into it by now is expensive, and you'd be right. But there are ways to make it a little easier.

Buy the trades
Trade paperbacks, paperback (or sometimes hardback) collects of comics. IDW makes them for MLP as well. That's how I started reading them digitally. Comixology sells digital copies of not just the individual issues, but digital trades too. Their price is actually less compared to the cost of buying the issues individually (and I mean print or digital), so you do save some money, even if catching up will still be expensive. But you can take your time.

IDW's trades also make sure to keep story arcs together, so you'll never be forced to get another trade to finish a story you like. As if right now IDW just released volume 11 of the main series collecting issues 43-47, and volume 12, issues 48-53, will come out on May 31st.

The thing about trades they take a long time to make. First all the material to fill the trade needs to be out, and then time is needed to properly collect them. So it takes months and months for them to be published. So if you're reading digitally, you can buy the trades and then read the issues individually like I did.

With Friends Forever, those of you now getting into them are in a bit of luck. As I found out recently, Friends Forever is ending with the release of issue 38 (Celestia and Luna) this March. It is meant to be replaced by Legends of Magic. It will take a while, but eventually the whole series will be in trade, making for easier buying.

Volume 8 of Friends Forever was just made available, and covers up to and including issue 33. Typically FF volumes cover four issues, so I suspect volume 9 will be larger and contain the last five. Be aware that it will take a few months for that though.

The micro-series is completely in trade, separated into two volumes. Be aware though that these volumes are not labeled "micro-series". They are labeled Pony Tales vol 1 and vol 2.

Fiendship is Magic, being a small mini-series, is collected in a single trade paperback.

(UPDATE ADDED 08/21/17) The movie prequel mini-series is also going to be collected in trade once it's done, so for those willing to wait, buying it will be easy. The trade will come out on September 27, 2017.

Special Concerns
Now here are some special little things that I need to tell those of you interested in buying. The main series might have it's 11th volume out as of the creation date of this blog, but there are actually twelve trades for it. Every now and then, the main series put out annual issues and holiday issues, a perfectly normal thing for comic books.

Also normal for these kinds of issues, they have multiple stories by different writers and artists, as mentioned before.

The first annual issue was in 2013 and was Equestria Girls themed. The 2014 holiday special was also Equestria Girls themed. Then there was an annual in 2014 based on the Power Ponies. And when I say that, I mean the actual characters Spike was reading about, not the Mane Six filling their costumes. Different looks, names, and personalities. There was another holiday special in 2015, and this year just saw the release of an annual, which I have not read yet.

Now here's concern #1: The EG annual and holiday special were collected in a trade called My Little Pony Equestria Girls. But it contains a deception of sorts. See, the annual had two stories, the holiday special had one. The trade has two. Technically it should have the complete contents of both issues, but the first story from the annual is missing from the trade.

This story was The Fall of Sunset Shimmer. I have no idea why this is the case, or why the trade contents lie and say they collect the two issues when they didn't fully collect them.

I know this particular story got put out in special editions of other main series issues, but that still doesn't make sense to me. If you are reading digitally, know that the digital copy of the ISSUE is complete. Or maybe you can look up the story online. It's only 8 pages.

Concern #2: All the other annuals and holiday specials have not been collected in trade. I really wish they would do that eventually. Maybe they need more material. But I'm just telling you, if you want to read them, you need to get the issues themselves, print or digital. You still can get print copies of them actually. I've done it.

And that's about everything I can think of for now. I just really love the MLP comics, and I'd like to be able to offer advice to those that want to get into them. And I do hope these are actually of use to somebody on here.