Present Perfect vs. IDW Round 16 · 9:20pm Jun 19th, 2017
Not what I was actually planning to do today, but once again, getting antsy, other things to do, have some comics. :B
I forgot who said it, or where (probably on one of ColdGoldLazarus's recent blogs), but it isn't just the fandom that consistently produces better content than the show: there's also the comics. But with that said, the comics have also sort of been going downhill lately. Getting back into the comics this time… ehhh, it was okay.
Issues 51-53: From the Shadows
These three issues feature Twilight and the gang chasing an edgelord unusual book thief named Shadow Lock, who, as it turns out, is using a spell that erases not only what's on the pages of a book, but the memories of what people who read the book learned from it. Pretty strong stuff! This is of course not used to its fullest potential. Instead, we get a series of historic set-pieces, and a buildup to a cliffhanger ending that promises something cooler in the future. But who knows if that'll happen?
Seriously, this was just chock-full of terrible, terrible history and literature puns, and I am going to list them all here for you because misery loves company: The Ponyssey, Frankenstag, H. Pony Lovecart, Marsh Attacks (featuring little green ponies, better known as Marshans), the newspaper comic strip Ponybert by Trot Adams, Colonial Whinniesburg, and Queen Cleopatrot. There are also set-pieces with caveponies, pony Egypt (I'll bet if they'd had to name it, that's what it would be), and medieval knights fighting a dragon. Literally none of that is as interesting as it sounds.
That said, there is a lot of monumentally entertaining stuff in this. I mean, the covers are a good start, with the "erasing the comics" motif that gets ever more sinister as the arc progresses. A couple of side characters, like Cauldron Bubbles and the museum director stood out to me. Shadow Lock's backstory and motivation are actually really good, and again, I hope that potential is just being saved for a better arc down the line. There's a sequence where everyone gets paired off and has to get back together, and Spike is actually included in this.
The two best parts come early on: while the mane cast are fighting book characters brought to life, "Frankenstag" pauses to explain that he's actually Frankenstag's monster, and that was a reference I really appreciated. :D The other is in the first issue, as they're all trying to get answers from ponies living in the most unhelpful town in the entire world. Applejack is trying to win an arm-wrestling match with a buffalo eight times her size, when she looks over to see Fluttershy's beaten a lovestruck stallion who obviously wasn't trying. To which Fluttershy says, "I won a wrestley-doo," and I just…
It's the best thing ever.
But overall, there was a lot of faffing around, and the "we must know history or be doomed to repeat it" moral is really hammered in. They could have done a lot more with those pages, if you ask me.
3/5
Friends Forever #37: Rarity/Trixie
Good ship! Okay comic. Rarity and Sweetie Belle go to Manehattan to help Sapphire Shores (she still matters!) with her current tour. It's kind of a mess. Oh, and also Sapphire needs her entire wardrobe revamped and Trixie's here doing special effects, byeeee!
This issue felt awfully pat. I mean, Rarity neglects what she's doing because Trixie is Trixie and she more or less refuses to work with her. This ends up almost killing a pony. >.> Then Rarity's like, "Oh, I should not have done that, now I will do the thing I should have done in the first place," and everything's fine with some get-alongin'. Ho-hum.
The only thing I really took away from this is that pony foals are like dogs. Sweetie meets Babs Seed, and it's the first time they've seen each other since getting their cutie marks, so they spend a bunch of time looking at each others' butts. See? Dogs. <.<
3/5
Friends Forever #38: Celestia/Luna
This is, if I'm not mistaken, the final installment of Friends Forever. Which is sad. :C But that's okay. I just hope my site starts picking up on the next series. I've got no idea how far behind I am. Fitting, though, that the series ends with a Princess-centric story penned and drawn by Andy Price. :)
Final result? I do not even know. Definitely a victory lap for the comics crew, with a story about Celestia and Luna trying to out-compete each other, with framing narrative from Kibitz and a big (ha!) role for Tibbles. In same ways, it's a better Celestia/Luna episode than A Royal Problem; in others, it's just what the fuck did I read?
Maybe the comics are running out of stories to tell, too. :B
3.5/5
Annual 2017: Guardians of Harmony
WHOA I did not know this existed! :O Why wasn't there an annual last year? Or the year before that? The other two were amazing! Tying in as it does with the toyline, it features six interconnected stories: the Shadowbolts, Pinkie Pie, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, the Wonderbolts, and Big Spike.
And I hate to say it, but it's not nearly as amazing as its predecessors. It's almost entirely hamstrung by the need to include every toy in the new toyline and make them look cool. It fails really hard at that last bit in a couple of places.
The overarching story is that changelings are back. Why? Because it's Guardians of Harmony, and that means changelings are behind everything and violence is the answer. :B We start off with Fluttershy macking on Rainbow Dash, who gets the call that the Wonderbolts are being called to defend Equestria (because that's worked before…), but gets distracted by two Shadowbolts appearing out of nowhere. This story sets expectations low for the rest of the annual. :/
That said, watching Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich blast changelings with a pair of party cannons is cool. Though the real reason to read this is Shining Armor's story. I mean, it's almost entirely about him sitting around not doing anything. (Cadence won't let him out on the front lines for fear that he might get replaced, and she would be, and I quote, "Raising our child with a changeling father." Like, wow, even for the comics, that's really heavy.) What he gives us is a huge heap of backstory for the Crystal Empire. Granted, I'm not sure how long this has been around (it's got an ashcan for FF 37 at the end, so at least a while), and I feel like I've heard the name "Princess [REDACTED]" before in fanfic, but who knows. It was neat. And then nothing continues to happen.
Meanwhile, in his sister's story, Andy Price continues to be amazing. I mean, Lyra gets to save Bon-Bon and then says, "You're not the only one that get to do the saving in this relationship." Imma just leave that there. Unfortunately, if you've seen Twilight's GoH toy, you know how fucking retarded it looks, and it's barely less worse here.
That is one of the missteps, the other being the Wonderbolts, who… Look, they actually get major points for A) being competent at defending the Crystal Empire, and B) actually naming Surprise as one of their number, but fuck's sake what even are those things? D: Anyway, this is all just lead up for "Big Spike" and… I dunno, that was really dumb, a rushed "Gotta get everyone toyified" action sequence followed by "We win". :/ I'm honestly kind of disappointed in the whole thing, and, looking back over what I've just read, I have to wonder if I'm the problem here. Oh well.
3.5/5
I don't know much about the Shadow Lock storyline, but I do know that Pinkie beats Cthulhu in an eldritch-off (or an eldritchy-doo, if you will,) and that pleases me immensely.
I think #51, the first of the Shadow Lock trilogy, was actually really good. A great slice-of-life opening scene, and then fun scenes of the Mane 6 looking for Shadow Lock in another town. It's only once the series focuses on the Edgelord and his silly powers that is goes downhill.
Yeah, just about busted a gut laughing at the mental images that brought up.
I am completely okay with this.
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Yup, that happened.
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Y'know, I really was okay with the whole Guardians of Harmony concept, stupid toys and all, until I read this comic. :/ Sometimes I just have to think the people in charge of this IP just have no idea what the hell they're doing.
The Guardians of Harmony comic felt... not only like most segments weren't great on their own, but they didn't add up to much either. I'd forgotten what the deal with the property was, looked back at the end, through it a bit, and thought man, I bet this was pushing specific toys in some way.
Looks like we (kinda) switched places on Royal Sisters eps/issues: I loved this one. Thought it was a great sendoff for that series, even if it was sometimes kind of crazy.
My main problem with the GoH comic was those bloody stupid sonic surfboard things. Officially "sonic gliders" but the 'Bolts are standing on them, so they're surfboards to me. Well, those and Fosgitt's not-at-all-like-fanart armour design in the Big Spike chapter. (I'm not in the ranks of the Fosgitt-haters, but this one did cause a raised eyebrow.) But mostly it's the surfboards. They pretty much make Rainbow Dash's innate Rainboom ability entirely pointless, plus they don't even look like the toy they're plugging!
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The fucking surfboards are terrible.
And you mention Fosgitt. I've long been in the camp that thinks the cuteness factor of his ponies outweighs any technical shortcomings. But A) I remember that accusation being a thing when the issue came out, and B) what the bloody fuck is that panel after they take off? It's like the 'Bolts have melded into some kind of Project Horizons-style Choir! D:
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Well, I don't disagree.
Guardians of Harmony - don’t forget the obvious and immediate plothole of how Chrysalis and the changelings know what the Shadowbolts are since nopony other than Rainbow Dash ever saw them.
Um, I’m not sure if you knew but it seems like you didn’t - Princess Amore is an official character. She appeared in Sombra’s Fiendship issue and was named in Siege of the Crystal Empire and the Journal of the Two Sisters book. You’ve probably heard her name in fanfics before because she’s established canon.
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Oh, well shit. :O
And yeah, I noticed that about the Shadowbolts and had to wonder.