IDW Legends of Magic #5 Review

It's been a long time since I did a comics review, the last one was all the way back in December, just after Christmas. And it's been almost half a year (maybe longer) since I covered an issue of the Legends of Magic series, which aside from an annual slated for release this month, is done (it's apparently going to be replaced by a five part series related to the "Ponyville Mysteries" books). As always, the review begins with a retrospective.

What was supposed to be come out in August, ended up being delayed til early September, and this ended up causing the comic to ironically come out after the episode that revealed its legend ("Daring Done?" was leaked early on YouTube due to an error with production codes, "Daring Done?" was seventeenth in production order, but "To Change a Changeling" was the seventeenth episode of Season 7 to air). The Legends of Magic series was chugging along just fine, and the main series had actually improved after almost a year's worth of duds with #57 (and #58 would go on to prove that lightning can strike twice). You know by now that Somnambula is my favorite pillar, but did this issue do her justice? Well, let's find out.

As is the case for the first six issues, we open up with Sunburst trying to learn more about the legend of focus. This time it's Somnambula and he's having a hard time pronouncing her name. All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie shows up, revealing that she's throwing a party for Tibberus' birthday. She loads the book into her party cannon and fires it through the air. Sunburst catches it but steps on a present and falls backward. Luckily, Pinkie catches the book before it hits the ground. It's not entirely bad, but all this really serves is to tie into "Daring Done?". Heck, it's surprising that when Pinkie mentions having to cheer up A. K. Yearling, she remembers not to give away her secret identity.

Leading into the story itself, we learn that Somnambula, after rescuing Prince Hisan, was offered a room and office in the royal palace. But she refused, opting instead to spread hope through the village on her own. On one particular day, she was about to race a villager, when Hisan called on her. The problem is a snake, a giant snake. A snake that not only shrugs off any attack, but also swallows Hisan's advisors and guards whole. Somnambula decides to ask the snake directly what the problem is, after requesting a wooden pole. She flies up, only to be swallowed alive. Luckily, her glowpaz necklace is able to light up the snake's belly. Between this, its useage in the second arc of the series (taking place from issues #7 through #12), and its emphasis in her legend story in "Daring Done?", I'm really wondering why it is that Somnambula's glowpaz necklace didn't become the object of significance for her. The only reason I can come up with, is that other villagers had them too, so they had to give Somnambula something else.

Traveling through the snake's belly, Somnambula uses pieces of her glowpaz necklace to light the way back to the snake's mouth, as she goes through the belly and recuses not only the trapped advisors, but also some villagers and even some random ponies (and a bunny). All of whom mention the snake was abnormally large (as big as a barn, as big a house, etc.). But it isn't until Somnambula reaches the tail end of the snake, that she discovers why the snake is so big. A grouchy old wizard (and no, he's not Starswirl) reveals that he caused the problem. The snake started out like any other snake, but it kept eating the wizard's supplies, and every time he tried to blast it, it kept slithering away. So he decided to set a trap, enchanting a stone that the snake would eat. The intent for was the snake to grow so big he couldn't slither back into the walls. But the enchantment worked too well and the snake didn't stop growing.

Somnambula retrieves the undigested stone, then flies back up to the mouth of the snake with the wizard in tow. No one can force the mouth open for them to escape, but Somnambula pulls out the wooden pole from earlier (apparently Pinkie Pie isn't the only one who can pull stuff out of thin air) and uses it pry the mouth open just enough to throw the stone out. With the stone removed, the snake returns to normal (after everyone inside its mouth escapes), and Prince Hisan learned to never doubt Somnambula's advice or give up hope.

Pinkie Pie finishes the story and gives the book back to Sunburst, who is quite creeped out. He returns Somnambula's story back to the archive, and foreshadowing the next issue, he pulls out a book involving Mage Meadowbrook.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? It's pretty good, it shows off Somnambula very well and it helps that for once we know the legend they're talking about (as opposed to the issues prior). Really the only thing to dislike even a little is Pinkie Pie's inclusion here. It's not really bad, but I don't exactly see what purpose it serves when she is the only mane six member who appears in this series (Starlight appears in two of them, interestingly enough in this issue's immediate predecessor and successor). I don't see why this couldn't have been Princess Celestia, considering we had Sunburst interacting with Princess Luna a few issues prior and he was already on the receiving end of Luna's more eccentric traits. There's also a thing about Hisan doubting Somnambula, but he never really did from what we saw, he even gave her the wooden pole when she asked for it and didn't question what she was planning to do with it. He did give up hope though when his advisors (minus Somnambula) got eaten. And does anyone else think that Hisan and Somnambula might have something going on between them, considering how important Hisan is here and to Somnambula's legend story? All in all, I definitely recommend this issue. I put it above #4 which if we're being honest was elevated about medicore by the StarlightxSunburst bits, but below #2 as I feel like that was a bit more strongly structured and less formuliac in its set-up, plus it shows that the legend of focus learned something too. Pick this one up if you can, but don't go above $10, it's not worth more than that.

And there you have it. Sadly, I'm afraid this is the only comic review I have for now. But episode reviews will still come out. In fact, it would seem that Treehouse T.V. in Canada is going to start airing episodes early again in a couple of weeks (beginning on the 28th if their planned schedule holds), and if that's the case there's at least one episode I know for sure I'm going to see early ("Non-Compete Clause"). So keep an eye out for episode reviews, starting with "Grannies Gold Wild" this Saturday.