Present Perfect vs. IDW, Round 20 · 5:05pm Nov 3rd, 2019
I was feeling kind of aimless this morning, so I thought I'd clear out all the comic issues I've had sitting on my hard drive forever and see what all was there. So we've got the rest of Legends of Magic as well as Ponyville Mysteries, and a couple one-shots.
Also worth noting, because I had them, there are a series of books starting with "The Magic Begins" that are comic adaptation of show episodes. And when I say "adaptations", I mean they literally just used screenshots and put in word bubbles with every single bit of dialogue from the episode. Nothing new there! Not sure what the point was.
My Little Pony: Deviations
So this was a one-off what-if from back when IDW was doing a big "Deviations" event, which was… a bunch of one-off what-if comics for their various lines. The premise here is that Princess Celestia decided Twilight Sparkle was such a good student, she didn't need extra help, so she picked a personal student who would: Prince Blueblood.
She would come to regret this decision.
There's something reassuring about the notion that Blueblood would not grow up any different even under Celestia's direct tutelage. He's just a rotten, spoiled brat to the core, and that's wonderful. So we get to follow him and his dog (???) Bunny as they're sent to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration… And get there after Nightmare Moon has returned. Cue meeting the Elements, kind of standard stuff, and him acting in precisely the opposite way of the virtues they embody with each encounter. Also, he hits on them a bunch.
And just when I thought this was going to be predictable, they end up defeating Nightmare Moon in a humorous and original way, and it kind of ends up being a more satisfying defeat than the pilot gave us? No rainbow lasers, just an impromptu intervention. But I'll leave the details for y'all to discover. :) Suffice to say, you've doubtless read fanfics that follow this formula before, but the ending (and the new theme song!) totally makes it worthwhile.
4/5
Holiday Special 2017
I really hate this because I'm reading it in November. >:B
So the Flim-Flam Brothers bring the notion of "Hearth's Warming season" to ponykind, much to the consternation of Twilight and Applejack. Along with early decorations and an advent calendar, their main plot involves selling 'special' cookies that will attract 'Windy the Wendigo' and I hope you all don't need any further explanation than that. :B
Yes, this is a not-at-all-subtle gripe about overcommercialized Christmas stuff, except for the part where Twilight finally runs the Brothers off (you have to love the exchange of "You're a princess, but can you even do that?" "I don't know? But it worked!") and everyone gets mad at her and AJ. And then it ends on a really mushy, middling "whatever, I guess" kind of message that was not particularly satisfying. I'm just glad they had Rainbow Dash show up at the end, because literally no pony should have forgotten that pegasi make snow. <.<
3/5
Legends of Magic #7-12: The Pillars of Equestria
Been a time since I last read Legends of Magic, but I stopped at just the right point. The first six issues of the series give us secondary stories about each of the Pillars; the rest tell the story of how Stygian drew them all together to save his village from the Dazzlings.
It's pretty epic. And while a lot of the broad strokes are what you'd expect — the fight against the Sirens in issue 12 in particular — there's more legends in the making in these pages. Even better, as he gathers the Pillars together, we see their abilities grow and grow. Even if, say, a marauding greenhouse isn't exactly terrifying, it presents interesting challenges that they approach in novel ways.
Also, there's unexpected RockBrook ship fuel.
Moreover, this once again starts with Sunburst reading a journal, Stygian's, and by the end, they end up bonding over what he had written. I mean, Stygian's state of mind gets really dark toward the end of his story; expected, I suppose, given where he would go next, but still, it's depressing! So getting to see him weep over a pony reading his words and connecting with them, that was a strong moment that made the whole thing worthwhile. It was a powerful ending.
Also, Somnambula remains 100% perfect.
5/5
Annual 2018: Legends of Magic
We begin the double-size issue sometime after the Siren attack. Starswirl is showing off a hall of mirror portals to Celestia (who, I should note, is in her usual pink-and-white form, save that her mane has taken on a bluish tinge at the tips). Things quickly go wrong when a number of shadowy monsters leap from the mirrors and attack, capturing both princesses and trapping Starswirl in a different dimension. Time to assemble the Pillars once again!
For as long as this issue is, there's honestly not much to it. We get some establishing shots, Starswirl shows up in the middle of a volcano before passing out, the Pillars go to the final mirror and explore a spooky forest before retrieving the princesses. The extra length means that the story doesn't have to be rushed, though, which was good. And, perhaps more importantly, this is another major building block in Stygian's story.
That being said, I guess I was somewhat nonplussed by the setting. I mean, if you've got a story about ponies going through one of Starswirl's numerous mirror portals, you'd think the place they end up might be more interesting than "spooky, evil forest". The reasons why it's spooky and evil are more interesting than I expected, but… it's still just a spooky, evil forest. It's not terribly original, nor is it particularly interesting before they start getting into its details.
Still, the implications for Stygian are really important. We also get a preview of Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon (though I wish they hadn't been named as such). The Pony of Shadows makes an appearance with a really cool new design, and there's lots of Steela Oresdottir. Remember her? She's great.
Overall, it's a rousing adventure, but maybe not as awesome as the other LoM entries, which is kind of a shame.
3.5/5
Ponyville Mysteries #1
So this is the limited series that ran after Legends of Magic was done. It's worth noting the comics are tied in with a series of Ponyville Mysteries chapter books that I haven't read because yayponies are bad at doing things. :B I don't expect I would like them much, though, as they sound like something meant for much younger readers.
Reading the comic backs up that idea. This was really straightforward as comics go, no background gags or shenanigans whatsoever. Someone's stealing supplies from Ponyville's hospital, and the CMCs try to help out before Nurse Redheart loses her job. But the moment they investigate the supply closet, I immediately knew what was going on and spent the rest of the issue just waiting for them to get the red herrings out of the way. :/ Plus, it's really weird seeing Nurse Redheart get chewed out by another nurse. I don't care if she's named after Florence Nightingale, Redheart's always seemed like the top dog at the hospital! So, yeah, not a great issue, and I'm lowering my expectations for the rest.
2/5
Ponyville Mysteries #2
I wish these had titles. So this one starts off right where the last issue ended: the CMCs declare themselves a super sleuth clubhouse, and the bowling ponies show up immediately thereafter with a new mystery. Fans will be keen to note they are finally named, and it's what you'd expect: Big Lebowski horse puns.
Anyway, bowling pins are disappearing from the bowling alley, which kind of makes it hard to bowl. And again, this is pretty straightforward, though they had a little more fun with it. I mean, all the Big Lebowski references, the identity of the culprit, and hey, Marian makes another appearance! Remember from the Flim-Flam Brothers issue? That was neat.
But ultimately, I was still kind of not amazed. I'd rather read about Twist was transforming into a timberwolf. <.< That sounds cool.
3/5
Ponyville Mysteries #3
Is "Smores" copyrighted? Is that why they called to call them "Sum'yums"? Help.
So this time, the retirement home was set on fire. Quite the step up in terms of crime! Once again, though, I started having suspicions pretty early on, and their crime scene investigation turned up the real answer prematurely. But hey, some of the old ponies get names, and Scootaloo's aunts are in this. Even if they don't have the right designs, huh. It was a thing.
2/5
Ponyville Mysteries #4
The most amazing thing about this comic is that Rainbow Dash is shown enjoying the spa and literally no one makes any bones about it. I know the show sure wouldn't have been able to avoid cracking a joke! I think that really sums up the amount of effort that went into this series; there's just no joy in any of these. :/
Okay, except Apple Bloom says "Somepony built a damn." Good job, guys.
So this time, we're investigating a natural hot spring in the Everfree that supplies the Ponyville spa with steam (since when?) and has stopped steaming all of a sudden. This one at least has much higher stakes than the others: the CMCs discover a pipe diverting the water that leads directly into the ground in Sweet Apple Acres. Things get kind of tense after that, as Apple Bloom laments having to question her own family, and at least this time, the issue isn't so much whodunit as how they can prove they did. (I mean, it's obviously Flim and Flam from the moment they lay eyes on the pipe system.) It still doesn't mean I was overwowed by this one.
2.5/5
Ponyville Mysteries #5
So this one is kind of a Maltese Falcon tribute? I want to say? Maybe not, but it involves the theft of a jeweled bird statue from, of all ponies, Songbird Serenade. It's neat seeing her again. But that's about it. Cute, a bit more convoluted than the other issues, but still in no way remarkable. Thank goodness they didn't make any more of these.
2.5/5
Last time, I had promised Nightmare Knights, but Yayponies only have three issues of that and they aren't doing too good at updating anything else, like I intimated earlier. :/ If this ends up being the last of these review blogs I do, well, at least it's a nice round number.
5150079
I have a pdf copy I got through Humble Bundle if you'd like me to send it your way.
5150081
Honestly, I'm in no hurry.
I only read one of these, the Blueblood deviation, and I gotta say, I was pleasantly entertained. Going in, I was apprehensive that it would be the standard "pony other than Twilight Sparkle gets sent to the Summer Sun Celebration instead" that litter fimfiction like shells at the beach. The first few pages started to go down this road, but Blueblood's characterization really kept this from being a ho-hum experience. The capper being how Nightmare Moon is "defeated". I honestly haven't seen anything like that yet around these parts, so kudos to the writer for subverting expectations without even knowing that they did.
If you ever decide to read through Nightmare Knights, I'll be there! I loved that one.
5150124
Okay, good to hear. :)
5150081
I missed that bundle and I'm so mad because I really want to read all of the comics and I would prefer to do so legally if possible haha. Without spending a ton of money that is
Apple Bloom just has a naturally foul mouth. Everyone knows this and she's completely incorrigible. Why are you blaming the writers and editors for that?
I'm glad you reviewed the Deviation, because I would've skipped it otherwise. It's so nice reading a 1000th episode 1 AU that is so different than anything you'd read on here.