IDW Comics Revisited - Main Series #11

By the time this issue came out the comics had started to attract drama for the fact that starting in the next arc they were going to include alicorn Twilight just in time for the show's fourth season. And while all of that was going on the micro series was trudging along now that it had focused on each of the mane six. So a two parter focused on Shining Armor and Cadence involving how they met probably wasn't the most exciting thing ever, even considering how slice of life the previous arc had been? But considering "Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair" indicated the comics were better off with slice of life stories, maybe this one too could benefit from lowered expectations and just being good without being epic? Well, let's find out.

The story takes place at a diner in Canterlot with the mane six (but not Spike) as they learn Shining and Cadence will be returning to the Crystal Empire soon to celebrate their anniversary. Naturally, the story of how they met comes up and Shining opts to tell it. "Neigh Anything" is apparently a parody of high school romance dramas from the 80's, particularly the nerd wooing the popular chick away from the jock, with Shining Armor as the nerd and Cadence as the popular girl. Shining has his own circle of friends who are repeatedly bullied at Canterlot Academy, but when Cadence helps him up Shining becomes smitten. I'm just gonna come out and say that I don't really enjoy much of the cliches here, people don't think fondly of their high school years for a reason and things like this do nothing to help change the impression of what high school is all about even when it's not.

Anyway, during a roleplaying session of Ogres and Oubliettes (actually called the other way around here, but the former name would become so popular it would spill into the show as a parody of the granddaddy of tabletop RPGs Dungeons and Dragons), Shining confides in his friends his feelings for Cadence and his desire to ask her out. They decide that they're gonna help him become king of the Fall Formal so Cadence will have to be paired up with him, nevermind the fact that Shining could easily ask Cadence out at any time before or after that. I do appreciate that his friends are willing to help him out, even if it means embarrassing themselves, and it's a shame that they aren't fleshed out more, especially when one of them gives Shining the idea to have Cadence foalsit Twilight so he'll get to talk to her.

After a first encounter that goes about as well as you'd expect, Shining learns that before a big pollo match for homecoming, he and his friends are gonna do a show on a float to impress everyone and change their minds about Shining. We get a two page spread of Shining Armor singing a parody of a song that has some unfortunate implications (I don't remember the exact name), which is most noticeable for introducing fans to the long speculated older brother of Vinyl Scratch, Longplay. Cadence and her friends seem to like the display and start clapping, but the stereotypical jock in Buck Whitters (captain of the polo team) jeers it and of course the crowd follows suit because the cliches must be followed.

Shining and his friends then try to sabotage Buck Whitters in a series of hilarious fails that feel almost like Dick Dastardly trying to sabotage the other racers in Wacky Racers only for it to come back to bite him. It ends with Buck winning for his team in a blowout victory, and Shining decides to ask Cadence before Buck can to no avail. Cadence then indicates that the story is probably exaggerated and obviously there is more to tell from her perspective. And then there's a brief two page story of Shining and his friends in a roleplaying session that serves to indicate Twilight played the game too and had her own character. I still wish they'd have worked this knowledge into the show, since I can just imagine Shining Armor being the one to get Spike interested in Ogres and Oubliettes.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? Quite honestly, even though this was the first true attempt to give Shining Armor character it just feels too cliche to truly be enjoyable. There are a few good moments when they're not trying to follow the cliches to the letter, but considering this was coming out at the same time the first Equestria Girls was being ridiculed and forgotten by fans it just seems to reek of bad timing, no one wanted to see more high school love cliches. And Buck Whitters is obviously going to be iredeemable and Shining the nerdy underdog. It's not really bad so much as it just predictable to a fault, especially when Cadence isn't bothering to assert herself or Shining doesn't think to just ask her out before or after the Fall Formal dance. If you really want you can pick this up, but I don't blame you if you'd rather skip it. Considering what became of the next arc I honestly think that they could've used the issues used for "Neigh Anything" to give the next two arcs more polish.

And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll see how "Neigh Anything" wraps up with Main Series #12.