IDW Comics Revisited - Main Series #13

So just in time for the show's fourth season, the comics decided to finally include alicorn Twilight. And this was such a controversial thing that some people actually threatened to boycott the comics all together as a result (I imagine most did and eventually left the fandom). Meanwhile, word was just starting to surface about the micro series' successor for 2014, the Friends Forever series, but the micro series promised to go out with a bang by including everyone's favorite princess: Princess Luna. But all of that was in the future, and this comic was coming out right as the show's fourth season was about to air. So, with attention focused elsewhere, was this comic able to pick up the slack from "Neigh Anything" or just confirm that with the void no longer needing to be filled the comics were going nowhere fast? Well, let's find out.

Our story begins with the mane six and Spike heading to Horseshoe Bay as Fluttershy is supposed to release a fish named Gil that she nursed back to health, and Fluttershy is hesitant about it even though no one else seems to be picking up on it. While the rest of the mane six and Spike goof off on the beach (and Applejack discovers that mango juice can be like a truth serum), Fluttershy goes off to release Gil but decides not to because she isn't ready to let him go. This is just insulting to Fluttershy's entire character, it takes the scaredy cat aspects and has them hijack her animal loving self to the point where she'll endanger another creature's well being because she doesn't think they're ready.

However, a wave of water washes Gil away and out steps an unnamed pony pirate captain. The captain expresses interest in a crew and Rainbow Dash immediately jumps at the chance before even knowing who the captain is or what he wants. I get that Rainbow Dash is the most action oriented, but even she's not the type to just blindly rush into something with no idea as to what she's getting into, she's not stupid. Twilight is the only one with common sense, she initially directs the captain to town before learning that he's looking for a crew to take him to the ghost islands, a location that's never been able to be found. I really wish this had come before the Rainbow Dash scene so then that way all that happens from this point onward wouldn't feel as contrived.

Each of the mane six are given a job on the crew (with Spike serving as a parrot because I guess the writers didn't know what to do with him here, but didn't want to exclude him), and Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie all depart when they reach town while Fluttershy, Applejack and Spike stay behind. Applejack conspires to figure out what the suspicious captain is up to since he mentions that his crew stole the map he wants the others to get back for him. And she decides that the best way to do that is to use the mango juice.

As for Twilight and co., they make their way into town which for the most part is just populated with lazily designed pirate versions of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Granny Smith and Big Macintosh that have almost nothing to make them different from the originals. We do see that since the town is populated and run by pirates it's far from the most peaceful place. And Rainbow soon opts to make a scene that gets the others involved in a scuffle (though only Rainbow Dash is bothering to fight back at all). Back on the ship, meanwhile, Fluttershy somehow manages to find Gil in the ocean and captures him because she just can't live without him. And Applejack serves up the mango juice, learning from the captain that he's on a quest where the stakes are do or die, with Applejack being quite furious that he sent her friends into danger without telling them.

Back in town, Twilight reveals herself as a princess and pleads with the pirates to take her to where they've stashed the map. They at first refuse, so Twilight blasts them with her magic to make them see sense. The pirates turn out to be the captain's former crew, indicating that he's Captain Hoofbeard a famous pirate that we're only now hearing about. His crew became frustrated and fed up with a map that had an x that was always changing location, convinced the captain was going mad and was going to drag them all down with them. So they stole his map and hid it in a place where he couldn't get to it. The hiding spot is in a hole guarded by a giant, mutant crab that I can only assume was based on the popular fan art and other content that had Rarity fighting a giant crab.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? It really struggles with contrivence, everything seems to happen because the plot says so. I can't get over how they write Fluttershy in such an insulting way that makes even her most cowardly of appearances before seem tame because they only affected her. Captain Hoofbeard is interesting, but the fact that the mane six and Spike wouldn't even have gotten involved in his struggle if not for Fluttershy and only learn that he's possibly mad towards the end makes them look blind and stupid for joining a stranger they just met. It's not even like he forced them or pleaded with them, he merely asked them if they knew of any pirates and Rainbow Dash said they were pirates because potatoes. It feels like they had an idea to do a story about pony pirates, but couldn't think of how to get the mane six involved in a believable way. There's a few good moments, particularly when Twilight's new princess status comes into play and she shows that she can still kick butt, but it feels like the only one truly in character is Applejack. It is slightly better than "Neigh Anything" since it at least has an interesting premise, but that can only go so far to make up for how it doesn't seem to take advantage of it. If you're a big fan of pirates or pirate films pick this issue up, otherwise I'd say you can skip right past this issue, the next one and the next two since regardless of how good or bad the next arc is everyone knows that it's just filler compared to the big one that lurks around the corner.

And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll see how this arc wraps up with Main Series #14.

Comments

[SudokuBrony]

The hiding spot is in a hole guarded by a giant, mutant crab that I can only assume was based on the popular fan art and other content that had Rarity fighting a giant crab.

I thought it was this comic that started that trend.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

5366389 No, there was content around before this involving that concept.