Welcome to Ponyville, home of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and all your other favorite Ponies! Something’s not right in the town though, as some of the inhabitants are acting very, very strange! It’s up to the Mane Six to find the source of the weirdness before it’s too late!
Collects My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic issues #1-4.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
I graduated from the College for Creative Studies in 2004 with a BFA in illustration, my love of cartooning and comics has led me to where i am today.
I've done licensed work for DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic, Fraggle Rock and more. I love being a nerd, so being able to draw nerdy things for a living is the best thing ever.
I'm married to the best guy ever. Ryan keeps me grounded.
I have a daughter, Grayson, who is my booger-y little destroyer of worlds.
I like my cats... a LOT. ...Our dog isn't too bad.
I live in a state shaped like a mitten.
The constant support of my family, pets, friends, and even complete strangers, is what drives me to succeed in art. Thank you everyone, because of you, I am what I am.
This review is going to be biased, as I'm pretty much MLP obsessed. Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a Pegasister. It's just one of those programmes that I used to sit and watch as a six year old, and, collect all the merchandise for. Twenty-eight years later, I STILL collect the merchandise and watch the TV show and I'm totally unashamed about that.
This first installment is so incredibly cute. It features my favourite pony, Twilight Sparkle, and she rocks in this! We see a side of her that one isn't used to, and it works. The artwork is of a cartoon style and is bright and sparkly. I think this makes the comic more tempting to read. This was a great introduction to this series, and I'm certainly looking forward to more tales from Equestria!
Seeing a My Little Pony review just now reminded me of an internet challenge that once resulted in a fair amount of wasted time in my circle of friends. If you look at the IMDB demographics page for My Little Pony: The TV Movie, you'll find that it gets an average vote of 5.1 from men and 7.4 from women, making a difference of 2.3.
So here's the challenge: can you find a movie with a larger difference between the male and female ratings? It's remarkably hard. __________________________________
Antonomasia, who's probably intending to turn pro as soon as they commercialize this game, converts My Little Pony into a piece of sparkly steak à cheval with One Direction: This is Us. Men = 2.2, women = 6.9 gives a staggering 4.7 points of difference. I'm impressed. Can this be beaten?? __________________________________
A couple of days ago, I would have been prepared to bet serious money that this was unbeatable, but by now I'm prepared to believe anything. And it's interesting that all the big differences found so far are in the female direction. Are there really no movies which men like a great deal more than women?
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads This was probably biased as I am a pegasister...but let the 13 year old have some fun, right? I was first introduced to My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic when last year from my little sister. And I am SO grateful for that as now, from looking at my Twilight Sparkle Avatar, I am a pegasister to the heart and would kill for anything MLP. Thanks to a very lovely person on GR, I found this awesome book on NetGalley. I practically freaked out. What made me also die was when I couldn't download it on my new kindle. So instead I had to read on my computer when something called Adobe blahblahblah.
Filled with entertaining illustrations and an intriguing story line that will most definitely capture young readers and older people like myself My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic Volume 1 teaches children the importance of endurance, hope and most imperatively, friendship.
The story line is simply so creepily adventurous and comical. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Sweetie belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are sleeping at Fluttershy's house one night. But something goes horribly wrong... Because all the fillies have disappeared, and in their place are zombies. Who is behind this all and who will stop this catastrophe? It's up to the Mane Six (Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) to save Ponyville quickly or else it's too late...
I am a sucker for Pinkie Pie's craziness and illustrations, they just make me want to laugh my head off. I mean seriously, who can resist the mad and random out bursts? (i. e. Canon-balls that shoot out confetti) Everything in this book reeked emotions from sad, anger (Fluttershy goes cray-cray) and laughter.
I am undoubtedly buying this book when it comes out, while I'm no fan of comic books or things like that, MLP is ALWAYS an exception. This book does not only have to be read for young children, I do believe this will be suited well for my 6 year old little sister and the action scenes really aren't bloody. Children or ADULTS are suited for this, if you like the TV series and are so depressed, like me about the next season not coming out till September, this will cure your thirst!
4.5 stars I have been a big fan of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic T.V. show for quite some time now. For me, the friendship between the six amazing ponies and their unique personalities are always fun to watch. So when I got accepted to read the first volume in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic series I squeed with joy.*
Squee! And then after the squee-fest, I read the comic. And omg, I loved it!
The story begins with the changeling queen, Queen Chrysalis turning every pony in Ponyville into pod-ponies and replacing them with changeling duplicates. She also manages to kidnap the Cute-Mark Crusaders. This eventually begins the Mane Six's epic adventure to save the fillies they care about.
I loved revisiting the ponies that I have come to love oh so much, especially Pinkie Pie. She is such a random and adorable pony. She creates much of the random funny moments in this comic and also wears many of the hilarious facial expressions.
That isn't to say that the other ponies don't shine brightly! Rainbow Dash is still confident, Twilight is still a bit nerdy, Fluttershy is still really sweet (although she does get REAL angry in this volume), Applejack is still awesomely country, and Rarity is still obsessed with the state of their hair. And all of these characters are strong and reliable when it comes to protecting their friends.
I can not give enough praise to the artist of this comic, Andy Price. The illustrations really made the story come alive! The colors are all bright and eye-catching, and the facial expressions drawn are what made me love this comic so much! The art is very similar to the style of the show, but Andy Price does add some touches that are his alone.
The comedy element in this comic is well done. Sometimes I feel like people think that comedy is making a character do something incredibly stupid, but the creators of this get it right. It isn't stupid, but smart. I don't think I have laughed so much reading a comic :)
Overall, this was a great read that will definitely appeal to children and probably teenagers and adults. The story contains important messages that are important for people to learn, but the messages don't bog down the story. In fact, it makes it better. So would I recommend this? OMG, YES!
*Yes, I squee whenever I see anything that has to do with My Little Pony and I am proud :P
An advanced copy of this book was provided in exchange for a honest re*Yes, I squee over My Little Pony and I am proud.view via Netgalley.
چرا من اینقدر از این کتاب خوشم اومد ؟ 😁 خیلی کیوت بود . پیشنهاد میکنم اگه خواهر و برادر کوچک و یا فرزندی دارید حتما براش بخونید . خیلی بچه ها ذوق میکنن با اینها من بچه ی یکی از فامیلامون که کلاس دومه هر وقت که میاد خونمون باید براش از گوشیم این کارتون رو بذارم . خیلی صفحاتش کیوت بود 😍 Why did I like this book so much? 😁 It was very cute. I suggest that if you have younger siblings or children, you should definitely read it to them. Many kids are excited about this. I am the child of one of our friends who is in the second grade. Whenever he comes to our house, I have to play this cartoon for him on my phone. Many pages were beautiful 😍
My Little Pony reminds me of my childhood and so I had great fun with this vividly coloured and spirited adventure story. This was such an adorable and charming tale, which also included its fair share of funny moments, and had a sweet message to take away.
This is one book I thought I wouldn't read. Comic books for me are all about superheroes and magical ponies are just not my cup of tea. But since I got it for free from iTunes as its book of the week, I might as well give it a try.
I must admit that it was a better read than I expected. One has to look beyond the magical ponies and to see that this was a sword and sorcery fantasy story similar in vein to the genre of books that I enjoy. It's about friendship, loyalty and being able to look into the face of evil and say, "you shall not have me!"
I would have rated this higher but reading a digital comic using the iBooks app on a iPad is not the best experience. The image files were formatted in a two page spread that the sequence is usually spoiled. Comixology is still the best way to read digital comics for me.
This is going to take some explaining before we begin.
A lot of you are likely wondering just why this is on here. If you have not been reading my personal blog, fans of the cartoon started spamming requests and demands to cover the comic. After I laid out terms if they truly wanted me to review this, these demands turned into threats, insults and the occasional racial slur. After about a year of me having to censor this, someone finally agreed to my terms to review it and handed over a copy of the comic in person. So here we are now.
While my previous attempt to review this comic was effectively a rant which declared the franchise unworthy of being looked at thanks to the sheer fanaticism and psychosis of certain circles of fans, it was admittedly unfair on the comic’s creators. So while I do stand by that sentiment, this is going to be purely analytically and leaving any opinions of the aforementioned fans out of this.
Enjoy.
Set at an undisclosed point within the series, the comic sees a strange change sweep through Ponyville. Multiple inhabitants are undergoing sudden shifts in personality, disappearing only to return as blank eyed and unresponsive figures who shun social interaction. As the characters gather, they soon realise this epidemic has spread far further than any would have guessed. With the threat of the entire population being lost hanging over their heads, they must find the source of this change and confront its origin.
Along with dodging the major art issues of the last Hasbro related IDW published franchise we covered, namely a lack of consistency, the comic has a good visual presentation on the whole. Along with being richly coloured and vibrant throughout, something to be praised in an age where publishers seem to be embarrassed to use bright tones, the visual presentation remains excellent at every turn. Surprisingly for the characters, it presents a great expressive range when it comes to their reactions and emphasising upon certain heightened emotions and points.
This is obvious even when it comes to the layouts of the pages, with a bold but effective design showing the literal fracture-point where the group splits up. Rather than taking the easy route of being a generic splash page, the panels are instead set up as if they were a fragmented mirror. It’s a bold method and a surprisingly effective one which does not come across as overblown or hammy despite everything. More surprisingly is the fact that there are extremely few splash pages at all, with usually have a page taken up in total to cover any particular scene of impact. It helps to free up a great deal of space in order to tell its story, and the way each page is presented is charged with obvious enthusiasm on the part of the creators, constantly shifting and changing to unconventional but effective styles. Some of the background work and minor details are specially worthy of note as, while they do often resort to blank coloured backdrops at many points, the style easily shifts between different visual tones.
One other minor thing of note is how the comic keeps the reader up to date. Small sections are presented in the manner of a 1940s fairground film to cover the events of the arc up to that point, ensuring new readers are allowed to keep track of things while recapping them in an entertaining manner. That and the very first page of the comic actually covers who is who with an image and brief blurb, useful for anyone who is not familiar with the comics. These are both good elements, so it’s a damn shame that the comic itself manages to undermine them entirely.
The foremost problem with the comic is that it has obviously been written for fans. There is no introduction at all beyond the initial character page, leaving huge elements of the world unexplained and the reader just expected to catch up. Even if you just shrug and try to piece things together for yourself as the pages go by, the fast pacing keeps throwing so many new things at you it’s hard to really get a grasp of the ideas behind the world.
This would be bad enough in of itself, but the comic also suffers from a severe lack of focus. It follows a few ideas we’ve seen in many comics, the team splitting leaving them separated, an ongoing arc, and an early sequence of seemingly unrelated events building up to a big villainous reveal. However, it moves so quickly and keeps jumping between things, it only ever manages to partially realise any one of these elements. Even by the end, you feel as if you’ve largely missed out on what was going on and lack any connection to the events or characters despite the author’s best efforts.
Oddly enough, it might have actually worked were it not for one thing which runs throughout the book: The references. Barely a page goes by when there is not some big reference being made to some film, comic or piece of media from somewhere. These can range from brief visual gags to mentions, to entire storylines. The opening issues are nothing but one massive lifting of plot elements from Invasion of the Body Snatchers with elements of Shaun of the Dead thrown in. Actually no, it goes even beyond that. The opening page of the issue actually has a character dressed as Indiana Jones purely so it can make a cheap reference to Indiana Jones.
Some people will no doubt argue how this is fine and that other comics do the same. There is one very easy answer to that: This is supposed to be an introduction to the world. It’s supposed to be the opening story, but rather than actually explaining its own tale, it instead just copies and pastes the best parts of others, making it feel extremely shallow. Rather than actually building up its own story, it instead opts to take great moments from other ones as if it’s saying “Hey! Hey! Remember how great these are? you love these right? So you must love this as well!” It’s a non-stop bombardment from beginning to end, and as a result it seriously lacks substance or reason for you to actually care about the comic itself, rather than your love for the things it references. When Family Guy of all things is showing far more restraint in using such shout-outs, or random out-of-the-blue humour for that matter, a comic has failed on a creative level.
The few times the comic does try to push for character moments or progression really feel underwhelming, as if they have been crushed down, and lack any real impact as a result. They don’t need to be complex, sure, but it’s so forced down and brushed over that there seems to be very little substance to their personalities in the comic. The few times it really does begin to push towards anything of meaning, it’s almost instantly destroyed by the comic going out of its way to reference some random bit of pop culture.
While there are good elements, the story is so lacking that this one really isn’t worth picking up. If you are already a fan of the show then you will probably find some enjoyment in this, but on the whole you’d do better to hunt down another comic. It might hold some interest for good artistic choices and good ideas when it comes to visual presentation, but it’s not something which can be recommended for leisure reading or just generally picking it up out of curiosity. Find something else to pass the time.
If you have not yet come to understand the hype behind the current incarnation of My Little Pony, then I will explain it briefly: MLP has changed significantly from its days of rainbows and unicorns. It now has plot and character development driving episodes that deal with all sorts of relevant topics, including prejudice, compromise, overcoming fears, self confidence, perseverance and more in a manner that treats kids like they have actual brains in their little heads.
The six main characters are all females, as is the MLP standard, however, they aren't nearly as "girly" as they used to be and the ones that are more "girly" are respectfully so. They each have defining traits and they also have defining flaws. Unlike previous incarnations, there are also clearly male ponies in the herd and, while they don't feature prominently, they do serve purpose. The show goes a long way to breaking gender stereotypes, and I love the fact that grown men have come to like the show. However, since gender stereotyping and prejudice still exists so heavily in our society, these "Bronies" feel compelled to justify their appreciation of a show that really is simply great for everypony. Er. Everyone.
The overall theme in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is - wait for it - the magic of friendship! This theme continues in volume one of the comic where Queen Chrysalis, who first appeared in the season two finale, has attacked Ponyville. Her changeling minions have taken over and kidnapped the young Cutie Mark Crusaders (CMC). Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy head off on a quest to get the three young ponies back. Queen Chrysalis has given them three days to make the journey, but Twilight Sparkle realizes that, in three days, the Secretariat Comet will be passing through the Horsehead Nebula and will greatly amplify magic in all of Equestria.
The quest becomes a typical test of wits against the dangers of the land, but the friends also have to deal with problems with their friendship when the conniving changelings trick them into breaking up the fillyship.
There are a lot of running gags, such as the CMC's obsession with obtaining their cutie marks and, well, anything that crazy Pinkie Pie does. The many internet-based memes have also made their way into the show and comic, adding to the laughs. There were also a few tidbits of interesting facts and information.
I enjoy when children's entertainment includes appropriate levels of humour to make it enjoyable for adults as well. It encourages the adults to participate more with their children - something that is becoming less and less of a priority for many for various reasons. This is something that the current My Little Pony does so well - more so because they still include the kids on the grown-up jokes by making a lot of them visual. Kids might not understand the context, but they can appreciate the imagery at their level. For my girls, it was an added bonus because we've made a point of introducing them to a lot of the things we loved when we were growing up. We shared a mighty laugh over the giant marshmallow attacking Manehattan!
I had a great time reading this comic to my daughters, age seven and five, and will definitely be adding this series to our collection.
The rating for this one should be put into relation - it is really good for what it is. Namely, a comic book based on a kid's show that grew into somewhat of a phenomenon. I just struggle to rate it this high if I look at other ratings I have done. This rating is mostly in relation to how much I enjoyed this comic book opposed to how good I think it objectively is. And I enjoyed it very much. This was a fun little romp that is utterly enjoyable if you like the colourful dainty world of Equestria. The characters are all written quite well in comparison to their counterparts on the small screen (although I can't say too much about the dialogues because I got a German translation while I watch the show exclusively in English) and I often had their voices in my mind. The art, while staying mostly true to the partly simplistic charming style of the show, is downright gorgeous at points and used very well to incorporate the physical humour of the show. At the beginning, I was very sceptical how well that would translate from animation into unmoving pictures but I am happy to say that it works great. There are also countless facial expressions on the ponies that are pure comedic gold. The humour is, overall, probably the book's greatest strength. It carries over the show's fun tone and brand of humour (oh hi there, Pinkie randomness) while it also continues its practice of making great pop-culture references that will delight you as an adult while they will probably fly over most children's heads. The story, while nothing to write home about, is solid enough and connects to past events of the show. It very much reads like a typical MLP episode (or maybe two parter) which is, in my mind, a very good thing here. The amount of fan service is amazing with many fan favourite background ponies in...well, the background. The banter and relationships between the individual ponies of the mane six are delightful. The villain of the story is a pleasant return and a blast to follow through the story. My only personal grievance: needs more Luna!
It all happened one day... when I was browsing NetGalley's new titles and I've seen this cute comic. As a huge fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV series, I just had to read this! It was exactly what I was looking for, maybe even better! The drawings are incredibly cute, although a little bit different from how the ponies have been drawn in the actual show. The story really grabbed my attention from the very first pages and I couldn't wait to read the rest. The wedding episode was my favourite one in the second season and I was thrilled to see more of the Changelings - they make awesome villains. This comic about friendship and love is suited for all age groups, little children, as well as crazy people like me who are in love with the show. It also teaches patience, endurance, optimism and... what's most important... never giving up. The dialogue is very well written. I actually read it in each pony's voice the entire time. I found myself laughing out loud every few pages. You can't not love these amazing ponies, with their unique, different personalities, joined together by the magic of love.
P.S.: Pinkie Pie is by far my favourite character, with her random, cheerful personality.
This is an odd duck. The art is wildly inconsistent, characters are constantly off-model, the dialogue kinda blends together after a while, and it is chock full of references that would have been dated over a decade before this came out. I kept thinking "Who is this actually FOR?" because the art and the tone kept swinging from "all audiences" to "mature audiences only," from "cute kids' comics" to "when is the B.P.R.D. going to appear?" And while I'm pre-reading this for my neurodivergent MLP:FiM-loving pre-teen, it just feels like neither of us is the target audience... Maybe nobody is?
I don't know. Maybe it gets better later on? As it stands, I wasn't terribly impressed.
How to review a comic book based on the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? Certainly, if you don't enjoy the television show, you are unlikely to enjoy this comic. I have watched very little MLP:FIM, but enough to know that I enjoy it. But the comic book is also somewhat different, and is well aware of the fact. Comic books and cartoons are different media; as any adaptation of a film into comic book form (and especially vice versa) will show, the writing has to adapt to the medium. MLP:FIM adapts more easily than, for example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, simply because the characters are already two dimensional; however, this doesn't stop them from looking and behaving more like cats than ponies in this volume, as my partner pointed out. In terms of pacing and story, and utilizing the medium through subtle background jokes and M.C. Escher references, the adaptation to the medium is brilliant. The scale to which enjoyment of the comic book will differ to enjoyment of the cartoon will chiefly depend on how much the viewer enjoys the voices of the characters (which can be quite easily imagined, I found).
As a comic book compared to other comic books, it has to be rater much higher than many of the other comic books which I've read this year simply because of the amount it manages to include. There is so much going on in the background; the expressions of the ponies are fantastic (although perhaps not quite as exceptional as those in Seconds: A Graphic Novel); the story is well-paced and despite the obvious outcome - - maintained my interest more than many other predictable comic book fare. If I were completely lacking in bias I would perhaps have given it three stars, but it should rank with Batgirl, Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection and Dial H, Vol. 1: Into You over many of the rest of the New 52; it was a great comic book and very fun to read.
In my search for graphic novels to read with my daughter, I found out that My Little Pony has like a bazillion different ones so I thought I'd give them a try. Actually, I quite liked this one. The art is lovely and appeals to my nine year old, who adores the cuteness. The story isn't as strong as the Princeless series, but it still imparts an excellent message about love and friendship.
The villainess in this one is a really bad pony shaped monster who essentially kills an entire village of cute little cats. If your child is especially attached to kitties, like mine, you may want to steer clear of this volume. We got through it but it gave her a couple rough dreams.
Overall though, it's a sparklingly fun graphic novel, perfect for reluctant readers.
When a deadly villain returns for dark vengeance, Twilight Sparkle and her friends face trials and tribulations as they desperately search for the missing Cutie Mark Crusaders. Torn apart by mysterious forces, can the six pony friends overcome the odds and save the day? And when one Pony stands alone, is the magic of friendship enough to win the day? It looks like this adventure takes place in the middle of MLP Friendship is Magic season 3. With fun art, stellar storytelling, and a boss battle like no other, any fan of Twilight Sparkle and the Mane Six is going to love this exceptional graphic novel!
In all six seasons Queen Chrysalis has always been my favorite villain. She's evil because she can, I like that. The art work is awesome and I really liked to read a comic instead of watching it. These comics really help me over the time waiting for season 7^^
Although I have to say that the story was a little bit weak. Right now the mane six are at a point, where they wouldn't fight each anymore or would not see through Queen Chrysalis' scheme, but it's set before season 4 so yeah...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This comic is great for kid and adult fans of the My Little Pony series. Katie Cook includes lots of little inside jokes that only older fans will get (there is an EVIL DEAD reference!!) but the story will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed this series. SO MUCH FUN!
This was a very cute comic. The story was a fun adventure about the ponies🐎 trying to save the kidnapped Cutie Mark Crusaders🌸. I also enjoyed the bonus comics at the end of the book. Overall, it was a fun feel good read😃. ~ Koala🐨🎮
MLP komiks je skvělým dárkem pro všechny milovníky série. A hlavně, pokud milujete Chrysalis. Kresba je moc povedená a fakt se těším na pokračování. V hlavní roli Mane 6.