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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (omnibus editions) #1
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Omnibus Volume 1
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 issues #1-12 of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book series.
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2014
6 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Katie Cook
234 books174 followersLibrarian 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.
Which means... I'm all your fault.
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.
Which means... I'm all your fault.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 24, 2015
Lyra made me read it. But you know what? I kind of liked it. Especially the first half. There were some funny parts.
January 23, 2016
An entertaining companion to the show. Collects the first 12 issues of the ongoing comic. I did have to look up which stories were included since I read this six months ago, but once I read the titles, it all came back to me. Includes: The Return of Queen Chrysalis, Nightmare Rarity, Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair and Neigh Anything.
December 18, 2017
I bought this mostly because the art is so cute. The stories were pretty much what you’d expect if you’ve watched the show.
September 6, 2021
I’m finally delving into the world of MLP comics. I believe I’ve read this first arc before, as separate issues, but this time I plan to read them all—and have collected the omnibus volumes to do so.
This first volume contains four separate stories. Before I talk about them individually, though, let’s talk about them as a whole, as they all share the same art style. For the most part, I do love it. It’s different from the show, but it fits the tone of the comics well, of being silly one second and then detailed the next—sometimes grossly so. There are also so many references and neat background detail thrown into panel after panel after panel. It was honestly one of my favorite things about reading these comics, was trying to find all of the small details.
I don’t know when these comics were started, but it was clearly after the season 2 finale, and I also know that they’ve been going on for a long time. As such, there are a couple of things that don’t match up with the show, either because the show decided to tackle it with a different direction (the second story arc), or some of the background details not matching up with what became the show’s canon (Moondancer being a Senior with Cadance in school, as well as having a different personality with being a cheerleader). The comics were the first to tackle these events/characters, so no actually issue there. Just something interesting to note.
Now, time for individual arcs.
The first arc deals with The Return of Chrysalis. I really enjoyed this arc, as Chrysalis has always been one of the more interesting villains. The Cutie Mark Crusaders felt a little bit one-note, but it was okay because it was for the sake of humor, and I certainly found it funny. Their interactions with Chrysalis were hilarious.
The Mane 6 were great throughout the story as well. I do have to wonder why they weren’t more on guard for facing changelings in terms of changelings tricking them through transformation, but… It was still enjoyable.
I like that Chrysalis had a solid reason for not taking out the Mane 6 right away, rather than her just being incompetent.
Overall, that first story arc was a lot of fun and is a great introduction to the start of the comics.
The second arc deals with the darkness that surrounded Luna as Nightmare Moon. This seems to take place in-between seasons 1 and 2 of the show, as it actually has a reason for Luna’s design changing. It took me a moment to realize what had happened, since I’m so used to her redesign, but once I realized what had happened in the comic, I loved it. It’s the perfect way for that change to have happened in-canon.
As for everything else… I mostly enjoyed it all, but I’m not sure I like how the darkness was portrayed, and this is tied in to Nightmare Rarity. Spoilers, yes, but I think most bronies have known about Nightmare Rarity for years, even if they don’t read the comics (I certainly have). Luna has always been one of the most interesting characters in the show simply because of her backstory—a younger sister who felt like she wasn’t as loved as her older sister, who was ignored because her job/powers seemed lesser. It made perfect sense for her to fall into darkness and turn evil.
With Rarity, the darkness does prey on her weaknesses and insecurities, but it didn’t feel like enough for her to accept the darkness. It would have worked better if an event had happened in her actual life, and then the darkness twists it even more so. Then maybe I could see Rarity accepting the darkness.
As for Nightmare Rarity… Nightmare Moon and Luna are very different characters, but Luna’s resent was a large part of who Nightmare Moon seemed to be. With Nightmare Rarity, it felt more like a different character entirely, with no connection to Rarity other than using her as a vessel. I wish there had been a bit more of Rarity there, other than just the darkness’ agenda.
Which then leads to the climax. I really enjoyed the climax, but it would have been even stronger if Rarity’s fall had been set up better. It’s kind of the opposite of Luna, come to think of it. Her fall made perfect sense while her redemption was rushed, her negative emotions that led to the fall just disappearing after the darkness was gone. Whereas, Rarity’s fall felt a little forced, while her redemption was perfect. …Lots of spoilers in that, but it’s also not really a surprise Rarity didn’t stay evil, so…
There was plenty of other stuff going on too, and I enjoyed Spike’s role in it all. Also, the various nightmares of the Mane 6 were fun to see.
Overall, it was a great story arc, tackling the idea of the darkness behind Luna’s fall (whereas the show ends up tackling her guilt, which was also a great take on it). Though, it didn’t seem like the darkness itself was ever defeated. Don’t know if that’s going to come up again in the comics, but the ending bit is enough to show it won’t be a real threat.
Now, the third arc. This one is Big Mac trying to run a simple errand that ends up being anything but simple. This arc has low stakes but it a ton of fun. For somepony trying to avoid all the festivities, Big Mac certainly has a way of getting roped into them. It’s fun to watch him deal with everything, and some of the company he kept was quite interesting. I also loved the lesson of sorts he receives at the end.
There’s not too much to say about this arc, as it’s both short and simple, but it’s a ton of fun.
The fourth and final story arc is another shorter one, but it’s about how Shining Armor and Princess Cadance met. They apparently attended the same academy together but were of two different social classes. Shining Armor was actually a geek. At first it seemed odd, but once reminded of him being into D&D (or, the pony equivalent of it), it made a little more sense, and I actually like the idea that the Captain of the Royal Guard was once a geek.
This story is about Shining Armor trying to ask Cadance out, and then it switches partway through to Cadance’s POV on the events, so that you get to see things from both sides.
Again, there’s not a ton to say about this story arc. It’s a fun story that fills in some of the gaps about Shining Armor and Cadance, and it shows how perfect they are for each other.
Overall, for the entire collection, I enjoyed the art style, the background details, the constant references to other shows/books/music/etc., and the stories themselves. They were all a lot of fun, and some expand on things that had not yet been explored in the show at the point the comics were made. Even then, it dealt with the show stuff in a new way, that doesn’t feel like a repeat of show canon, but rather a canon all its own. The only story I truly think needed some tweaks was the Nightmare Rarity one, but I enjoyed it all the same. I’m excited to see what the comics do next.
This first volume contains four separate stories. Before I talk about them individually, though, let’s talk about them as a whole, as they all share the same art style. For the most part, I do love it. It’s different from the show, but it fits the tone of the comics well, of being silly one second and then detailed the next—sometimes grossly so. There are also so many references and neat background detail thrown into panel after panel after panel. It was honestly one of my favorite things about reading these comics, was trying to find all of the small details.
I don’t know when these comics were started, but it was clearly after the season 2 finale, and I also know that they’ve been going on for a long time. As such, there are a couple of things that don’t match up with the show, either because the show decided to tackle it with a different direction (the second story arc), or some of the background details not matching up with what became the show’s canon (Moondancer being a Senior with Cadance in school, as well as having a different personality with being a cheerleader). The comics were the first to tackle these events/characters, so no actually issue there. Just something interesting to note.
Now, time for individual arcs.
The first arc deals with The Return of Chrysalis. I really enjoyed this arc, as Chrysalis has always been one of the more interesting villains. The Cutie Mark Crusaders felt a little bit one-note, but it was okay because it was for the sake of humor, and I certainly found it funny. Their interactions with Chrysalis were hilarious.
The Mane 6 were great throughout the story as well. I do have to wonder why they weren’t more on guard for facing changelings in terms of changelings tricking them through transformation, but… It was still enjoyable.
I like that Chrysalis had a solid reason for not taking out the Mane 6 right away, rather than her just being incompetent.
Overall, that first story arc was a lot of fun and is a great introduction to the start of the comics.
The second arc deals with the darkness that surrounded Luna as Nightmare Moon. This seems to take place in-between seasons 1 and 2 of the show, as it actually has a reason for Luna’s design changing. It took me a moment to realize what had happened, since I’m so used to her redesign, but once I realized what had happened in the comic, I loved it. It’s the perfect way for that change to have happened in-canon.
As for everything else… I mostly enjoyed it all, but I’m not sure I like how the darkness was portrayed, and this is tied in to Nightmare Rarity. Spoilers, yes, but I think most bronies have known about Nightmare Rarity for years, even if they don’t read the comics (I certainly have). Luna has always been one of the most interesting characters in the show simply because of her backstory—a younger sister who felt like she wasn’t as loved as her older sister, who was ignored because her job/powers seemed lesser. It made perfect sense for her to fall into darkness and turn evil.
With Rarity, the darkness does prey on her weaknesses and insecurities, but it didn’t feel like enough for her to accept the darkness. It would have worked better if an event had happened in her actual life, and then the darkness twists it even more so. Then maybe I could see Rarity accepting the darkness.
As for Nightmare Rarity… Nightmare Moon and Luna are very different characters, but Luna’s resent was a large part of who Nightmare Moon seemed to be. With Nightmare Rarity, it felt more like a different character entirely, with no connection to Rarity other than using her as a vessel. I wish there had been a bit more of Rarity there, other than just the darkness’ agenda.
Which then leads to the climax. I really enjoyed the climax, but it would have been even stronger if Rarity’s fall had been set up better. It’s kind of the opposite of Luna, come to think of it. Her fall made perfect sense while her redemption was rushed, her negative emotions that led to the fall just disappearing after the darkness was gone. Whereas, Rarity’s fall felt a little forced, while her redemption was perfect. …Lots of spoilers in that, but it’s also not really a surprise Rarity didn’t stay evil, so…
There was plenty of other stuff going on too, and I enjoyed Spike’s role in it all. Also, the various nightmares of the Mane 6 were fun to see.
Overall, it was a great story arc, tackling the idea of the darkness behind Luna’s fall (whereas the show ends up tackling her guilt, which was also a great take on it). Though, it didn’t seem like the darkness itself was ever defeated. Don’t know if that’s going to come up again in the comics, but the ending bit is enough to show it won’t be a real threat.
Now, the third arc. This one is Big Mac trying to run a simple errand that ends up being anything but simple. This arc has low stakes but it a ton of fun. For somepony trying to avoid all the festivities, Big Mac certainly has a way of getting roped into them. It’s fun to watch him deal with everything, and some of the company he kept was quite interesting. I also loved the lesson of sorts he receives at the end.
There’s not too much to say about this arc, as it’s both short and simple, but it’s a ton of fun.
The fourth and final story arc is another shorter one, but it’s about how Shining Armor and Princess Cadance met. They apparently attended the same academy together but were of two different social classes. Shining Armor was actually a geek. At first it seemed odd, but once reminded of him being into D&D (or, the pony equivalent of it), it made a little more sense, and I actually like the idea that the Captain of the Royal Guard was once a geek.
This story is about Shining Armor trying to ask Cadance out, and then it switches partway through to Cadance’s POV on the events, so that you get to see things from both sides.
Again, there’s not a ton to say about this story arc. It’s a fun story that fills in some of the gaps about Shining Armor and Cadance, and it shows how perfect they are for each other.
Overall, for the entire collection, I enjoyed the art style, the background details, the constant references to other shows/books/music/etc., and the stories themselves. They were all a lot of fun, and some expand on things that had not yet been explored in the show at the point the comics were made. Even then, it dealt with the show stuff in a new way, that doesn’t feel like a repeat of show canon, but rather a canon all its own. The only story I truly think needed some tweaks was the Nightmare Rarity one, but I enjoyed it all the same. I’m excited to see what the comics do next.
September 19, 2016
I read this because I am a big child, and I thought this was cute and it was funny! Pinkie Pie and Big Mac are my favorite and always will be!
August 22, 2018
Am I the only one who found the coloring ugly? Or at least disappointing? Harshly done. I expected more subtly or artistic variety in that and the line art...I guess I was mislead by the array of guest artists who’ve done cover art for this series. After all, a lot is done by computer, why be so flat and predictable? Add some brightness and hues.
I’ve found myself wishing for black and white!
Or any break from the repetitiveness.
It’s been hard to read for me, but, I know...I’m reading a KID’S comic/series (created by adults *cough*). The format has the art often ending on the edge of the paper, and maybe it’s my reticent dyslexic traits, but that too has not made it a pleasure to read.
I also, so far, feel the cartoon is drawn better, with dynamics that are between horse and human — too often I find these bodies/expressions to look like warped people. Not loving that either.
But, I keep trying to get into the stories.
I’m just surprised.
I thought this stuff would be fun, like the show, and hard to put down. I thought there might be pastels or some room for creativity in the art, that I’d flip pages wondering what the next artist might bring to the show. Alas, this is not Grendel or TMNT. This is probably perfect though, for a very young reader, who wants to see the ponies she knows and loves. Not for this Johnny-come-lately that was pulled into the show via an artist they were fond of Deviant Art and stayed for the action-adventure, great voice-acting, and WONDERFUL VARIETY of female characters beyond typical gender stereotypes. Then the stories built up well and the expansions of the universe kept me curious.
So, I’m trying to give these comics a bigger chance.
But maybe it’s not as great a sell on paper...
I’ve found myself wishing for black and white!
Or any break from the repetitiveness.
It’s been hard to read for me, but, I know...I’m reading a KID’S comic/series (created by adults *cough*). The format has the art often ending on the edge of the paper, and maybe it’s my reticent dyslexic traits, but that too has not made it a pleasure to read.
I also, so far, feel the cartoon is drawn better, with dynamics that are between horse and human — too often I find these bodies/expressions to look like warped people. Not loving that either.
But, I keep trying to get into the stories.
I’m just surprised.
I thought this stuff would be fun, like the show, and hard to put down. I thought there might be pastels or some room for creativity in the art, that I’d flip pages wondering what the next artist might bring to the show. Alas, this is not Grendel or TMNT. This is probably perfect though, for a very young reader, who wants to see the ponies she knows and loves. Not for this Johnny-come-lately that was pulled into the show via an artist they were fond of Deviant Art and stayed for the action-adventure, great voice-acting, and WONDERFUL VARIETY of female characters beyond typical gender stereotypes. Then the stories built up well and the expansions of the universe kept me curious.
So, I’m trying to give these comics a bigger chance.
But maybe it’s not as great a sell on paper...
March 8, 2024
Overall, this was cute as hell and I might go looking for a better version to replace the one I picked up from the Little Free Library nearby.
I do think the first arc (Queen Chrysalis Returns) suffered a lot from far too many overt pop culture references (there are just so, so many) but either I got used to it by the end or they got a bit more subtle by the end of the 80's themed storyline centered on Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Or maybe I just loved the nod to Quantum Leap enough to erase everything else? Pop culture overload aside, the Queen Chrysalis arc is probably the best in the bunch and is a solid start that reminds me why I loved the show so much.
Nightmare Rarity feels too short but maybe I just wanted more Rarity.
Loved Big Mac's quest a lot and it's probably my second favorite of the bunch and the easiest re-read.
Quantum Leap nod aside, I didn't love the Shining Armor/Princess Cadance arc a lot. There are moments that are fabulous but it didn't do all that much for me. Ah well.
I do think the first arc (Queen Chrysalis Returns) suffered a lot from far too many overt pop culture references (there are just so, so many) but either I got used to it by the end or they got a bit more subtle by the end of the 80's themed storyline centered on Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Or maybe I just loved the nod to Quantum Leap enough to erase everything else? Pop culture overload aside, the Queen Chrysalis arc is probably the best in the bunch and is a solid start that reminds me why I loved the show so much.
Nightmare Rarity feels too short but maybe I just wanted more Rarity.
Loved Big Mac's quest a lot and it's probably my second favorite of the bunch and the easiest re-read.
Quantum Leap nod aside, I didn't love the Shining Armor/Princess Cadance arc a lot. There are moments that are fabulous but it didn't do all that much for me. Ah well.
August 6, 2020
Split into four different sections , this omnibus contain four brilliantly written, exhilarating stories with a plethora of the characters we've seen in the tv series.
The first story is about the return of Queen Chrysalis. She comes for revenge on the mane six, with special plans for Twilight in particular. Then, the second story shows the nightmare forces thar created Nightmare Moon. They've also got it in for the mane six and their elements of harmony. Thirdly is a story all about Big Mac himself, and finally the background tale of how Shining Armor and Princess Cadence met.†
This book stays true to the tv series while adding even more depth to the characters. I couldn't help but read everyone's dialogue with their own voices in my head. Plus, there were so many easter egg references :)
June 16, 2017
I absolutely loved this. I've never really watched the show, though I hear it's great. I picked this up on a whim when I was in one of the local comic shops. It's a little confusing at first if you aren't familiar with all the characters but the stories are very entertaining and the pop culture references abound. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to any age group. As a matter of fact, the older you are, the more references you'll be able to catch. I already own the second omnibus and I'll be purchasing the others ASAP.
January 2, 2021
I've never been much into comics. (Always a huge nerd, just not /that/ kind of nerd). I originally bought this compilation for my daughter, who loved her individual issues so much they'd completely fallen apart from repeated reading and rereading. Then of course I had to read them too, because I do love me some adorable little ponies.
For myself, I thought they were great. If you liked the cartoon, it's a worthy continuation of those stories. Some serious, some silly, some scary, some not. (Turns out maybe I could be a comics nerd after all).
For myself, I thought they were great. If you liked the cartoon, it's a worthy continuation of those stories. Some serious, some silly, some scary, some not. (Turns out maybe I could be a comics nerd after all).
July 10, 2021
Funny parts:
"Fruity barks" as the secret word
"Losing patience" being interpreted as "Losing patients"
Stephen King's IT and Gravity Falls references
In other words, the CMCs were funny as hell in this story omnibus.
"Fruity barks" as the secret word
"Losing patience" being interpreted as "Losing patients"
Stephen King's IT and Gravity Falls references
In other words, the CMCs were funny as hell in this story omnibus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2017
Just a sweet and funny omnibus collecting the first volumes of my little pony FiM series.
Either you love it or you dont, I happen to love it.
Either you love it or you dont, I happen to love it.
November 17, 2017
Entertaining, fun and FULL of great pop culture references for older readers (really can't use the word "mature" here).
January 4, 2018
The first story didn't really do it for me, but it was pretty sweet seeing Queen Chrysalis again. The rest were good!
Nightmare Rarityyyyyyyyyy five stars for Nightmare Rarity tbh
Nightmare Rarityyyyyyyyyy five stars for Nightmare Rarity tbh
October 3, 2019
Aww I liked the story of how Candace and Shining Armor got together.
Recommended: probably if you've seen the show.
Buy/Borrow? Borrow
Recommended: probably if you've seen the show.
Buy/Borrow? Borrow
November 12, 2019
Im definitely a sucker for all things MLP and this was no exception
November 9, 2020
Reading with my five year old.
January 21, 2022
Read this to my kindergartner! We’re both big pony fans, so we loved this volume. 🙂
October 5, 2023
After reading "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Volume 1" and liking it so much, I guess I hyped this book a lot in my mind. It didnt live up to the hype. But quiet charming regardless.
August 31, 2024
So good. Love this so much. There's a ton of cool references in here too. And the comics actually tell how DJ-Pon3 got her cutie mark, too.
January 14, 2016
My Little Pony + comics = awesomeness. The only problem I had with the book was the spiders (I've got heavy arachnophobia :/ ), but I didn't think that deserved one less star, so it's still five stars from me.
January 16, 2015
As clever, sweet, witty and wonderful as the series; lots of hilarity and unexpected intelligence; great visuals (if a little darker than the show, as only befits this medium) and storytelling; little references to reward nerds of all stripes INCLUDING A "QUANTUM LEAP" JOKE… I'm okay.
January 8, 2016
A collection of super cute stories. And some great little surprises in the background art! Highly recommend if you love the MLP series!
March 13, 2017
This was really cute. Fans of My Little Pony will enjoy!
October 5, 2015
This book was amazing. The art was fabulous, the storylines were great, and they even put in little references us adults would get.
March 6, 2016
Very pink, girly, stereotypical female characterizations, but I totally get why some would find My Little Ponies enjoyable. Just not me!
April 3, 2016
I rather enjoyed this beginning volume of pony comics. I appreciate the details in a lot of the issues, which is something I genuinely enjoy about the cartoon series.
October 21, 2016
*My Little Pony* graphic novels are a real blast to read!
January 24, 2017
I decided to try out the comics to get a bit more stories about the characters and really enjoyed almost all of them. Some are much better than others, but this was a good start.
September 7, 2024
great to have all the comics put into one big book. huge mlp fan so of course I enjoyed this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews