Written by: Christina Rice
Art by: Agnes Garbowski
Publisher: IDW
Issue 30 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was alright. I believe I called it “serviceable.” I liked the setup it started, and I liked the cliffhanger it ended on, even if neither were particularly inspired. Given that we’re currently in a dry spell—it’s been three weeks since a new episode—Issue 31 was promising to be a nice dose of ponies until the next big fix.
Yes, I’m comparing a children’s cartoon aimed at little girls to an addictive narcotic. Shut up.
The problem is, Issue 31 isn’t all that great; in fact, it’s even more uninspired than the previous one. Issue 30 gave us a strange little war, one that divided Ponyville, and Issue 31 was supposed to give us the awkward moment of Canterlot citizens walking into a friendly down beset by hatred!
That doesn’t happen.
Instead, Twilight Sparkle shows up, assesses the situation, and tries to save it. She appeases most of the prominent players, and either through begging or general sly manipulation, gets them to help her out. She’s less about fixing the town and more about putting on a good show for those coming from Canterlot.
I like that idea in theory, but only if the outcome is one of nervous tension as everyone goes about, trying their best to put the town together while also wanting to tear it apart.
You know, because that’s funny and suspenseful.
Instead we get the opposite. Twilight succeeds (more or less), and when the Ponyville is finally at its breaking point, everyone then bands together for the obligatory “save the day!” The outsiders are none the wiser, and Twilight makes everyone happy in the end.
The whole issue is boring, saved only by Pinkie Pie who has the few funny lines in the whole thing.
Like Issue 30, the artwork is serviceable, though unlike Issue 30, the writing this time isn’t.
