Previously, on My Little Pony...
Same thing happens to me whenever I try to make jello...
And now, we finally get to meet the little pony everyone fell in love with the moment we got a glimpse of the covers months ago!
Well, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. I'll admit, the moment I heard this character, Violette Rainbow, was based around a real-world condition called vitiligo...I was a little worried that this would end up being a "very special issue" of the Pony comic. And...it is, but not in a bad way. The comic does have a SLIGHT problem in that the writers WANT this to be a discrimination metaphor...but it can kind of come across as just being caused by the character, herself. Not necessarily other people's reaction to her condition. I get the feeling that was a request Hasbro made so that all their characters don't come across as discriminatory? There's some wriggle room here so that certain characters don't come across as bad people. Some plausible deniability. That's probably a good idea...but it IS a bit of a hiccup when other characters act like it IS a discrimination problem that needs to be solved.
Otherwise, yeah, this is a solid issue. The art's solid. The writing's got some fun lines. It's just another day in the life of these characters. There IS some interesting lore stuff dropped in this issue. I'm not sure if this hints at something coming up in one of the shows or not. It's...a bit of a surprise, let's say.
I know A LOT of people really love Violette's design, though. I'm really not sure if she will be coming back in future comics or not. There's nothing in the recent solicits or covers to suggest it. But, I'm for it. Who knows, maybe Hasbro will even put her in Tell Your Tale? Crazier things have happened.
Same thing happens to me whenever I try to make jello...
And now, we finally get to meet the little pony everyone fell in love with the moment we got a glimpse of the covers months ago!
Well, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. I'll admit, the moment I heard this character, Violette Rainbow, was based around a real-world condition called vitiligo...I was a little worried that this would end up being a "very special issue" of the Pony comic. And...it is, but not in a bad way. The comic does have a SLIGHT problem in that the writers WANT this to be a discrimination metaphor...but it can kind of come across as just being caused by the character, herself. Not necessarily other people's reaction to her condition. I get the feeling that was a request Hasbro made so that all their characters don't come across as discriminatory? There's some wriggle room here so that certain characters don't come across as bad people. Some plausible deniability. That's probably a good idea...but it IS a bit of a hiccup when other characters act like it IS a discrimination problem that needs to be solved.
Otherwise, yeah, this is a solid issue. The art's solid. The writing's got some fun lines. It's just another day in the life of these characters. There IS some interesting lore stuff dropped in this issue. I'm not sure if this hints at something coming up in one of the shows or not. It's...a bit of a surprise, let's say.
I know A LOT of people really love Violette's design, though. I'm really not sure if she will be coming back in future comics or not. There's nothing in the recent solicits or covers to suggest it. But, I'm for it. Who knows, maybe Hasbro will even put her in Tell Your Tale? Crazier things have happened.
Apparently, Izzy taught crafting classes back in Bridlewood, and Violette is one of her old students. And Izzy is even Violette's official mentor! That...seems odd since she comes across as being VERY lonely until she met Sunny, sometimes. But...oh well?
I HAVE to ask, though...would you trust THIS PONY with your children?
I can TOTALLY see her charming the parents, though. Izzy's impossible not to like when she's at her best. The only qualification you need to be her friend is to EXIST! And even then, as Senior Butterscotch can attest, even if you don't exist yet, Izzy will bring you INTO existence just as a excuse to befriend you!
They also mention that Violette got her cutie mark during one of these classes. This just makes me wonder even more how cutie mark magic even worked before magic as a whole came back.
Izzy makes a offhand comment about how tall she's gotten. D'AWWWW!
"What's the matter, my little pony?" BOO!
Violette is VERY excitable! And fast enough to be in multiple places at once in a single panel! Her mother also calls her a bit of a "busypony", always getting into things. This is kind of important for a point I want to make later.
Oh, but Violette is being bullied by someone back home. And Izzy offers to knock some heads! (Not really)
Izzy starts showing Violette around Maretime Bay, and who's in the background but Posey? Yeah...let's get the counter warmed up, it's going to get a work out.
Posey IS kind of giving these two the side-eye. Whether that's because of Violette or because of the numerous things Izzy has done to her...who's to say?
"That's some GOOD eating!" I don't know if I'd trust those new-fangled fruit if I were you, Violette.
Heh, they even mention the events of the Make Your Mark episode "Growing Pains". This writer DID do research.
And Violette loses control of a water hose and sprays a random pony nearby. He DOES kind of freak out after he takes a good look at her. I thought MAYBE they were going to set up that the other ponies thought Violette was contagious or something, but they never do explain the freak out. This is the one moment where, yeah, maybe it IS discrimination.
Posey IS cowering after almost getting run over by the escaping random pony, though. The numerous times things have gone wrong for Posey has left her deeply scarred and expecting the worst count...1.
"Whoa, she's GLOWING!" I don't know why Sunny is in alicorn mode to make smoothies. I guess it makes good advertising, though.
And then Violette randomly falls into a fruit cart after tripping on her own tail and ends up making Posey slip on a banana peel. Posey can't even walk down the street without getting assaulted by shenanigans. Posey's rage is justified count: 1.
Posey calls Violette a "bad luck pony" and...she kind of has a point. Violette DOES have a tendency to be clumsy and/or careless throughout the issue. Look, Posey doesn't know this kid has a hang up about her coat-color. She seems to be judging her based on her actions. This is harsh judgment...but not totally unfair. I mean, this is Posey. Yelling is how she shows her love. And her hate. Mostly hate. You kind of have to get to know her to tell the difference.
And, here's the thing. Violette blames her coat color for this. "Everypony blames ME when bad things happen because I look different" This...had NOTHING to do with her coat-color. Posey didn't say anything about that. She just needs a tail-trim so she isn't tripping over herself. I don't know if this is the author being subtle and telling the audience not to use your skin color as a excuse but...this is part of the problem with the writing I'm talking about. I'm not totally sure what I should be taking from this.
And they actually DO go straight to Mane Melody to get a new mane style for Violette, so I think Izzy KNOWS what the problem was in that last scene.
"I can't BELIZZLE how cool this is!" "BELIZZLE IT!" Please stop saying "belizzle".
And then Izzy accidentally knocks the smoothie that Violette has precariously placed on the edge of a armrest and sends it flying...right to where Posey is. Seriously, Posey, when you see these people around why don't you just head for the hills?
Violette manages to catch the smoothie...while it's upside down. Making the smoothie spill all over the electrical outlet for a mane-dryer. Which...starts a fire...right next to Posey...*SIGH*. Posey's rage is justified count: 2.
Although, I have to wonder...should a smoothie be enough to start a fire? Is there something wrong with that electrical outlet? I mean...spilling water or something on a electrical outlet isn't a GOOD thing, but I don't think it usually starts fires right away. I guess it was probably hot from having the mane dryer plugged into it but...I'm overthinking this.
And then...Pipp starts calling Violette a bad luck pony, too. And that just feels wrong. She mentions that she doesn't allow food or drink in her salon...which I'm pretty sure is wrong, I think we've seen the Mane 5 eat and or drink in the salon before. But, Pipp SAW her come in with the smoothie, so why didn't she say anything then? Also, I know Pipp is stressed because her business is literally burning down in front of her, but it feels a bit out of character for her. Pipp agrees with Posey...ON PANEL! That just feels wrong.
But, again...this had nothing to DO with Violette's coat color...but she uses that as a excuse for why everyone's picking on her. So she runs away into a random alley.
Where she meets...ZEBRAS?! A zebra mom and her zebra daughter. I guess the zebras are just randomly back. I don't know if this is something coming up in MYM or TYT, but...it feels weird to have another "species" back without much fanfare.
This is a bit of a stranger-danger moment, but I guess we're ignoring that. The zebra mom tells Violette about how SHE tried to change her coat color to fit in with other ponies back in the day, too. So...the zebras have just always been around, I guess? Weird.
"That's a ZEBRA...she can take her stripes off, bandage you up like a mummy, and take all your shiny things!" ...You know, I kind of want to see how some of these G5 rumors about other races got started. There tends to be a grain of truth to these, which gets exaggerated over time. And we know Braze, the evil magical fire-zebra from the chapter books, DID exist, so I wonder if this has something to do with him. These ponies are VERY creative in their bigotry, at any rate.
The zebra mom tried to paint herself a different color so she'd fit in with the other ponies. The image of the zebra's paint running off in the rain is just heartbreaking,
The zebras reveal that there IS a magical potion they can make that can just change your coat color. Discrimination is solved by chemistry and eugenics!
"I need other unicorn friends, not someone who's weird like me!" Jeez, kid. I mean, I know she's just a kid, but...jeez!
Honestly, the zebra daughter calling Violette her "bestie" after only knowing her for five minutes is a little clingy.
So, Violette takes the potion that the zebras offer her...again, stranger danger problems, but oh well. And she turns all-black. Then checkered, zig zagged, waves, hearts, spots, stripes, and diamonds. They get very creative with the karmic backlash here.
"Don't look at that...that..THING!" Wow, the random pony mom must REALLY have a deep hatred for patchwork quilt toys or Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls.
Pipp does apologize for yelling at a child. So all is right in the world.
Izzy's into Violette's new look. And there's a reason for that...because she's been working with the zebras to teach Violette a VERY circuitous lesson about being happy with who you are. Wow...Izzy's a chessmaster in this issue. I honestly didn't see that coming.
Violette does get a new mane do, with a couple of new streaks in her hair, though. So...I guess the lesson is be happy with who you are...but still conform to pony beauty standards? It's a bit of a mixed lesson, if you think about it. The kid DID need a haircut though.
And Violette and the zebra daughter become best friends. Making friends is so easy when you're a kid. *SIGH*
Oh, and then Sunny suddenly drop this random bit of lore from a book she just so happened to be carrying around. Apparently, long ago, there was ANOTHER tribe called the Paint Ponies, who had "artistic magical healing properties", who hid themselves away long ago, and wanted to make a paradise but all the other ponies were MEAN so they went extinct. And Sunny suggests to the kid that she might be one of their descendants. That's...terribly irresponsible of Sunny, really. You're going to give that kid a complex. They do sound like a sub-line of the toys that I'm forgetting, though.
And the issue ends with Violette and Izzy sharing a hug and telling her she's great the way she is. Again, D'AWWW!
So, yeah, I have some issues with some of the plot, but otherwise it's a pretty solid issue. Really, Violette's lesson shouldn't have been "be happy with who you are" it probably SHOULD have been "try to be a little more careful"? The main reason she seems to get into so many problems is because she's a little clumsy and either panics or doesn't think things through. She went to a stranger's house without ANY sort of supervision! Things could have gotten a LOT darker in this issue than they did.
Izzy and Violette's relationship is sweet. Violette kind of brings out a different side to Izzy, making her "the wise one" sort of.
I HAVE to ask, though...would you trust THIS PONY with your children?
I can TOTALLY see her charming the parents, though. Izzy's impossible not to like when she's at her best. The only qualification you need to be her friend is to EXIST! And even then, as Senior Butterscotch can attest, even if you don't exist yet, Izzy will bring you INTO existence just as a excuse to befriend you!
They also mention that Violette got her cutie mark during one of these classes. This just makes me wonder even more how cutie mark magic even worked before magic as a whole came back.
Izzy makes a offhand comment about how tall she's gotten. D'AWWWW!
"What's the matter, my little pony?" BOO!
Violette is VERY excitable! And fast enough to be in multiple places at once in a single panel! Her mother also calls her a bit of a "busypony", always getting into things. This is kind of important for a point I want to make later.
Oh, but Violette is being bullied by someone back home. And Izzy offers to knock some heads! (Not really)
Izzy starts showing Violette around Maretime Bay, and who's in the background but Posey? Yeah...let's get the counter warmed up, it's going to get a work out.
Posey IS kind of giving these two the side-eye. Whether that's because of Violette or because of the numerous things Izzy has done to her...who's to say?
"That's some GOOD eating!" I don't know if I'd trust those new-fangled fruit if I were you, Violette.
Heh, they even mention the events of the Make Your Mark episode "Growing Pains". This writer DID do research.
And Violette loses control of a water hose and sprays a random pony nearby. He DOES kind of freak out after he takes a good look at her. I thought MAYBE they were going to set up that the other ponies thought Violette was contagious or something, but they never do explain the freak out. This is the one moment where, yeah, maybe it IS discrimination.
Posey IS cowering after almost getting run over by the escaping random pony, though. The numerous times things have gone wrong for Posey has left her deeply scarred and expecting the worst count...1.
"Whoa, she's GLOWING!" I don't know why Sunny is in alicorn mode to make smoothies. I guess it makes good advertising, though.
And then Violette randomly falls into a fruit cart after tripping on her own tail and ends up making Posey slip on a banana peel. Posey can't even walk down the street without getting assaulted by shenanigans. Posey's rage is justified count: 1.
Posey calls Violette a "bad luck pony" and...she kind of has a point. Violette DOES have a tendency to be clumsy and/or careless throughout the issue. Look, Posey doesn't know this kid has a hang up about her coat-color. She seems to be judging her based on her actions. This is harsh judgment...but not totally unfair. I mean, this is Posey. Yelling is how she shows her love. And her hate. Mostly hate. You kind of have to get to know her to tell the difference.
And, here's the thing. Violette blames her coat color for this. "Everypony blames ME when bad things happen because I look different" This...had NOTHING to do with her coat-color. Posey didn't say anything about that. She just needs a tail-trim so she isn't tripping over herself. I don't know if this is the author being subtle and telling the audience not to use your skin color as a excuse but...this is part of the problem with the writing I'm talking about. I'm not totally sure what I should be taking from this.
And they actually DO go straight to Mane Melody to get a new mane style for Violette, so I think Izzy KNOWS what the problem was in that last scene.
"I can't BELIZZLE how cool this is!" "BELIZZLE IT!" Please stop saying "belizzle".
And then Izzy accidentally knocks the smoothie that Violette has precariously placed on the edge of a armrest and sends it flying...right to where Posey is. Seriously, Posey, when you see these people around why don't you just head for the hills?
Violette manages to catch the smoothie...while it's upside down. Making the smoothie spill all over the electrical outlet for a mane-dryer. Which...starts a fire...right next to Posey...*SIGH*. Posey's rage is justified count: 2.
Although, I have to wonder...should a smoothie be enough to start a fire? Is there something wrong with that electrical outlet? I mean...spilling water or something on a electrical outlet isn't a GOOD thing, but I don't think it usually starts fires right away. I guess it was probably hot from having the mane dryer plugged into it but...I'm overthinking this.
And then...Pipp starts calling Violette a bad luck pony, too. And that just feels wrong. She mentions that she doesn't allow food or drink in her salon...which I'm pretty sure is wrong, I think we've seen the Mane 5 eat and or drink in the salon before. But, Pipp SAW her come in with the smoothie, so why didn't she say anything then? Also, I know Pipp is stressed because her business is literally burning down in front of her, but it feels a bit out of character for her. Pipp agrees with Posey...ON PANEL! That just feels wrong.
But, again...this had nothing to DO with Violette's coat color...but she uses that as a excuse for why everyone's picking on her. So she runs away into a random alley.
Where she meets...ZEBRAS?! A zebra mom and her zebra daughter. I guess the zebras are just randomly back. I don't know if this is something coming up in MYM or TYT, but...it feels weird to have another "species" back without much fanfare.
This is a bit of a stranger-danger moment, but I guess we're ignoring that. The zebra mom tells Violette about how SHE tried to change her coat color to fit in with other ponies back in the day, too. So...the zebras have just always been around, I guess? Weird.
"That's a ZEBRA...she can take her stripes off, bandage you up like a mummy, and take all your shiny things!" ...You know, I kind of want to see how some of these G5 rumors about other races got started. There tends to be a grain of truth to these, which gets exaggerated over time. And we know Braze, the evil magical fire-zebra from the chapter books, DID exist, so I wonder if this has something to do with him. These ponies are VERY creative in their bigotry, at any rate.
The zebra mom tried to paint herself a different color so she'd fit in with the other ponies. The image of the zebra's paint running off in the rain is just heartbreaking,
The zebras reveal that there IS a magical potion they can make that can just change your coat color. Discrimination is solved by chemistry and eugenics!
"I need other unicorn friends, not someone who's weird like me!" Jeez, kid. I mean, I know she's just a kid, but...jeez!
Honestly, the zebra daughter calling Violette her "bestie" after only knowing her for five minutes is a little clingy.
So, Violette takes the potion that the zebras offer her...again, stranger danger problems, but oh well. And she turns all-black. Then checkered, zig zagged, waves, hearts, spots, stripes, and diamonds. They get very creative with the karmic backlash here.
"Don't look at that...that..THING!" Wow, the random pony mom must REALLY have a deep hatred for patchwork quilt toys or Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls.
Pipp does apologize for yelling at a child. So all is right in the world.
Izzy's into Violette's new look. And there's a reason for that...because she's been working with the zebras to teach Violette a VERY circuitous lesson about being happy with who you are. Wow...Izzy's a chessmaster in this issue. I honestly didn't see that coming.
Violette does get a new mane do, with a couple of new streaks in her hair, though. So...I guess the lesson is be happy with who you are...but still conform to pony beauty standards? It's a bit of a mixed lesson, if you think about it. The kid DID need a haircut though.
And Violette and the zebra daughter become best friends. Making friends is so easy when you're a kid. *SIGH*
Oh, and then Sunny suddenly drop this random bit of lore from a book she just so happened to be carrying around. Apparently, long ago, there was ANOTHER tribe called the Paint Ponies, who had "artistic magical healing properties", who hid themselves away long ago, and wanted to make a paradise but all the other ponies were MEAN so they went extinct. And Sunny suggests to the kid that she might be one of their descendants. That's...terribly irresponsible of Sunny, really. You're going to give that kid a complex. They do sound like a sub-line of the toys that I'm forgetting, though.
And the issue ends with Violette and Izzy sharing a hug and telling her she's great the way she is. Again, D'AWWW!
So, yeah, I have some issues with some of the plot, but otherwise it's a pretty solid issue. Really, Violette's lesson shouldn't have been "be happy with who you are" it probably SHOULD have been "try to be a little more careful"? The main reason she seems to get into so many problems is because she's a little clumsy and either panics or doesn't think things through. She went to a stranger's house without ANY sort of supervision! Things could have gotten a LOT darker in this issue than they did.
Izzy and Violette's relationship is sweet. Violette kind of brings out a different side to Izzy, making her "the wise one" sort of.
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