IDW G5 #3

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
Previously...on My Little Pony...
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And NOW for the exciting continuation of....
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Oh...um...yeah...right...sure...I guess we're taking a little break from our regularly scheduled apocalypse for a little story about Zipp and Cloudpuff.

Seriously, though, this was fine. It's a bit of a step down from the artist for the past two issues, but the art's still fine. And story is...routine but not poorly done. It's a perfectly acceptable issue.

For those curious, according to solicitations the Discord plot will likely continue in issue #6. In November. *SIGH*

But, seriously, I actually do like that even Zipp kind of wants to find out more about Discord and is kind of brushing off her day-to-day life a little. It's a cute way to sympathize with the fans who might be feeling the same way. Yes, fine, it's important to do slice of life stuff, too.

It's just that...without the Pegasus Crystal, magic SHOULD be glitching still. And it probably won't be for these non-main issues. Understandable, but I was halfway expecting to at least have the Mane 5 get the Pegasus Crystal back in this issue, somehow, just so they wouldn't have to address that.

For the art...sometimes I feel like this artist doesn't use space very well. I feel like there's a lot of "wide" "empty" panels where it feels like there isn't much going on in the background, or that the panels themselves COULD be smaller to get more story in here. It's not bad, but they're just not utilizing page space as well as they COULD be. The first two pages and the last two also feel a little tacked on...but that's probably because they WERE so they would flow better with the previous story.

Izzy suggests using Discord's luminescence to find him, and notes it looks like a rainbow. Interesting, given how depressed he was. Just his varied, capricious personality, or is it because of chaos magic? Also...is it Luminescence or Sparkle? They've been using both. Is there a difference, like chakras and auras? Are the writers just using two different series bibles? What's going on here? My headcanon is basically that Luminescence is INTERNAL and produces Sparkle which is more external. Luminescence is the light bulb, Sparkle is the light it produces.

The Queen puts Zipp in charge of watching Cloudpuff instead of Pipp. She really does see her as the responsible one.

Also, the Queen is going to a Unity Summit. Either the rulers of the different tribes are doing this on their own, or it's something that might come up in the CGI or TYT series later. Also, this sounds VERY similar to the Convocation of Creatures from the G4 IDW comics.

Cloudpuff is one seriously spoiled dog.

It must be pajama day for the guardponies...

Cloudpuff is either talented enough to make a decoy for himself, that's a toy he has of himself, or he's charismatic enough to get someone to do it for him. I'm not sure which.

Also note: Zipp seems worried about her mom NOT wanting her to be Queen. Probably just a bit of a error by the writer, but still, you could spin this so that she still wants her mom to trust her, at least.

*Hitch stops a pony from galloping in a trotting zone* Hitch...glorified hall monitor.

Hmm...Zipp specifically calls Hitch when she has a problem...the shippers are going to have fun with this.

It seems like Cloudpuff has a more active social life than we had any reason to think.

The pretty pony posting promotions with a popular puppy is presumptuous in producing prepositions, pronouns, and prefixes...She likes alliteration is the point.

I'm not sure if the cave wall not being visible unless you go low really makes sense here. I get it's supposed to be a optical illusion, but it feels like you'd have to have no depth perception to miss it.

How DID Cloudpuff find this waterfall in the first place? Usually, the Queen doesn't let him out of her sight. And almost no one but Zipp was shown to leave the city.

Also...it's really, REALLY hard to feel bad for Cloudpuff here. He doesn't get the exact food he wants so...he just goes out on his own anyway. He could have come back anytime he wanted, but just wanted to pout. It's not like Zipp was even being selfish, she's literally trying to save magic for everyone right now. This is near Angel Bunny levels of being spoiled, here.

*Everybody laughs in the ending* Next issue, we find out Discord replaced all the air in Equestria with laughing gas.
 
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CoffeeHorse

*sip*
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
This one hurts because up until now the art has been a saving grace. This is rough.

The grand prize in bad art goes to:

Hitch and Zipp winking at each other with the wrong eyes. It it is physically impossible for them to see that they're winking at each other. They're really winking at everyone but each other. That can't be what the script said.

Otherwise, this could have been a TYT episode. Unfortunately this is a comic book and TYT is a free YouTube show. This should have been more dense, but modern comic books gonna modern comic book.

But on the very bright side,

Hitch and Zipp are the first to get a duo issue. IDW got the memo.
 

Dvandom

Well-known member
Citizen
I mean...they didn't just cut to a complete filler story that takes place before or after the main plot, at least. I was kinda worried that they'd do that. At least the plot is still there, just sort of spinning its wheels.

---Dave
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
I didn't mean to make it sound like it was COMPLETE filler in the non-spoilered part of my post. It's actually kind of thematically relevant, with Zipp wanting to get on with the adventure, but basically having to wait....just like the audience. It's actually slightly clever.

Even the artwork isn't THAT bad. I've seen worse in the G4 IDW comics. I'm just being nitpicky. We got a little spoiled in the first two issues.

I'm just...frustrated that they seem to be taking a 6 part story and doling it out over the course of a year.
 

Swerve

Life of the Party
Citizen
I mean this type of thing was standard in FIM. We have a big epic season opener...and several fun little stories...then back to the big epic stuff. Threw me off though after two issues clearly tying the new ponies to the previous version.
 

CoffeeHorse

*sip*
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Make Your Mark also spun its wheels a lot, and I was okay with it because I enjoy downtime with this cast. And this issue focused on the best pair.

I don't know. I feel like I should like this issue more than I do. It juist left me cold somehow.
 

Dvandom

Well-known member
Citizen
I think part of the problem was that it was really an 8-10 page side story embedded in an issue that was otherwise spinning its wheels on the main plot. So it didn't really have room to be more than a "check the boxes" sort of quickie tale, and couldn't do enough to overcome the ennui of the rest of the issue.

---Dave
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
It's not just us. The actual target demographic ALSO has issues with this story structure.


I read this comic with my 4-year-old. While she enjoyed it, she commented, “Weren’t we looking for Discord, though?” Don’t get me wrong, my daughter is obsessed with the comic book and the fandom, but it was enough to notice.
 

CoffeeHorse

*sip*
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
A lot of creators refuse to notice this, but kids totally get storytelling, and their attention spans are better than ours.
 

Agent X

Kreon Bastard
Citizen
I do like how before the left the salon, the clerk offered some mane wax before they left, and Hitch's mane is sparkley in the next panel.
 

CoffeeHorse

*sip*
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Little details like that help.

If this issue had come out later, without any mention of the framing story, it might have been fine.
 


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