My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic enters a new arc with #21 this week. We are also switching up creative teams again—this time bringing in writer Ted Anderson and artist Agnes Garbowska—and the arc will feature fan favorite character the Great and Powerful Trixie, the pony with the biggest ego of them all. What’s in store for us? Is it good?
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #21 (IDW Publishing)
Applejack, Rarity, and a few others are visiting Manehattan to see a big performance by none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie, who seems to have really turned her life around after all the trouble she caused in the past. During the show, she performs her biggest and probably silliest trick of them all, making the Ostlerheimer Diamond disappear in a rather weird way. And she does manage to make it disappear… but where it went exactly is a whole other story.
Well, it look like someone isn’t ready for some magic.
Personally, I enjoyed reading the issue. It’s not my personal favorite or the best issue I’ve read in the series, but there’s definitely a lot to like here. The first thing to note is that this is a sort of sequel to the Friends Forever issue that involved Trixie last month. It essentially continues her tale here in a more character growth sort of way. Where we last saw Trixie in the series and where she is now, she’s definitely grown and matured more. She still has her boastful attitude and ego, but she’s not rude, mean or looking down on others anymore. It’s essentially nice as a fan to see a character you like grow and develop, especially since it makes sense with what Trixie has grown into.
As for the story and the rest of the writing itself, it’s solid. Outside of the fact that solicitations essentially give everything about the plot away, it’s a decent and enjoyable little tale. The characters feel in character for the most part, and have some good lines and moments to them. The writing mechanics are fine as well, except for one scene that has an awkward transition that feels rushed. I honestly had to check to make sure I didn’t skip a page while reading it. It’s also not very funny like previous issues, though it did have some moments.
I don’t think the trick was successful. Like only three people cheered ma’am.
The artwork is much more definitely than previous arcs had and that’s mostly due to the coloring on the book. It’s not as flat or simple as the show or the other comics done, giving it a different flavor and feel to it. It works, since the coloring isn’t bad at all, and helps with the visuals here. The pencil work here is just fine, with decent and dynamic layouts used here and some pretty great facial expressions on the characters. Overall, it’s different from the usual artists you get for the series, but still good overall.
Is It Good?
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #21 is an enjoyable little start for this mini-arc, bringing in an old fan favorite to focus on and a different style of art as well. It doesn’t have the same amount of laughs as previous issues, but for fans of Trixie who are looking for a much more relaxing arc after that big one, you’ll certainly fine plenty to enjoy here.
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