Let me first say that I’m not the best person to ask about the My Little Pony franchise. I’m not 100% if the ponies from the future are how they are normally presented in the cartoons and comics or not. But I was interested in IDW’s idea to have future and past meet in this all-ages friendly comic. Thus, is why I choose to review it.
So, let’s take a trip to the land of Equestria as Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and the rest of your favorite ponies travel back in time! If I get something wrong in my plot synopsis, please forgive me and bear through it. Here it goes…
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 20/20 One-Shot
Written by Ted Anderson
Art by Toni Kuusisto
Colors by Heather Breckel
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages: 25 plus ads
Cover Price: $4.99
Rainbow Dash is about to perform her famous sonic rainbow maneuver for a crowd of dignitaries when she is struck by lightning! Don’t worry- she’s fine. But the incident causes Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to be sent 20 years into the past!
Immediately, each adult pony meets their younger selves. In order to get back to the right time, all of the friends are going to have to find their missing ‘elements of harmony.’ But that’s going to be difficult as none of the fillies have met each other yet! How is this going to affect the timeline? Each pony and their younger selves are going to need an extra dose of magic to make things right again! Good thing friendship is magic!
Writer Ted Anderson played it smart by making this special a book that both new and old fans of My Little Pony can enjoy. But I think he could have gone a little further and added possibly a small tutorial or glossary of terms here. There are some elements that don’t make a lot of sense to a newcomer to the franchise such as myself.
For instance, a character in the story notices that the older version of herself has wings. It’s hinted that when the ponies get to a certain age and social status, they can get these new appendages. But it’s not really explained how. Yes- knowing too much about the timeline is used as an excuse to gloss over this. But I am still left wondering how a pony becomes a Pegasus!?
The one thing that Ted Anderson did not do very well is explain where this one-shot special falls in with the rest of the My Little Pony comics from IDW. These anniversary specials are supposed to go either 20 years into the future and 20 years into the past. For all I know, this comic did both. Does the book start 20 years ahead of when the regular series occurs and the characters go 40 years back in time? I would have appreciated a little more clarification on that.
Despite the unfamiliar territory, this special was an enjoyable book. Just because I didn’t understand everything that was going on that I do not notice that this is still a comic book of high quality. This book was made especially for the fans by attempting to bridge generations. With great art by Toni Kuuisisto and a wondrous pastel palette by Heather Breckel, this has the look and feel of My Little Pony.
I even appreciate that with a franchise like My Little Pony, the creators tried very hard to obey the rules of time travel. Not everyone can do going back and forth in time very well. Anderson and Kuusisto got it right to a point that even Doc Brown wouldn’t be able to find any flaws with the quantum mechanics of it all!
There’s absolutely nothing objectionable in this book. Fans of My Little Pony of any age or gender will enjoy this read. The concept of time travel might need some explaining to really young readers. But, then again, some kids have a better grasp on physics than adults do. One thing new readers of any age might need is a more experience fan of the ponies to explain the character dynamics and social constructs of Equestria a little better.
The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 20/20 One-Shot debuted in print and digital media on January 23rd, 2019.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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