Comic review: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic issue 22

This is officially Cover A, in spite of not saying so on the front

The first half of this two-issue arc was pretty solid and gained an 8/10 score from me. Nothing stupendously amazing, but it told a fun story in a reasonably well realised Manehattan with an unusual subset of the ponies we all know. So, is this second comic going to be one of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic classics, or will the story end up being a dud? Follow me past the break to find out!

This isn't going to be the longest of reviews, mostly because I'm horrendously busy at the moment trying to get some real-life stuff sorted out before BUCK. However, I did enjoy this comic. I thought it was a good conclusion to the little arc, and although the denouement wasn't all that original, it was written (and drawn!) pretty nicely. It felt like a good, solid entry in the comic series, and one which I can't see many people outright hating.

"You're a good girl, Babs. Here's half a crown for your piggy bank."

I was particularly pleased – and, in fact, a little bit touched – by the relationship between Babs and Trixie. They've both been through similar experiences as ponies who've started out making themselves unpopular, but come to see the error of their ways. I'd actually be rather amused to see a Trixie/Babs Friends Forever issue one day, although I doubt it's going to happen.

Why not lasers? "MMMystery..." had them in the Con Mane sequence

Equestria Daily. They called the newspaper, in a Trixie-centric story, Equestria Daily. As Ted Anderson reveals, that was Agnes Garbowska's idea. Much as I roll my eyes at the thought of Seth getting even more obsessed with Trixie, I can't deny that this was a clever and funny reference. There were apparently several references to real parts of New York in there, too, but those aren't things I'd notice.

So, yes. I can't say that this arc will be one for the ages, but it was more than adequate. The interplay between the characters was nice, the writing was solid, and even the human poses seemed to have calmed down a bit this time. Interesting that Anderson said he'd have given Rough Diamond a backstory if he'd had the space; perhaps we'll see her in the comics again one of these days...

Yays

• A solid, enjoyable adventure with a decent ending
• Good characterisation throughout
• Some clever, fun references and jokes

Neighs

• Nothing all that special
• I think we've had enough Trixie for a while, thank you

8/10