My Little Pony: Friends Forever #6 Review

Friends Forever is finally back! The last one featured Fluttershy and Zecora while this one stars somepony Great and Powerful and the fastest flier in all of Equestria! Is Issue #6 another solid read? It’s definitely a lot of fun and a nice reminder of how great MLP is with the absence of new episodes.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

The newest Friends Forever features Trixie & Rainbow Dash! Trixie finds herself the queen of a new kingdom and calls on Rainbow Dash to wow her subjects with some amazing flying stunts. However Trixie has a hidden agenda. When Rainbow discovers the truth, just how much of a friend will she want to be?

It’s been awhile since we last saw The Great and Powerful Trixie. Her last appearance was in the Season 3 episode, ‘Magic Duel’ where in the end she’s more along the lines of a good pony as opposed to troublemaker. She was absent in the latest season, so it’s likely she’ll appear at some point in the upcoming fifth season. Fans of her will definitely want to pick this comic up to see what she’s up to. Not only that, but the story itself is a fun read. Who would have thought Rainbow Dash and Trixie could make such a great team?

Thomas F. Zahler actually wrote the previous issue, so it’s surprising to see him on the very next one. He crafts a tale that is a much more engaging read than #5. For one thing, nopony is out of characteer. (Fluttershy suffered greatly in this regard from that issue.) The only negative character-wise would be the Diamond Dogs’ dumbness is a bit over-played. It is also a little surprising that nopony inquired about the queen Rainbow Dash was talking about in the opening part, seemed like something Twilight would be greatly interested in. But it’s a minor thing in the long-run, the comic truly begins when Rainbow meets Trixie in the kingdom of Dimondia.

Trixie no longer retains her ultra-stuck-up persona seen in her original episode appearance and most of ‘Magic Duel.’ This issue gives us a nice look at her character now. She makes for a pretty fun-to-read protagonist. Based on the writing, she seems to be a mixture of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. If she’ll be like that in the show from now on, it would be pretty awesome. Rainbow Dash remains solid throughput, never going to far into her “I’m the best!” persona. The Diamond Dogs were at first fun to have been brought back, plus it’s great how it connects with the Season 1 episode, ‘A Dog and Pony Show.’ The story moves along nicely, with an ineresting plot twist the summary is careful to avoid. The art by Agnes Garbowska has a distinctive style that works great for the story, and MLP in general. Trixie in some shots has never looked more adorable! The main cover by Zahler is quite a standout piece, easily the best one you can pick up. The Subscription variant by Garbowska is pretty humorous, but ultimately nothing can beat the fantastic main cover.

Overall, the sixth issue of Friends Forever contains a very fun story. This is Trixie’s first big comic book apperance, and it’s a great one. It shows that she can work as a solid protagonist instead of a stuck-up antagonist. Fans of the Diamond Dogs (if they have any) will be rather disappointed by their portrayal. Why is it that only Jim seems competent? Nonetheless, there’s no real reason not to buy this comic.