My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #16 Review


The final part in this two-part book saga has arrived. Does it go out on a high note? It’s definitely insanely fun but with a climax I didn’t care for too much.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

The literary madness continues as the Bookworm burrows deeper into everypony’s favorite books! As more stories come to life, the only chance our ponies will have to save the day is to write their own version of the tale! Can their collaboration get on the same page? Read on! 

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I didn’t dislike the previous issue, I just thought it could have been written a lot better. (There was some odd continuity errors too.) Despite that, Daring Do and the Bookworm proved to be great enough inclusions to anticipate the next part. Longtime fans of pop culture and literature readers will get a kick out of the references and parodies. I just wish they would have kept the Bookworm as a rampaging monster, not every villain has to have a heroic ending.

Heather Nuhfer definitely writes a better story with this one. The dialogue is great, but it’s the book worlds the ponies enter that prove the most fun. Want to see them in the USS Enterprise, complete with the uniforms and dialogue we’re so used to hearing in Star Trek? Someone needs to commission a Star Pony series right now. While I wasn’t too pleased with Twilight’s portrayal previously, she’s pretty cool here. I particularly like the scene where she talked to the Bookworm. Sadly, the latter ends up being a disappointment. He got a considerable amount of hype in the previous issue when the Queen pony said, “The Beast is ready to emerge.” He was great in this issue when he appeared in his butterfly super-form eating the various pages. But sadly he descends into being a bit on the cheesy side. It would have been much more satisfying if he were truly an evil rampaging talking monster. First Hoofbeard was revealed to be a good guy, and now this monster. And also sadly despite being advertised, Daring Do didn’t get to do much, it’s a true shame.

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Amy Mebberson’s art is growing on me, but I don’t think it’s quite ‘there’ yet. It’s not bad but sometimes the characters’ faces look a little strange. The main cover by Mebberson is a solid piece depicting the Bookworm and the ponies. (Notice Twilight’s Harry Potter outfit?) Cover B by Sara Richard is more unique, though both are equally good covers. The RI by Ben Bates is a must for Daring Do fans. As for store exclusive variants, none can deny Jetpack’s Princess Luna superhero cover.

Overall, Issue 16 of MLP is definitely a better read than its previous installment. I’m still disappointed with the turn of events regarding the Bookworm, he would have been so much cooler as a beast. Sadly, despite being quite an interesting character, the Queen sadly didn’t get to do much, same with Daring Do. But despite all of that, the comic still earns a nice enough rating due to being really fun. Seriously, nothing beats ponies…in space!

4/5

fourstar

 


Daniel is a huge fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. His favorite is Fluttershy and you can follow him on Twitter: @Destroyer_199

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