My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #18 Review

Part Two of the epic ‘Reflections‘ has finally arrived. Was it worth the wait? MLP fans are going to really enjoy this comic.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

‘Reflections’ Part 2. As long kept Canterlot secrets are revealed, the Ponies find a way into a new world. A world where things are very different, yet also very much the same! What role does King Sombra play in this world? The fate of both Equestria and the new world may depend on him! 

Elseworlds tales are always fun to read. In another dimension the Joker might be the hero while Batman is the psychopath. It’s interesting to see what a writer can do with a story taking place in another reality. This issue has the ponies (and Spike!) go through the prototype mirror, which leads to a nightmarish world where Princess Celestia and Luna are the bad guys…and King Sombra is good! If that doesn’t sound like an interesting story, I don’t know what does.

Katie Cook continues to prove why she’s the most fun writer to have on the book. She magnificently crafts an elseworlds Equestria. Trixie as the element of humility? Queen Chrysalis as the element of love?? Derpy as the element of wisdom??? Those are just the tip of the iceberg. All of the ponies are written very well. It’s little things such as Applejack commenting to Rainbow wondering how Pinkie gets random things out of nowhere that make this such an entertaining read for longtime fans.

Andy Price’s art is once again great. It’s hard to say anything without sounding redundant, so I’ll say this: he can draw some pretty ‘mean’ versions of Celestia and Luna. The main cover by Price is a nice general one, which will inter-connect with the next issue’s cover. Cover B by Sabrina Alberghetti has a nice concept, but the ponies look just weird, so it’s hard to call it a great piece. The RI by Sara Richard might be the best, it looks epic.

Overall, ‘Reflections’ continues to be the most intriguing My Little Pony story yet. By the end, it could very well be the best. The writing is great, it’s a serious tale but packs a lot of great humor. If you aren’t reading this arc, then what are you reading?