My Little Pony returns with a new arc and new creative team. Does it continue to be the most amazing comic series ever?

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Attention, everypony!

Get ready for another unforgettable adventure in the land of Equestria!

Twilight Sparkle and gang are confronted with a perilous new danger in the form of a long-unseen enemy!

See how the Magic of Friendship prevails in the start of a brand new story arc!

With The Return of Chrysalis story over, we move on to something fresh and completely different. In fact, there are zero references to the previous arc, so any new reader can jump aboard without having to worry about missing anything. This story has a very cool concept that’s probably been seen in the many fan fics, the return of Nightmare Moon. The catch? It’s not Luna…it’s somepony else. This first part does an excellent job establishing the plot with some very interesting stuff regarding the legacy of Nightmare Moon.

Heather Nufer takes over writing duties from Katie Cook. There is no such thing as better here, both fully capture the characters. The difference I’ve noticed is that Nufer seems to prefer a more serious story as opposed to the comedy Cook injects throughout. You may not be laughing as much, but that’s fine since the story is very interesting. Here we have Twilight not understanding why she’s being struck with nightmares, soon she sees all of her friends have the same problem. It was interesting to see what the Ponies’ worst nightmares are. (I especially liked Applejack’s.) A highlight of course is Princess Luna, it is awesome how she’ll be a major player here. The writing captures her rather glum outlook on things well. The flashback to Friendship is Magic was nice, plus we also get to hear some interesting things about when she was under the guise of Nightmare Moon. Also Rarity was awesome in the final few pages.

Amy Mbberson takes over art duties from Andy Price. It is virtually identical, which makes sense since IDW wouldn’t want to disrupt the balance of the way the Ongoing look. It’s not quite as ‘fun’ as Price’s style, but it makes sense since this story is more plot-based with less comedy. The facial expressions are still great. Like always, the covers are nothing short of awesome. The main one by Stephanie Buscema (whom is becoming my favorite MLP cover artist) does a very nice one with all of the Mane 6 plus Spike. Cover B is an artistic one showcasing Rarity, love it. The RI is something fans will like, showcasing Luna and her sister. There are also some store exclusive variants. Midtown’s definitely wins with its homage to The Crystal Empire.

Overall, the new arc of My Little Pony starts out very nicely. It’s not quite as fun as the previous one yet, but I think its aiming to be a grander story. Character portrayals are excellent and who doesn’t enjoy seeing Princess Luna? With its dark ending, I’ll be looking forward to the next issue.

4/5

My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.