My Little Pony: Friends Forever #13 Review

The first My Little Pony comic of the year is here! Does it start 2015 well? Let’s take a look.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

When Sweetie Belle gets sick, it’s up to big sis Rarity to entertain Babs Seed on a visit to Manehattan. The only problem is the two seemingly have nothing in common! Will the two find a way to overcome their differences and find a way to have fun in the big city?

It feels like forever since Season 4 of the show ended. In fact, at this point it feels kinda surreal we’ll be getting another season in a few months. The comics for the most part have made the wait bearable. The main series has been consistently good and Friends Forever, while not as consistent, has been solid. This issue sees Rarity have a day in the city with Babs Seed. This my friend is how you start out a year of ponies.

Jeremy Whitley crafts a great Manehattan-story. Sadly, Babs Seed hasn’t had any role since “Apple Family Reunion,” so it’s always nice to see her in the comics. In her debut episode “One Bad Apple” she makes mention that she would start a Manehattan branch of Cutie Mark Crusaders. This hasn’t been eluded to since until this issue. Hopefully in the future we’ll get to see this front and center. The main focus of the story here however is Rarity trying to have a good time with Babs. The message -which is nicely summarized in the end letter- is very good, describing the fact how friends have different hobbies and passions. The writing gets a thumbs up, though the editing department overlooked when Rarity said, “Some people are so overdramatic.” I can’t count how many times this error has been in the comics!

Agnes Garbowska’s art is nicely simple. It’s not zany like Andy Price’s work, but for this type of story the simplicity works better. The main cover by Amy Mebberson is solid, as well as the subscription variant by Agnes. They both showcase the story in different ways, so it’s up to the reader to decide which they like more: Rarity skating or Babs in a Rarity-style outfit.

Overall, one of, if not the best issue of Friends Forever yet. The writing is crisp, humorous, and with a great moral. The wait for Season 5 might be brutal, but with comics like this it’s hard to complain.