My Little Pony: Friends Forever #15 Review


Applejack teams up with the Mayor in this issue of Friends Forever! How does it fare? Let’s take a look.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

After getting an erroneous citation, Applejack goes to Ponyville City Hall to set things right! She soon finds herself swept up in the chaos of city government thanks to none other than Mayor Mare! Will Applejack be able to escape with her sanity intact?

Mayor Mare is technically one of the more interesting characters. Being basically the leader of Ponyville, one would think she would have a bit more of a presence in the show. I think this actually might be her first starring role in the comics. The issue was definitely fun, though some of that fun is due to its rather bizzare-ness. For one thing, there’s one glaring continuity error which is so amazingly bad one has to wonder how it got through. And of course seeing Applejack take charge of the Ponyville government for a day is worth the price alone.

MyLittlePonyFF15-covSUBWe usually see Bobby Curnow as the editor on these comics, so it’s interesting to see him be the main writer. (The last time was all the way back in the Micro-Series #3!) Once again he returns to Applejack and gives her a solid, even great portrayal. Appejack is a leader, much like Twilight, so it was fantastic to see her in this role here in the government. Let’s talk now about Mayor Mare. This brings us to this glaring continuity error: Applejack talks with the Mayor as if they’ve never met, even exchanging full names! This doesn’t make any sense, since the two clearly have a history as evidenced in the episode, ‘The Last Roundup.’ The bizarre thing is that since Curnow has always been the editor one would think this wouldn’t happen with him being the writer. Now if this story was supposed to take place before Season 2, it would be fine. But since “Princess Twilight Sparkle” is mentioned, this continuity error just can’t be ignored.

Not only that, but Rarity apparently works for the government. Neither Applejack nor Rarity gave any type of recognition to each other, which is strange. Really the entire government structure of Ponyville is basically in shambles. I understand that it was meant for comedic relief, but in the grand scheme of things it just doesn’t make sense. Anyways, let’s talk art. Brenda Hickey delivers some fantastic visuals; this could be her best issue yet. The main cover by Amy Mebberson is solid, showcasing Applejack’s frustration perfectly. I personally like the subscription variant by Brenda more; it perfectly captures the essence of the comic as we see how enthusiastic Mayor Mare is.

Overall, a solid issue of Friends Forever. The storyline is unique and fun, though as of course evidenced above there is blatant disregard for continuity, which is very strange. Still, I don’t think we’ll see Applejack holding a position in office again anytime soon, so check out this comic!

OUR RATING
7.5
  • +Applejack taking charge in the government was great
  • +Cool Mayor Mare backstory
  • -Disregard for continuity
  • -The Ponyville government is too comedic to be believable

S#!T Talking Central