My Little Pony: Friends Forever #16 Review

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon take center stage in this issue of Friends Forever! How does it fare? Let’s take a look.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon see those obnoxious blank flanks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, threaten to win a school contest, they decide go all out to make sure the best ponies win! (Being themselves, of course!)

To be completely honest, I had zero hopes for this story. Why? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon don’t serve any purpose other than to be stereotypical bullies. A comic might have explored them nicely, but really since it can’t technically have any hold on the show, in the long run it almost wouldn’t matter if the writing tried to deepen them. Somehow however the story is actually pretty entertaining. While nothing really changes by the end, it’s still a fun little adventure.

Jeremy Whitley writes the two friends basically the same as they appear in the show, but with just a little more character. This could have been technically a Cutie Mark Crusaders story, but ultimately they’re the side characters. Those hoping to see what a story would be from the bullies’ point of view, the issue pretty much delivers. We learn that Diamond Tiara lies to her dad about who the bullies are in school. Sadly, we don’t get any real insight into Silver Spoon. The narration by Diamond is interesting because she actually does consider spoon to be her best friend which, ignoring for a fact she’s mean, is pretty sweet. While the side characters all add to the story, a major highlight was “Prancy Drew.” She was written very well. Hopefully she pops up again sometime in the future.

The art by Jenn Blake is very good throughout. Almost every panel looks great, with the only exception being where some of the Mane 6 look greatly out of proportion next to the Crusaders. The main cover by Amy Mebberson might actually be one of her more stunning works. It’s bright, detailed, and quite shining. The subscription variant by Jenn is more in-tune with art style of the comic, which is great in its own right.

Overall, a solid issue. Despite the focuses being perhaps the most annoying duo in the show, (actually, they’re probably better than Snips & Snails) the story runs very smoothly. Most people aren’t fans of Diamond and Spoon, and this issue won’t likely change any minds. Still, it’s a nice look at the friendship the two have. Almost all the other characters are great, from Prancy Drew to the Crusaders. Surprisingly this will go down as one of the more notable “Friends Forever” issues.