My Little Pony: Friends Forever #5 Review


Friends Forever is finally back! How does this issue fare? It’s not one of the best, but thanks to the unexpected plot twist it turned out to be memorable.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Fluttershy and Zecora take the spotlight in the new fan-favorite series! Fluttershy wakes up one day to find that all of her animal friends can talk to her!

But what secret are they hiding? It will be up to everyone’s favorite rhyming zebra to determine the nature of this strange occurrence!

MyLittlePonyFF05-cover

Season 4 of the show has sadly ended. Thankfully we have the comics to keep us company in the meantime. Friends Forever has been delivering for the most part quality stories. The main selling point is the ‘Marvel Team-Up’ premise. This time we have the unexpected duo of Fluttershy and Zecora. While not particularly great, it’s a pretty solid read with a cool plot twist.

Thomas F. Zahler returns for his second My Little Pony comic. His first was issue 1 of the Micro-Series, which starred Twilight Sparkle. It proved to be a well-written tale. There is however a problem that is evident in the first half of this comic: Fluttershy. She has never been known to give sarcastic remarks. One includes “Thanks, I feel so much better now.” The biggest culprit however is when she said, “Oh, great, now you’ve got me doing it.” Never in a million years would she say something like that. She was for the most part quite off. Zahler just didn’t write her well. Zecora on the other hand was a lot of fun. It’s a shame she’s rarely appeared in the comics.

The concept of the story is quite interesting. Fluttershy is always talking to her animals, but what if they could talk back? This type of thing would have made for a great episode. The conclusion was quite well-done. Technically, it’s the obvious answer, but the reader won’t realize that until the twist is unveiled. Tony Fleecs’ art is solid and matches the whimsical look of MLP. It’s very bright and welcoming. Cover A by Amy Mebberson is a good piece, and the RI by Brenda Hickey is a happy-looking alternative. The Subscription variant by Lea Hernadez, while somewhat less detailed than the other two, might actually be the best one. Its simplicity is very appealing!

Overall, a solid issue. Fluttershy and Zecora make for a pretty interesting combo. Sadly, the writing is a bit mixed. Fluttershy for most of the comic is out of character. Zecora was great, as was the plot twist at the end. While not the best Friends Forever issue, it’s still a nice read.

OUR RATING
7.5
+Cool story concept +Zecora was great +Fantastic plot twist -Fluttershy was extremely off

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