My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #21 Review

Are you ready for a mystery My Little Pony style? The always amazing series returns with a fun start to the new arc.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Some of our favorite Ponyville residents, including Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, visit Manehattan to see Trixie’s biggest magic trick yet: making the famous Ostlerheimer Diamond disappear!

Only one thing goes wrong: the diamond disappears for real! All hoofs point to Trixie as the culprit, but not everything is as it seems in this magical Manehattan mystery!

After the grand epic ‘Reflections,’ it’s a nice change of pace to have a more simple story. And what better way than to have it in Manehattan? It’s also an interesting decision to only feature Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy of the Mane 6. This opens up some pretty interesting dynamics with Trixie. Fans of Babs Seed will also enjoy this issue; it’s nice to have Apple Bloom interacting with her cousin in the latter’s hometown. By the end of the issue you will be greatly intrigued and guessing who exactly Rough Diamond is even after you close the comic.

Ted Anderson crafts a unique story right from the opening page. We’ll put to the side why Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy would journey all the way to Manehattan to watch Trixie perform since the story is pretty interesting. Trixie has long reformed; it’s great to see her more heroic nature now. Anderson writes her with much pizzazz and emotion. In fact, he writes all of the ponies incredibly. Since there’s no Twilight in the story, Applejack has taken charge, which is awesome to see. Of course, one cannot forget to mention Apple Bloom and Babs Seed. Fans were disappointed to learn that the latter wouldn’t be in Season 4, so it’s good to see her and her cousin from Ponyville interacting. The actual mystery is obviously the best part and should end up going down as an MLP classic, right up there with ‘MMMystery on the Friendship Express.’

Agnes Garbowska’s art is always nice to look at with its distinctive style. Trixie in particular benefits from it, displaying her usual cunning demeanor and also genuine emotion. The main cover by Garbowska is a solid piece depicting exactly what you get within. Cover B by Bill Forster is a more unique piece, not necessarily better but offers a nice alternative. The RI by Mary Bellamy however is easily the most stunning. While technically not having anything to do with the actual story, it’s a must have for Fluttershy fans.

Overall, a very solid start to the mystery. Trixie fans will definitely want to pick this up; her role is great. The setting and character choices are truly unique.  If you enjoyed ‘MMMystery on the Friendship Express ,’ you will love this comic.