The highly anticipated My Little Pony #4 is finally here. Sadly this series has apparently been cursed with delays, this is the second time that’s happened. This is the final installment in The Return of Queen Chrysalis arc. Looking back, the story was established very well. Of course, the majority of readers are watchers of the hit cartoon, but it’s also written so that new fans can enjoy it. Season 3 of the cartoon is finished, now we have to wait some months for 4…so we could use this comic series, right? This issue doesn’t disappoint. It has a great climatic showdown, Twilight Sparkle being awesome, and some pretty fun pop culture references for older readers to catch.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Their epic quest nearing its end, the Mane 6 reach the Changeling Kingdom and find themselves at the mercy of Queen Chrysalis! A sinister offer threatens to tear the group apart before they can save the day. Will friendship prevail over the Queen’s nefarious plan?

The Mane 6 have arrived in the Changeling Kingdom. In it they face some interesting perils through six different doors. Finally, Twilight comes face to face with the Queen herself. Can the Purple Unicorn defeat this monster? Or will she be forced to give up to save her friends? Katie Cook goes all out with Queen Chrysalis here. She is written as an evil villain, but also has the most funny scenes  Obviously the big thing of this issue is the showdown between her and Twilight, and it delivers. The dialogue is great as we see Twilight fall and rise. One might debate how she was able to combat the Queen all on her own, but love and friendship is magic as she says. The rest of the Mane 6 don’t have many memorable moments when compared to the previous issues, it’s mainly about Twilight’s confrontation and her speech. Still, character portrayals are great. Applejack and Rainbow Dash all set and ready to fight the Changelings was on the dot, as was Fluttershy’s timidness. You can really hear the voices in your head as you read. There are also some really cool references, my personal favorite being Ghost Busters where apparently according to Princess Celestia a gigantic marshmallow pony attacked Manehattan. (There’s also another great reference to that creepy horror movie with the twin girls.)

Andy Price never fails with his style of art. The wings on the Pegasuses may be a bit over exaggerated, but you gotta love the reactions on the characters. Queen Chrysalis gets the props, from looking evil to just plain funny. But the true standout? There’s a really amazing splash page with Twilight and the Queen going at it, easily the best page in the series yet. (It’s so good that Dynamic Forces uses it as their variant.) There are three covers as usual. The main one is pretty good, having everypony plus Spike. Twilight never fails with her annoyed expression. Cover B is more traditional for fans of the show. We have Rainbow Dash with her pet turtle Tank and Pinkie Pie in the background holding some kind of pastry. The RI is the most dynamic and true to the story. It has a very cool shot of Queen Chrysalis laughing manically while the Mane 6 struggle in this green goo. (The expressions are priceless, especially Rarity’s.) Like always with these Pony comics, there are plenty of store exclusive variants, so go ahead and pick your favorites, mine might be Dynamic Forces just cause that page with Twilight and the Queen is unbeatable. There’s also a short backup story by Katie Cook. It’s cool because we finally see what Princess Celestia has been up to and why it took awhile for her to get there. (Spike fans will enjoy it.)

Overall, a fine conclusion to the first arc of the My Little Pony Ongoing. From this point on Twilight and Queen Chrysalis will be known as sworn enemies. And I don’t how many other readers have noticed it, but lately there has been this mysterious background pony. Later in the issue as the Mane 6 talk to Princess Celestia you see this thing lone in the background, this is about the third time. Mysterious and creepy pony aside, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Ongoing has in store. IDW has a very good thing on the stands, I hope to see this series for a long time.

4.5/5

My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.