My Little Pony is finally back with a new arc starring Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh. Do we have another quality issue worthy of the Friendship is Magic name? While technically having the least ‘danger’ of the arcs, it’s one of the most fun ‘slice of life’ stories the franchise has seen.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

Everypony’s got a story to tell in this new arc by fan-favorites Katie Cook & Andy Price! The citizens of Ponyville take center stage as an ordinary morning for Big McIntosh quickly turns into an unexpected adventure! Filled with tons of colorful characters and side stories, this issue will put Big McIntosh’s typical bashfulness to the test!

Big Macintosh is one of the most popular side characters in the show. He really only speaks in the very early episode ‘Applebuck Season.’ After that the writers only gave him one of two lines as a running gag, “eeyup,” and “nope.” Despite having limited appearances, fans have a pretty good grip on his character, but there’s still plenty to explore. This arc is interesting cause it doesn’t starr any of the Mane 6. Some of them make cameos, but Big Mac is the focus. Some might be sketchy on how he would be able to hold his own for a whole comic, yet alone an arc. Any sketchiness can be put to rest, this comic is a heck lot of a fun hardcore fans will have a blast with.

Katie Cook, the writer responsible for the first arc of the series, returns. You can see in the dialogue her signature comedy tone. It greatly works, but one of the things I liked most about the writing was Big Mac’s narration. In theory it would be tricky to write a character that basically just has one-liners throughout the episodes, but she nails the dialogue, giving us a more in-depth look at how Mac sees things while staying true to his character. The story has him travel through Ponyville looking to buy some nails. It’s there where Cook gets to unleash her finest work for the fans. There’s plenty of stuff hardcore Bronies will catch, such as a short dialogue sequence between Derpy and Dr. Whooves. (I kid you not.) Big Mac’s walk through Ponyville gives us a very cool look at the town from a different perspective than we’re used to seeing. Some more highlights include Trixie, Zecora, and especially Luna’ s crazy but awesome appearance.

And once again, while the writing is very fun to read, it wouldn’t be the same without the art by Andy Cook. You can tell he’s having blast drawing these ponies, from the expressive faces to just about everything. It compliments the light tone of the story and is perfect for the comedy we all love. The main cover by Price is a pretty funny one that will probably be the fan favorite. Cover B however is quite awe-inspiring with its simplicity of having Big Mac standing on a hill looking at Ponyville, I like it a lot. Cutie Mark Crusaders fans will like the RI. As for store exclusive variants, nothing beats Comic Con’s exclusive covers, the first being a tribute to The Beatles Abbey Road and the other featuring Vinyl Scratch.

Overall, I was genuinely surprised by how great this issue turned out to be. I never doubted the team of Cook and Price, but it far exceeded my expectations for a Big Mac story. While Applejack’s brother is the star, it also gives us a pretty cool look at Ponyville and all its interesting inhabitants. Pony fans are going to definitely want to pick it up.

5/5

Daniel is a huge fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. His favorite is Fluttershy and you can follow him on Twitter: @Destroyer_199