My Little Pony: Friends Forever #21 Review


Spike and Zecora team up to save Ponyville in the latest issue of Friends Forever! How does it fare? Let’s take a look.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

A strange flu has descended over Ponyville! Only two friends find themselves immune? Spike and Zecora? Will the unusual pair be able to find a cure?

Twenty-one issues later and Friends Forever still manages to deliver unique team-ups. This one has Zecora and Spike join forces to save the citizens from a town-wide disease. The two might sound like a diverse pair, but the story brought up an interesting point many won’t think about until reading: the two are the only ones of their kind there. Spike is the only dragon in Ponyville, and Zecora is the only zebra nearby. With that in mind, it’s even more unique. It’s a fun tale, though plagued with a couple scenes of awkward dialogue.

Ted Anderson nicely establishes the story from the onset. Spike comes into Zecora’s house, worried and needing her help. The epidemic makes for an engaging plot because Zecora has experience in potions and the like. At the end of the day the writing makes it apparent that despite differences, friends are friends. Interestingly, I think this is the first time we really get to see how Zecora feels on a personal level. In the show for the most part she’s portrayed as this wise figure, so it was neat to see her like this. Though, this comes with the expense of some awful dialogue. For example, when Zecora finds out she’s not infected, she says to Spike that it’s “…not what I’d choose.” I get what the writing is going for in talking about being the odd one out in a group, but this is completely forced dialogue in favor of the moral.

Spike also has some extremely painful dialogue. “I’m a pony that doesn’t get sick like a pony!” Well Spike, you’re not a pony. I’m not sure what the writing is trying to get at by having Spike say, “I’ve always thought of myself as a pony, not a dragon” because that’s just awful dialogue. Agnes Garbowska delivers the visuals this time, with solid coloring by Lauren Perry. There isn’t much to say here, the art is simply good. The main cover by Amy Mebberson is a great piece fully showcasing what to expect inside with elegant detail. The subscription variant is more or less the same thing, just with Garbowska’s art style.

Overall, this issue of Friends Forever features an interesting team-up with a good message somewhere in there. Sadly, some of the dialogue is just awful, ruining some of the good parts. It’s still a fun comic for the most part, and on the plus side with a severe lack of Zecora in the season currently it’s good to see her back in action here.

OUR RATING
6.5
  • +Very Good Team-up
  • +Zecora on a personal level
  • -Some awful dialogue