In general, large panels suggest size and scope of a space or scene, as well as allowing for more detail, but they also slow down the passage of time. Its use of layout is particularly masterful one of the challenges of laying out a comic is that space on the comic page represents both space and time. Why does 'The Return of Queen Crysalis' succeed? First and foremost, it is an extremely well put-together comic. Throughout the series, the Mane Six act like exaggerated caricatures of themselves of the sort that drive memetic humor, whether it's Twilight discussing research papers on cave trolls while fighting one or Fluttershy being an enthusiastic walking encyclopedia of monster lore.īut 'Double Rainboom' did the exact same sort of fanservice, and failed. Plus, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are kidnapped, which I'm sure was almost as satisfying to the fans who dislike them as their depiction as annoying and oblivious in the second through fourth issues. Just in the first issue, we have the return of a fan-favorite villain seeking revenge for her defeat in the show, coupled with a host of geeky references to classics like The Prisoner, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Indiana Jones. Its primary pitfalls are a tendency to become cynical or overly fannish.įrom the start, 'The Return of Queen Crysalis' is definitely fannish. The Rainbow Dash approach, by contrast, is hip and modern and tries to reward fans by giving them what the want, as befits the Element of Loyalty. To recap past discussions, the Applejack approach is characterized by adherence to the traditions of past generations of My Little Pony and sincere emotion, as befits the Element of Honesty its primary pitfalls are a tendency to become cloying or overly sentimental.

It would be hard to think of a better example than 'The Return of Queen Crysalis,' the story comprised by the first four issues of IDW's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comic book, written by Katie Cook, art by Andy Price, with colors by Heather Breckel and lettering by Robbie Robbins and Neil Uyetake.

But what does getting the Rainbow Dash approach right look like?

Last week, I talked about 'Snowdrop' getting the 'Applejack' approach to the show right, and a few months ago I talked about 'Double Rainboom' getting the 'Rainbow Dash' approach wrong. Special thanks to Harrison Barber, who gave me the trade paperback of the comic on the condition I did this review.

The mods are always asleep