I just want to make something clear right out the gate. I know Ryan Lindsay. We roomed together at Emerald City Comic Con. We’ve shared beers, laughs and inside jokes.
I also know absolutely nothing about My Little Pony. I mean, I guess I understand that they’re ponies, and that they’re smaller than a normal pony, but are they mine? And if so, since when do I own a pony? Also I think they have special powers given to them by tattoos on their pony butts, or something. I honestly don’t know.
I only want this to be known so that any bias you assume exists within the review is potentially there, and that the only reason I am reading a My Little Pony comic is because Ryan Lindsay sent me an e-mail saying “Give this a positive review, or else…”
And by that I mean, I’m going into this 100% blind and that this will also probably be the least objective review I ever write.
Written by Ryan Lindsay
Illustrated by Tony FleecsThe next in a series of spotlights focusing on everyone’s favorite Ponies! Rainbow Dash takes her job patrolling the skies very seriously, but she may have met her match when a group of mischievous cloud gremlins threaten to block out the sun! Rainbow Dash will have her hooves full when it comes to these pint-sized menaces!
When you sit down to read a book with “My Little Pony” on the cover, there are probably a few things you would expect. You’d probably expect that it’ll be childish, and that as an adult it’ll be fairly inaccessible (at least, not to the same extent as those cool comics where dudes in underwear punch each other in the face). You’d probably expect it to be sappy, maybe a bit corny and definitely feature a lot of things you’ll laugh at with your friends later because, man, can you believe this crazy pony stuff? After all, with no offense intended, My Little Pony and all of its equestrian attributes don’t feature the same goofball open-ended nature as something like Regular Show or Adventure Time. I mean, ponies are for girls! If I’m going to be an adult who reads an all-ages kids book, it better have a dinosaur or something in it!
So what do you get when you have a book put together by people who expect that reaction, even encourage it? What if a book was created that was purposefully designed to be a new piece of comic-y goodness for your average child Pony fan, but also had tiny little references to Fight Club and internet memes with Miller-esque influences?
I guess you get “My Little Pony Micro-Series: Rainbow Dash” by Ryan Lindsay and Tony Fleecs.
In a week full of weird news and dark stories from every major publisher, “Rainbow Dash” is an unusual bright spot at the center. It’s kind of a glitch in the matrix, really; I don’t think books this fun, bright and colorful are allowed to exist anymore. While I can’t admit to ever reading any “My Little Pony” thing ever, it’s interesting to pick up a comic filled to the brim with unbridled enthusiasm. If there’s one thing that’s clear about the My Little Pony franchise, it would be that the whole point of the book is to be happy, and I don’t mean that in a flippant fashion. This is a book that wants to be fun, silly and goofy, something that takes itself seriously enough to tell a story but not seriously enough to not kick around the box people are frequently trying to think outside of.
Because that, really, is the only reason that this actually works. When dealing with a franchise of this nature, there’s perhaps a certain amount of pressure that could weigh the creative team down, certain aspects that have to always remain true to the show that can potentially limit room for abundant creativity. Near as I can tell, though, “Rainbow Dash” is very much its own entity in a world of Pony weirdness; while I can’t profess to having even casual knowledge of what My Little Pony is all about, I wouldn’t have imagined it involved anything that this book entails, with its sonic rainbooms and David Bowie references, for crying out loud. The book is all over the place conceptually, yet it never actually loses its central focus or story, and that somewhat chaotic nature, when managed by a very capable creative team, creates a dash of comic book sunshine.
Continued belowThat and, honestly, it’s all kind of adorable. And sometimes, that’s enough. “Whatever makes you happy” indeed, Dash!
It’s also interesting to see IDW knock the Micro-Series concept out of the box here where it hasn’t elsewhere. Take, for example, the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comic, which has a micro-series of one-shots, but these are all telling stories that are intently intertwined with the main series; if you’re not reading one you’ll be lost, and if you’re not reading both you’ll be equally lost. Yet with this, even with a “Pony” ongoing, there’s nothing that says this book is anything more than a one-shot. This is a comic about Rainbow Dash, and that’s all you need to know. I’d even go so far as to say this is potentially a Pony gateway drug, because if you like bright colors and smiling, you’re going to get hooked pretty quickly.
Needless to say, Lindsay and Fleecs make for a great pairing. Lindsay is able to really infuse himself in the playful nature of the franchise, never losing his focus and really going to town on what is possible with the book. Maybe I’m just unaware and every Pony related anything contains a nod to “Midsummer Nights Dream” and Tombstone, but I doubt it. And these little additions help turn an ostensibly childish comic into a massive double entendre, which helps both audiences – the one already endeared and the entirely uninitiated – find a home within its pages. And from what I can find from Google searches, Fleecss artwork perfectly matches the open and brightly colored tone of the show, with most panels looking like potential storyboards or still-frame animatics. In terms of matching a style, Fleecs does it naturally and with confidence, and when his ability to match the show’s foibles with comic tropes found elsewhere for a mash-up of comicdom, the book really shines. (Or should I say sparkles?)
And, look: no, I won’t read another “My Little Pony” comic again, probably. Not out of disdain or any particular negative reasons; these ponies just aren’t my back. But I can’t help but note that it is nice to know that should I or anyone like me feel the need to journey to the land of Equestria, there are books like this that are waiting for us – something for the real fans, for young kids and for folks with no clue, no attachment and no investment. That is, after all, the point of comics, right? To find ways to reach people and tell all kinds of various stories?
So all things considered? This comic isn’t for me – and I mean that literally. From top to bottom, it’s not inherently designed for a guy like me, who has no idea what the heck is going on in Pony World or what it all means. Yet in spite of it all, Lindsay and Fleecs have designed a book that I can read, and that I can smile while reading. Entirely eschewing the idea that anyone should be embarrassed to read a comic like this (especially if you read comics in general), this is a book that anyone can pick up and find something in it to enjoy, even if it’s just a double rainbow reference. It’s smart storytelling with clean and sleek artwork evocative of the program from which it derives, and while this may be the only time in my lifetime I recommend a “My Little Pony” comic, that recommendation isn’t given lightly or without reason.
And if you’re a Pony fan? Then I can only assume this is the perfect book for you this week.
Yes, “Rainbow Dash” gets a good review, and yes, I know and like the author, but no, the two things aren’t intertwined (not in a particularly conscious level, anyway). Would I have read the book if I hadn’t met and spent time with the author? No. But I’m glad I did (to both reading and meeting Lindsay – the guy is a riot). As someone who knows nothing about My Little Pony and has never bothered to even learn, this book still managed to capture my attention in quite a few passages, even earning multiple reads to try and see how many little hidden references Lindsay and Fleecs had snuck into the pages of the book for discerning individuals like myself. And yet, even beyond me, this is a book that embraces its nature and its audience with a big, warm, rainbow-infused hug, and if you have a room for a Little Pony in your life, you’d be well off in making that pony “Rainbow Dash.”
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
