IDW G5 Kenbucky Roller Derby #1

[ZakuConvoy]

Previously, on My Little Pony...

That pony sure does love her roller skates.

It's time for a new beginning! And a new spotlight on Tell Your Tale! This is...

So, how is it?

I think it's good. This issue is actually VERY fast paced. They kind of drop you into things without really explaining much and then just GO! And honestly, this almost feels like 2 or 3 issues crammed together into a single issue. I would ALMOST say it's TOO fast paced for it's own good. But, you know what? I'd rather a comic try to do too much, too fast rather than spread a weak plot over more issues than it needs. This at least keeps things happening. I can't say I was bored. The writing is actually pretty entertaining and lively. Even though, there are times where I almost feel like they're skewing to a younger audience. But, other times it feels like they're not, so maybe it's just a few clunky scenes? A few characters feel...slightly off? But, not enough to really detract from things. And the comic feels like it has a LOT of ideas and are kind of just throwing ALL of them in, almost all at once. So, there's a bit of a focus problem, but....I don't mind it for now? It just makes the issue feel denser, like more is happening, and I actually appreciate that. We'll see if some of these plotlines actually go anywhere or if they just end up being tangents for jokes.

Art-wise this is actually really solid. We've seen this artist before in the Endless Summer Special, and I was a *little* offput by her chins. And there's still some panels where the ponies have some larger chins than I'm used to seeing on equines. But, not as much as last time. I think there's definite improvement over the last time we saw this artist. The art seems more lively here. Or maybe the "Tell Your Tale" style just suits this artist more than the "Make Your Mark" style? Whatever the difference, I like this artist on this book. Characters are expressive. There's action on the page. This is good comic book art.

So, overall, I think this actually managed to be pretty solid. It's got good art. Things are definitely happening. It's fun. I think it's worth trying out. I think this is overall a good time.

Spoiler

Oh, goodness! They're trying to kill us with cuteness starting on the very first page! Lil' Sunny learning how to roller skate with her dad! Too cute!

And it seems like Misty has somehow found herself on another team she got onto between issues, just like the Filly Four back in "Ali-Conned". I don't know how she keeps doing that.

Sunny's...actually having a lot more trouble with this skating tryout than she really should. It's a little weird. I think we can chalk it up to nerves, but still, weird.

Oh, so it's supposed to be that the judges didn't teach them the moves that they expected them to know. Okay. The art didn't really convey that at all.

But, Pipp goes out for ice cream with her and listens to her complain. Pipp's a good friend. Who gets rewarded with...a ice cream cone to the face. As is tradition.

Oh no, Izzy has discovered Warhammer. We've lost her to the miniatures.

Okay, Izzy's :3 face when she wants the "payment" of Sunny joining her D&D campaign in return for helping her with the Derby Team posters is great. Izzy's really getting into this "Garbage and Gargoyles" game.

Queen Haven has a royal roller rink, because OF COURSE she does.

And the other team sabotages Sunny's posters with....honestly some of the most tame "graffiti" I've ever seen.

Sunny feels kind of oddly bipolar in this issue. A lot of swings from happy to REALLY angry to outright depressed. It feels a little off, but kind of still within the realm of reason so far.

Since when does G5 have trains, though? That’d actually make a oddly interesting one-shot. What happened to the rail system in between G4 and G5?

So, it turns out that Pipp actually knows a famous Derby celebrity (Tracy Tailspin...weird name for a pony) that can help Sunny out because OF COURSE she does.

But, Pipp was lying about that because...wait, what? Then how did she know where she lived? Was Pipp just cyber-stalking her?

And we have the first appearance of...the STAR-SCOWL! Yeah...I don't think this is going to end up being a thing. So, Sunny guilts Pipp into telling her that this pony has just gone FULL hermit and living away from all technology.

But, right when they're about to steal some apples, they find her anyway! I wonder if she's supposed to be a descendant of Applejack or something? She even has a hat! A HAT, I say! That's gotta be proof, right? They don't just give those to just anybody!

Turns out Tracy still has...a mysterious past. And she takes some convincing to actually agree to train Sunny. A whole half-page! Such a epic!

And the pony that lives away from all technology in order to avoid her mysterious past...also had a roller derby rink built into her back yard....because OF COURSE she did!

MONTAGE! Spills! Thrills! Tears! Sunsets! What a...single page!

So, Sunny has to put together a team to get Tracy to train her...some more! It's going to take *turns page* oh, look, she already did it.

She not only recruited her friends (minus Hitch, for some reason) but she also recruited....a group of pega-snails. A pony who looks like she could use a tissue. And someone else who seems new to skating. We have our lovable group of underdogs....because OF COURSE we do!

How large IS a "full roller derby team"? I...don't know how many "players" are required for this sport? This comic actually does a VERY poor job of explaining the actual RULES, so far.

And the Editor's Page in the back teases more MLP miniseries in the future, so that's kind of neat?

 

[CoffeeHorse]

This is fine.

I don't know why they're telling this particular story, or why it's getting multiple issues. I'm kinda stuck on the premise.

Spoiler

Sunny is a competent skater. This story should not be happening. I get the idea of raw talent vs knowing specific moves, but the talent isn't evident enough here.

Maybe they're going somewhere with it. We'll see. The execution of this story, if I can grant the premise, is fine so far. I like the fast pace of it. It feels more like the Milkyway arc than most of the G5 output so far. Maybe things have really turned around.

The big thing here is the art. This is what we were waiting to see, and I think it passes the test. Looking back at this artist's prior work, I don't think it's just a quality jump. I do think the TYTish style just clicks with this artist better. If nothing else, I bet it's a colossal time saver, and it's freeing her up to work on other parts of the page. Her work in the Summer Special wasn't bad. Most of the elements of good comic art were there. It was just those heads that needed work. G5 heads are hard, yo. I haven't yet figured out a quick workflow for them. This artist had issues with them, and I'd bet it ate up a lot of time she could have spent on other parts of the page.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I'm guessing they just like roller derby? I know roller derby came up in the Harley Quinn comics, too. And Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur features a skating rink pretty prominently. I'm guessing roller derby or skating in general saw a resurgence at some point? I'm not hip enough to know these things. Maybe kids are just REALLY into roller skates again?

As for the premise, it feels like one of those things they kind of glossed over. I can kind of buy Sunny getting nerves and screwing up. But, I really don't feel like some of the Derby team's rules were all that unreasonable? Like, having audition numbers makes sense if you're interviewing dozens of candidates per day or something. And knowing the derby moves feels like something basic you SHOULD already know and not need to be taught for a "competitive" team? I mean, this doesn't seem like a "club" it seems more like a "pro team"? Even their attitude, though aggressive...I feel like we've seen Rainbow Dash and the like do similar things. Athletes do be competitive. Their biggest sin is stalking Sunny's new team, so far.

Though, honestly, Sunny wanting to join THIS particular team specifically comes out of nowhere, anyway. And Sunny seemed to learn the derby moves pretty quickly once she actually knew what they were. If Sunny's a big enough fan to WANT to join this team, why doesn't she know at least a few moves just from watching their matches? It seems like something you would practice BEFORE auditioning (which is probably partially the point). The book kind of rushes setting up the premise, which might not be a bad thing to just get the story moving, but it makes things a little unclear.

Which makes it all the odder that Misty is just...there. But...meh, rule of funny? Her just being on the team already is enough of a non-sequitur to kind of be funny to me. ANd again, possibly a reference to one of the past episodes. Misty just has a way of joining groups off-screen.

But, meh. It's all entertaining enough. And I kind of wonder if they're trying to mimic Tell Your Tale's fast-paced style with the comic? So, it kind of makes sense.