Pony Comic Book Thread-IDW is Party Canon

[CoffeeHorse]

It's probably a good idea for IDW to focus on shorter stories for now.

I still plan to get caught up. My go-to comic store is just really out of the way. I have to plan a whole day around it.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

SEAPONIES!

I guess we have our next miniseries. Izzy...care to comment?

And, yes...Amy Mebberson aka the artist behind the Milkyway and Discord arcs will be doing this, too. And clearly, from the panel above from the 40th Anniversary Special, she's probaby a fan of the equus aquaticus, as well.

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/01/my-little-pony-set-your-sail-1-revealed.html

 

[CoffeeHorse]

They even went with a title that rhymes with Tell Your Tale. We won.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

September Solicitations are out, which means we get a look at the next MLP miniseries.

MLP STORM OF ZEPHYR HEIGHTS #1 CVR B PRICE (JUL241160)

The story begins in #1 and continues in two epic, oversized issues! A must-read for Friendship Is Magic fans as the world of Generation Four collides with the ponies of Generation Five.A storm's a-brewing in Zephyr Heights! For the first time in forever, Queen Haven is taking a vacation, which...

www.previewsworld.com

That's a face that tells a story, right there.

Plus, it sounds like this mini will have art from Andy Price, which is always a treat.

But more interesting that, actually is the text.

Because from the sounds of things...this is going to be a crossover with G4.

Now, they don't say what kind of crossover this will be. Given the "storm" in the name, I have to wonder if this will have something to do with either Wendigos or the Storm King from the movie. But, we don't really get any hints.

Still, kind of interesting. And these writers and artists have a MUCH deeper history with G4 than they did with G1. So, this crossover might be quite a bit better than the Generations miniseries. Something to keep a eye on, at least.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

G4 must have been a really important cash cow for IDW, because they cannot let it go.

But I'm okay with it. If I had any expectations that this storyline would matter to any ongoing events, I would hate the idea. More than any other gen crossover, it is wrong when G5 characters get to meet G4 characters. The ship has sailed, but it's still wrong. Buuuuut as an inconsequential miniseries that's just for fun, I'm willing to just enjoy the 'what if' fun of seeing these characters play off each other. That's what crossovers are for, and IDW knows these characters well enough to do it right.

I assume 'storm' here primarily refers to Zipp Storm, and any story where she takes the lead is bound to be a good time.

 

[Dvandom]

Classics Reimagined: the Odyssey is solicited for October. An oversized one-shot, with Pinkie as Odysseus and a perfect cupcake as Penelope.

---Dave

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Do The Iliad first you cowards.

 

[Dvandom]

"City tries to keep Pinkie Pie out" seems like it'd be a very short comic.

---Dave

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Uh oh...you guys, I don't know how to tell you this but...we have another set of connecting covers for the MLP comics.

Spoiler

MLP STORM OF ZEPHYR HEIGHTS #2 CVR A JUSTASUTA (AUG241239)

The world of Generation Four collides with the ponies of Generation Five as Cloudsdale threatens to crash into Zephyr Heights and cause an eternal winter! Only Princess Zipp and her Mane 6 can stop the kingdom from falling (literally)! After the torrential winds and snow force the Pegasi to seek...

www.previewsworld.com

MLP STORM OF ZEPHYR HEIGHTS #3 CVR A JUSTASUTA (SEP241268)

As Equestria's catastrophic weather tears apart the kingdom, Princess Zipp and her Mane 6 discover the source of the chaos... and meet a favorite Friendship Is Magic pony?! Princesses Zipp and Pipp must work together to quell the dangers of Cloudsdale as Izzy and Hitch take flight in the...

www.previewsworld.com

This isn't a good thing. This is NEVER a good thing when it comes to IDW MLP comics. They only usually ever do these when they're about to end a series.

Cases in point. The last 2 issues of both the G4 and G5 ongoings.

Spoiler

MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #101 CVR B JUSTASUTA (JUN210477)

Season 10 continues here! The Knights of Harmony have arrived in Equestria with a plan to take the Elements of Harmony from our heroes-as the Mane 6 gear up for a climactic showdown, will friendship save the day?

previewsworld.com

MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #102 CVR B JUSTASUTA (JUL210473)

An oversized adventure caps off over a hundred issues of Pony fun! Don't miss this thrilling conclusion to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic! The climactic battle of Season 10 ends here! With the Knights of Order attacking Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack...

previewsworld.com

MY LITTLE PONY #19 CVR C 10 JUSTASUTA (SEP231266)

We're approaching the eleventh hour and Zipp and Pipp are still switched! The clock is ticking closer to the Royal Dinner and Pipp's concert, so the sisters have no choice but to perform their royal and pop star duties for each other. It's a huge headache to be honest, but...it might be bringing...

www.previewsworld.com

MY LITTLE PONY #20 CVR C 10 JUSTASUTA (OCT231321)

It's been SO LONG (a few days) since DISASTER STRUCK (Milkyway switched Pipp's and Zipp's cutie marks) that we HARDLY REMEMBER (how could we forget?) a time BCMS (Before Cutie Mark Switcheroo). Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but everypony STILL thinks Pipp is Zipp and Zipp is Pipp! The...

www.previewsworld.com

Did you notice something? It's always the same artist! It's always Justasuta! Justasuta is the harbinger of DOOM for this comic!

I know I've said the IDW MLP comic might be coming to a end soon before, and I've always been wrong. But, I don't think this is a good sign. Especially when issues 2 and 3 of the Storm for Zephyr Heights mini are oddly double-sized (and double-priced).

Also, fair warning, issues 2 and 3 look to have all of their art made by Kate Sherron, the artist behind the Camp Bighoof miniseries. Andy Price is only on the first issue of the miniseries. Just a heads up. I feel like this is could also be a hint that these comics might have been under a bit of a deadline.

I think this could really be it. I think IDW might be losing the MLP license. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just doom-saying prematurely here.

...Or they're re-starting the ongoing again. Who knows? But, I think something's up.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

If this is the end, at least IDW put out some truly worthwhile stuff.

Or it could just be the end of this "The Storm of Zephyr Heights" miniseries. We'll see. The end of the G5 ongoing didn't end up being a bad thing at all.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Apparently, even Bleeding Cool noticed the weirdness with the Storm of Zephyr Heights mini.

IDW - Losing American Girl and My Little Pony Licences?

Are IDW Publishing Losing the American Girl and the My Little Pony Licences? Listings suggest that something is up for both.

bleedingcool.com

No new info in the article. But, they did try to contact IDW and didn't get any replies back. (To be fair, I'm not sure if they have anyone left to reply to e-mails, after the newest round of layoffs. And they might not want to talk to anyone at Bleeding Cool, anyway.). Usually, a company would shut down any rumors like this before there's a chance for them to spread, though. So, there might be a element of truth to the conspiracy.

Maybe IDW's planning to make some sort of announcement themselves, soon?

I'll be honest, I kind of forgot they even had the American Girl license. It just wasn't on my radar.



EDIT: And now Equestria Daily posted that their secret source says that IDW is NOT losing the license.

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/09/bleeding-cool-speculates-that-idw-may.html

So, yeah, probably false alarm? Still, I'm suspicious of that Justasuta connecting cover.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

This is all just speculation and rumors, but it's kind of a interesting read, regardless.

From Publishers To Ponies To Late Night Parties - All The IDW Gossip

IDW Publishing has been in the news a lot lately... which means there is gossip to share. And Bleeding Cool is ready with our hands out.

bleedingcool.com

Spoiler

As for My Little Pony, the most recent Hasbro iteration did not seem to connect with audiences across all media, including TV, and the franchise faltered at the gate. The reason IDW has kept it is that it seems, no one at a similar level wanted it.

Ouch. I mean, I suspected as much. But, still hearing someone else say it...ouch.

Like I've said before, most people getting into the comic book industry want to do superheroes. Not ponies. They just aren't used to writing that genre. No matter if the kid's comics market is booming or not, it's just not something most creatives really WANT to do.

Allsparkle General Discussion

Yeah. They didn't have the series bible, and seemingly didn't make their own. It seemed like writers and artists buddied up and worked within their own universes, with no wider collaboration between anyone who wasn't currently working together. The teams weren't hostile to each other the way IDW...

www.allspark.com

IDW and Hasbro have come to an agreement to slow down into 2025 while Hasbro works out what they'll do next. This is why IDW have rushed out the remaining Pony content on the books before then. While IDW is waiting to hear Hasbro's next moves.

This is, unfortunately, believable. Hasbro's had some..."hiccups" managing ALL their brands the last few years. I can totally believe that they just don't know what to do or what direction they want to go in, and are suffering from severe decision paralysis. No one seems to have a clear vision for where they want to take the company and it's brands. Just look at what they've managed to do with Power Rangers and Dungeons and Dragons.

So, from the sounds of things, IDW might not be losing the license. It's just that Hasbro has no idea what to do next.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

They are admittedly speculating. They don't know. We don't know. IDW and Hasbro might not know.

In the meantime... there may be a leak of a pitch reel for something that may or may not be happening or ever been happening. Video has already been taken down so it's probably legit, whether it's still happening or not. Who knows. Now rumored to be just a prank from a Discord group. Living up to the name at least.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Yeah, you can actually still see that mystery video here:

#3439202 - safe, alphabittle blossomforth, bow hothoof, cloudy quartz, misty brightdawn, night light, pinkie pie, rainbow dash, twilight sparkle, twilight velvet, windy whistles, earth pony, pegasus, pony, unicorn, g4, g5, leak, absurd file size, ani

#3439202 - safe, alphabittle blossomforth, bow hothoof, cloudy quartz, misty brightdawn, night light, pinkie pie, rainbow dash, twilight sparkle, twilight velvet, windy whistles, earth pony, pegasus, pony, unicorn, g4, g5, leak, absurd file size, animated, camp cutie mark, crying, cutie mark...

derpibooru.org

I knew about it. I was just waiting to bring it up until we knew a little more about it. It might be a legit pitch or it might be a prank. It's a little sad that we just can't tell the difference, nowadays.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Back to the thread's topic, G5 comics:

NOT canceled.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It has never been more over. IDW has nothing coming for MLP in December.

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/09/no-new-mlp-comics-announced-for.html

Well, except this Best of Princess Celestia collection. It's not new content but they can technically say they're not skipping a month.

MLP BEST OF PRINCESS CELESTIA ONESHOT #1 (SEP241267)

Peek behind the rainbow mane of Princess Celestia to discover the greatest hits of Equestria's favorite princess! Fly your way through tales of sisterly love, magical schools, and even the mighty princess disguising herself as a commoner! With all her kindness, there's a reason Princess Celestia...

www.previewsworld.com

 

[ZakuConvoy]

It's not looking good, that's for sure. But, personally, I'm still leaning towards "Hasbro doesn't know what they want to do with MLP next" instead of "IDW is losing the license", at least for now. Despite what I've said before.

I mean, if the rumors are true and Hasbro wants to go "Retro" with MLP next year, I guess that COULD mean we could get a G1 miniseries? But, judging from how the Generations mini went, I'm not too sure anyone at IDW actually knows enough about G1 to really do it well.

I don't know. We'll see. It's just a little strange that no one's officially commented on this, other than Natalie Haines, the freelancing artist. And maybe plans suddenly changed when whatever Hasbro was working on didn't happen. Maybe whatever she was working on got shelved? Or maybe it got folded into Storm of Zephyr Heights? They're handling this a little weird.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Want some hopium?

MLP is seeing a surprising surge of interest in China. Hasbro's been mentioning it as a bright spot in their results this year. Not as in just a bright spot for MLP. A bright spot among other brands. It may be an odd positive factor in why they seem to be flailing right now. It's not that nothing is working. Something is suddenly working and they don't know why, so it's 'drop what you're doing, all hands on deck' time as they scramble to capture this before it's too late.

Anyway, despite the impression some "G4 G4 G4" reporting gives, this sudden interest apparently does include G5. Here's some upcoming blind boxes.

Generation 5 MLP News on Instagram: "Some pretty promo images for the Dinosaw My Little Pony series 2 toys. These were posted on Xiaohongshu. Link: http://xhslink.com/a/4fbMk2Ogr5XV The ponies in this second blind box series have manes and tails th

792 likes, 15 comments - g5mlp on September 16, 2024: "Some pretty promo images for the Dinosaw My Little Pony series 2 toys. These were posted on Xiaohongshu. Link: http://xhslink.com/a/4fbMk2Ogr5XV The ponies in this second blind box series have manes and tails that change colors with cold...

www.instagram.com

 

[ZakuConvoy]

The comics...LIVE!!!

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/10/new-g4-comic-announced-my-little-pony.html

For at least one more one-shot, anyway. A origin of Cadence issue. Which is an odd choice, but whatever I'll take it. Who knows how much it'll contradict the chapter book version of her origin, but at this point, I'm kind of just glad we're getting SOME pony content during this long drought.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Between that and the Best of Celestia compilation, we're not skipping a month yet.

The ride never ends.