Are the mlp comics worth reading?

[Yeah ok 80]

Has anybody read the mlp comics and were they worth the money and the time you spent on them?

 

Personally I've only read the first one because its's free on a mlp comic app but i don't know if I want to spend money on them.

[Megas 27,701]

As far as the main series goes, anything from the first arc up to Reflections is worth at least one read. Reflections onwards gets really wonky; Reflections itself is really divisive, the small time stuff like the Pets, Manehattan Mystery, the wrestling comic and the one with Discord are pretty fun, but stuff like the Western arc, the Deer, Ponyville Days and the Siege of the Crystal Empire are some of the worst things the comics have put out

 

All of the Micros are worth a read except for the Dash Micro. For the love of Christ please don't waste your money on that garbage

 

The FF series have all been pretty solid despite a few stinkers like FF#1, the one with the Cakes/Rarity, pretty much any that focuses too much on an original character instead of one or both of the characters advertised are pretty shite

 

The annuals except the Holiday 2014 special are worth a read too

Edited January 14, 2016 by TR-8R

[simba86 1,541]

i think they are, the art is really really good and so are the stories, just try to spend as little as possible on them LOL

[ChikaChan 7,324]

Is worth it ^^ they can be pretty funny sometimes x3

[FCKBROnies231 13]

Never actual read one but I would assume it would be worth it if you like comics in general if not you could give it a try still to see if you like it?

[Zoraxe 546]

The ones that tell a comedy story or a slice of life story I tend to like a lot better than the action ones, I find.

 

My personal favorites are the 2 comics about Shining Armor and Cadance as teenagers, the Rarity and Applejack comics where they travel Equestria, the Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon 'friends forever' issue, and the Sombra 'Fiendship is Magic' issue.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Zoraxe

[SolyWack 482]

If you need to choose just a few, I would definately buy the Fiendship is Magic series, except the Siren Issue.

 

The Sombra and Chrysalis comics show sides of them that are just vile, and the Sombra one has some feels.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

No idea. I bought a couple at Hot Topic, but I haven't opened them yet; don't want them to get damaged when we move. They look pretty good to me.

[Shou 100]

Oh yah, I like them them alot. Like the show itself though it can be hit or miss imo. But that is just personal preference.

[JonasDarkmane 19,787]

@

Hey there  

 

I have moved your topic to a more appropriate place within the Sugarcube, Comics & Books 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,632]

Most definitely! The comics provide an experience that, to me, is different from watching the show and I mean that in a very positive way. It gives us new experiences with out beloved characters, experiences that may not be otherwise possible within the show itself. The artwork is amazing too, with cute expressions and many little details that I just love. 

 

While I have not read any of the latest ones, I do highly recommend giving the comics a look. ^__^

[Moon Sugar 532]

I enjoy the comics! The one where Nightmare Moon infects Rarity is my favorite. Even if only because her design is amazing

[KatonRyu 1,033]

I enjoy reading the comics so I'd certainly recommend them, but they are very different from the show and not always in a good way. The humor is a bit hit-and-miss at times, with genuinely funny moments offset by cringe-worthy stuff. The stories themselves have the same problem, where certain stories just have such a different tone from the show you'd begin to wonder what exactly you're reading. However, that's balanced by some really great arcs and in Fiendship is Magic there are some well thought-out backstories.

 

All in all, I'd say go for it.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I've read volumes 1-7 of the mane comic, the micro series, volumes 1-4 of Friends Forever, the EQG annual and Christmas issue as well as the Power Ponies Special, and the first two issues of Fiendship is Magic. I've enjoyed most of the issues so far with a couple exceptions. The RD Micro Issue is awful though it's the kind of awful that's fun to discuss. I didn't like the first issue of Friends Forever, largely because it isn't the issue advertised, but I like that side series for the most part.

 

I liked even the supposedly divisive arcs in the mane comic, and think volume 6 is my favourite volume, but then I read volume 7 and think that is by far my least favourite volume. The Good the Bad and the Ponies is easily my least favourite arc in the series thus far, and The Root of the Problem is somewhat better, but isn't that great either IMHO. However, there are enough issues that I think are simply divine that I would highly recommend checking out the comics. Not everyone likes them but I would recommend checking them out and drawing your own conclusions. The first omnibus contains the first 12 issues which are actually the first 12 issues in canon order. Continuity gets a little hairier from there but that's an easy introduction to the series and is more affordable than buying the volumes individually.

[----- 477]

I would say they are worth it.

I may do not really see them as canon to the show but I still enjoy them. :3

[Castle Bleck 19,376]

IMO, "The Return Of Queen Chrysalis" and "Nightmare Rarity" are the top adventure arcs, while "Reflections" and "Siege Of The Crystal Empire" are more... mixed.

 

However, "The Good, The Bad, And The Ponies" and "The Root Of The Problem" are definitely skunk s***... unless you want something to laugh at for all the wrong reasons.

Edited October 3, 2016 by A.V.

[TheRedHoodedWraith 52]

I'd say they are. For me they're like 'secret' side stories that happens in between episodes. They're really fun to read between new episodes or seasons.

Edited September 29, 2016 by TheRedHoodedWraith

[weesh 690]

I'd say they are. For me they're like 'secret' side stories that happens in between episodes. They're really fun to read between new episodes or seasons.

agreed.

I wish more people were on board with them because the average quality is so high.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

I enjoy them. The quality between issues can vary, and some of the stories are hit or miss for me, but as has been mentioned I find them a fun and simple diversion between episodes of the show.

 

A couple of the issues would have been perfect in my opinion for translation into episodes of the show... especially a couple of the early arcs such as the first 3 or so.

 

Also I am guilty of liking Night of the Living Apples as a story way more than i reasonably should have considering many seem to dislike it.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Also I am guilty of liking Night of the Living Apples as a story way more than i reasonably should have considering many seem to dislike it.

Yeah, I'm surprised by that. I absolutely love that arc. People realize it's supposed to be stupid, right? For me it's just the right amount of stupid that I had a blast reading it. Ok, I'm less into the Good Apple/Bad Apple thing as that's pretty lazy writing, but otherwise I think it's a fun and creative arc, and it's just the kind of thing that could never happen in the show, which I actually kind of like to see in the comics as it gives them a bit of identity. Of course, I like The Room way more than I reasonably should, so maybe I'm just the right kind of individual for Night of the Living Apples.

 

Suffice to say though, yeah, I enjoy the comics just fine. I actually enjoy all of the spinoff media to varying extents. Not all comics are good but neither are all episodes of the show so I approach the comics on a case by case basis like I do with episodes. The spinoff media is great for getting a fix of new pony stories during a season hiatus, and is also great during power outages, plus comics are still a visual medium so there's that. Songs don't translate well into print media, but that's an inevitable drawback to adapting a series into other forms of media so I don't fault any of the spinoffs for that. Overall though I find all of the extra pony material augments the series just fine.

[Izanagi 176]

they have fun little references (One piece for one, in the pirate comics) and you might catch a pokemon or 2. 

[Ganondorf8 11,322]

I think the comics are worth looking into. Unlike the show, the comics are allowed to delve into slightly more darker tones although how that gets perceived depends on the person. Many of the exclusive characters who appear in the comics are quite memorable and have gained a following among fans while the characters we've come to know are given development in ways you don't expect. For instance, in the comics, Luna is like a lesser version of Pinkie Pie in that she has boundless energy but still knows how to maintain control without going entirely off the wall. Another example is Celestia, who is portrayed as being mischievous, naive, and even selfish on rare occasions.

 

Not all of the comics are good so there are a few that you should avoid. Someone has already mentioned which ones to not read, but I would take that with a grain of salt at best. What many may dislike could be something you like personally. My favourite comic is the 2014 Holiday Special that focuses on Equestria Girls. Sure, not everyone likes it, but I continue to read it on occasion. If there's one gripe I have with the MLP comics, it's that there are only four comics related to Equestria Girls. I wish there were more of them.

[The MegaBrony 219]

Two words from Mettaton:

[Concerned Bystander 2,902]

There are a number of different series of comics floating around, firstly you have the 'Friendship is Magic' comics, these stories contain adventures similar to those of the cartoon, If you can shell out for the Friendship is Magic Omnibus vol 1 then I'm sure you won't be disappointed, it has four complete story arcs that are definitely among the best stories that have appeared in the comics so far.

 

Also worth reading is the Fiendship is magic series which ran to five issues and is available in a single TP and goes into the origins of Nightmare Moon, Lord Tirek, Sombra, Queen Chrysalis and the Sirens.

 

The 'Friends Forever' series is slightly different, each issue pairs off two characters and follows them on a generally more slice of life story.

 

Finally is the (concluded) 'Pony Tales' series, which is available in TPs as two volumes.  Each issue focused on a single character, and some of the stories (Rainbow Dash in particular) were really, really good.

 

There is also the micro series and the Adventures in Friendship series, but these are just reprints of stories from the other series already mentioned.

 

One thing that is common across all of the series is that they are clearly aimed at a rather older audience than the cartoon itself, and are stuffed full of pop culture references that the target demographic of the cartoon would never catch on to, examples being references to Stephen King's It, Blade Runner, Quantum Leap and Conan the Barbarian just to name a few off the top of my head.