What do you like most about the "Pony expanded universe?"

[PegasusGuard1337 21]

As someone who likes to delve deeper into the worlds that I love, I've read all of the MLP comics, and am currently working on reading the books. I know it's kind of glorified fanfiction, but they seem to hold to a certain standard as far as keeping stories close to what you might see in the show, so I was wondering what others enjoy about the books/comics/card games/other pieces of EU in the ponyverse.

 

I personally enjoy that the comics in particular have the ability to delve a little deeper than the show. To me, they seem to cater a little more to the adult/older fans, especially with the references that many younger fans most likely wouldn't even get; but they also go a little further into history, like the Reflections arc (one of my favorites), the Fiendship is Magic series (also one one of my favorites), and the Return of King Sombra.

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

I hate the term "Glorified fanfiction". It's been said a few times comics and books are considered canon. If someone wants to ignore them, fine, doesn't make them stop being official.

 

 I've mostly only read the comics, only delving into the books a little bit. So far my favorite things have been the expansion on villains (Particularly Chrysalis and King Sombra, who have become two of my favorites specifically because of the comics.), and the extra attention given to side characters in general. Celestia, Luna, Discord, Granny Smith, Trixie, Babs, plenty of characters have gotten a lot of attention in the comics they'll probably never get in the show, and that's great.

[Megas 27,064]

Honestly, the Friends Forever series already scratches my fancy for something like this. I care about characters more than anything else in this show and one thing this series does is bring back old characters, put some characters in different situations, and pairing them up with other characters for some interesting dynamics. Hell with the FF series we've gotten a lot more Celestia than show has ever cared to give us, some really surprisingly good dynamics like Rainbow with Trixie, Rarity with Gilda and Bab Seed, AJ with Mayor Mare, Twilight with Big Mac, it's bringing back some old characters I've been wanting to see forever like Iron Will and Little Strongheart, and it still has the best portrayal of Spitfire yet(which is really, really sad now that I think about). A few duds here and there(both Granny Smith comics, the first comic in the series, and comic that focuses more on an original character than one or both of the characters in the pair, like #1, #14, #18, and #19), but overall it does it for me, and it's usually the one comic series I actually look forward too

[Memory Lane 131]

I'm definitely a fan of the comic series. I think I own them all so far. I appreciate how it's not afraid to expand history and backstories. They were never gonna talk about King Sombra again in the show, but thanks to the comics, I have closure.

[weesh 690]

i love the comics because we get to see lots of cool interactions that the show just doesn't have time to get to. 

for instance, we know that spike has gone to Celestia for help, but its only in the comic that we get to see them have an adventure together.  

[SolyWack 482]

I like them because, if nothing else, they give us more. Like you said, that more usually caters to an older audience, so they're actually often better than the show.

I feel for the people who haven't read at least some of the comics. They're really missing out.

Sometimes I'll see a comment somewhere saying "I just wish they would've expanded on King Sombra, I think he had potential." And I'm just sitting here like naqwdytvReadtheComicsnaqfhdc.

Edited May 25, 2016 by SolyWack

[Steve Piranha 28,781]

In the comics: I like most their ideas. How they are executed is another story, but I like most of their plot ideas.

Chapterbooks: Are closer to the show, but I like some well written new characters in them. Celestia's is full of them, and Rarity's has a really good one. PLUS LUNA'S HAS A FREAKING BAT PONY 

[Steel Accord 6,658]

 

 

I know it's kind of glorified fanfiction,

 

That statement serves to undermine both fanfiction and the EU. Fanfiction can be even better than the source material in some cases and the EU is certainly of professional standards, otherwise it would not have been published.

 

To me, I love that the comics explore more aspects of the world. I like the show's excursions to or visits from places like Griffonstone or Yak Yakistan but even still they appear very rooted in central Equestria. The comics have high sea adventures, trips to the ancient past, and a trip to the moon straight out of Georges Méliès.

[AlbaTross 1,581]

I think what I like best about the expanded universe, which I strongly disagree is "glorified fan fiction", is just that it provides new pony material for us to enjoy from official sources, even during a hiatus for the show. Sure, that sounds like a bit of a cop-out, but I can't really decide whether I like the introduction of new concepts and characters more, or the chance to see new areas or explore existing ones that might have been mentioned in the show but never seen, or if my favourite thing is the chance to further develop characters and/or provide more of a spotlight to side characters.

 

While the show is still what keeps me invested in FiM first and foremost, it is still limited by the boundaries that a show has. It has 22 minutes an episode, a couple two parters a season, and 26 episodes per season in total with 24 being single episode story arcs, while there are hiatuses between seasons and even in the middle of them now. The point is, there's only so much that can be done in the show and it has to maintain some semblance of focus so it's also limited in just how much it can expand upon its world. Places like Fillydelphia can be mentioned, but it's not like it's obligatory to set aside an episode to show it, and that probably wouldn't be worth it to do just for the sake of it, so there would need to be a decent story set there and a reason why one or more main character would be there. It's also why much of the side cast remains underdeveloped and why there are so many characters who have only appeared once, or who have mostly background appearances.

 

The comics and books provide the space to expand upon what the show has already provided, and even add in some new stuff. Not all of it is fantastic or even good, but the same is true with episodes of the show. I approach the comics and books as individual stories and the best B canon stories are up there with my favourite episodes, while the worst are down in the abyss with my least favourite episodes, but overall I'm glad I've checked out the B canon material as it has provided some great stories I wouldn't have come across had I not checked any of it out. Some of it even surprises me, such as Twilight's Sparkly Sleepover surprise being much more enjoyable and having a far better moral than the name and cover suggest. It has a rocky start and some pacing issues closer to the middle, but by the end I was glad I read it even if it looks like something Bronies should stay clear of. That's just one of many examples of why I'm glad I decided to have an open mind about B canon material.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

Likewise I never cared for the term "glorified fanfiction" being used as a description for the comics. This is largely due to the comic writers & artists not doing this for free and that the material for the comics has to be approved by Hasbro. Please consider that there have been a number of concepts & such that IDW thought was fine, but Hasbro said NO. In any case I really don't think the term fits at all.

 

With that said, I personally love what the comics have done for the MLP G4 EU overall. Yeah the quality is up and down, but the show is no different in that case. The things I love include the following:

 

1. King Sombra - It's been unlikely that the show would be touching him again anytime soon, so I appreciate that he now has a backstory. I also love that the umbrum were brought in as a separate species; they were truly terrifying designs. While his reformation is still something I question, I'm at least grateful that he got attention in the first place.

 

2. Alternate King Sombra - What can I say? It was him that pretty much inspired me to get into the comics in the first place! While I enjoyed the mirror realm overall, Sombra being the ruler really sold it for me. Loved it.

 

3. Deer - While the deer arc is a bit up & down for various reason, the fact that the deer are represented as their own sapient species with their own kingdom really got me excited. Their designs are just so beautiful, and Blackthorn is just a badass. <3

 

4. Chrysalis - Likewise with Sombra we got plenty of additional material for the changeling queen! It's easy to tell that the writers & artists had a LOT of fun with her, and with her FIENDship issue being pure glorious stuff, I hope we see more in the future.

 

5. Friends Forever - The quality of this series is usually pretty high, and the mish-mash of different characters usually presents us with some great stories.

 

That's just five reasons; there are plenty more of course.

[weesh 690]

Another big benefit to the non-show media is that we get to see what ponies are thinking.

We know a lot more about big mac because of his thought bubbles, and a lot about Maud because of her diary.