Cannonicity Of The Comics Post Season 9

[Denim&Venöm 19,326]

The MLP comics as a whole are considered what is known as B cannon. Everything that happened there also happened in the universe of show somewhere. Unless the show contradicts it, then it's basically alt-universe cannon. 

But with FiM the show coming to an end, there will be nothing to challenge the cannon of the comics moving forward. All comics made following the end of Season 9 will be the new gospel as far as the in universe story of G4 is concerned. 

What's your take on the team at IDW now having control of G4's destiny? Have they done a good enough job so far? Do you trust them to do a better or worse job then the current show runners?                                                                                          

[Fhaolan 4,484]

I have a clarifying question before I give my opinion... I may have misunderstood something somewhere, but I was under the impression that the G4 comics were also coming to an end 'Soon'™ as well, as in they will last a bit longer than the series, but will definitely end before G5 officially premiers. Have I erred there?

[Megas 27,770]

As the comics stands right now, I can count on one hand who’d actually benefit from the comics being canon

I’m not particularly against the comics picking things up, giving G4 fans something to tide them over(sorta like how they pick up Transformers G1 fans), but they would seriously need to get their act together, their small SoL stuff is usually fine, but they can’t do major adventure arcs to save their lives

Edited August 12, 2019 by Kiryu-Chan

[Fhaolan 4,484]

I'll be honest, I will be surprised if Hasbro doesn't have IDW pull the G4 comics after the last G4 episode/telemovie/whatever is broadcast, clearing the way for a G5 comic license to run simultaneously with the new toy line/series, likely with Hasbro exercising somewhat more centralized control of the IP than they did with G4.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

1 minute ago, Fhaolan said:

I'll be honest, I will be surprised if Hasbro doesn't have IDW pull the G4 comics after the last G4 episode/telemovie/whatever is broadcast, clearing the way for a G5 comic license to run simultaneously with the new toy line/series, likely with Hasbro exercising somewhat more centralized control of the IP than they did with G4.

Might be why they did the humble bundle thing?

[Megas 27,770]

24 minutes ago, Fhaolan said:

I'll be honest, I will be surprised if Hasbro doesn't have IDW pull the G4 comics after the last G4 episode/telemovie/whatever is broadcast, clearing the way for a G5 comic license to run simultaneously with the new toy line/series, likely with Hasbro exercising somewhat more centralized control of the IP than they did with G4.

I don't see why they can't have both. G1 Transformers has been dead for a long time, yet they still have a comic continuity dedicated to that generation of the franchise, even new toylines and comic lines run along it. I get they can't really be compared given that Transformers is arguably their biggest franchise, but I feel G4 of MLP has been successful enough I can see them keeping it going even into G5, especially since Hasbro will still have a few toys and two more Manga showing up next year

Edited August 12, 2019 by Kiryu-Chan

[Goat-kun 2,529]

After Sombra, does anyone truly have any ground to stand on in regards to canonicity of their comics? I mean, even if they do continue, would they have any more legitimacy than a fanfic writer? Not in my book, but then again, I've always regarded IDW as bad fanfiction.

 

 

My advice to H-Bro: kick IDW before it bites you in the ass cause you're gonna feel it this time around.

[Megas 27,770]

10 minutes ago, Goat-kun said:

After Sombra, does anyone truly have any ground to stand on in regards to canonicity of their comics?

The comics have done a lot more for the Wonderbolts than the show ever has, that alone, them alone are the reason I'm willing to keep the comics going

[Fhaolan 4,484]

1 hour ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

I don't see why they can't have both. G1 Transformers has been dead for a long time, yet they still have a comic continuity dedicated to that generation of the franchise, even new toylines and comic lines run along it. I get they can't really be compared given that Transformers is arguably their biggest franchise, but I feel G4 of MLP has been successful enough I can see them keeping it going even into G5, especially since Hasbro will still have a few toys and two more Manga showing up next year

Oh, they definitely *could* do that, I just don't expect them to.  

Out of all their franchises, Hasbro has always treated MLP a bit more... randomly, than the rest. They seem more willing to experiment with it, which *can* be a good thing, but can also lead to weird places like 'Newborn Cuties' at the end of G3, and 'Twinkle-eyed Ponies' in G1 (which have a horrific backstory that only appeared in the UK comics, to my knowledge.) It boils down to me basically betting on Hasbro doing something nonsensical on a regular basis.

 

[Prospekt 11,021]

It's odd, I have heard absolutely nothing about whether or not the IDW comics will continue. I'm not expecting them to, but I feel like we have heard something by now.

I hesitate to call the comics anything but stories from multiple alternate universes. They have contradicted the show many times, often introducing details and significant events that the show completely ignores later on. They have even contradicted themselves a bit... for example there are two different versions of how the Sirens got banished to the human world.

That's not to say anything bad about the quality of the comics. There have been bad issues and bad arcs here and there, but in general IDW has done a great job.

[Castle Bleck 19,380]

2 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

The comics have done a lot more for the Wonderbolts than the show ever has, that alone, them alone are the reason I'm willing to keep the comics going

Not to mention giving us a superior Sombra (competence, depth, effectiveness, lines, role, worldbuilding, etc. -- you name it), versus the mustache-twirling Big Bad Wannabe with fifteen minutes of fame in S9.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Anti-Villain

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

From my understanding anything before the "From the Shadows" is pretty much non-canon due to a variety of reasons. Granted, that doesn't mean all comics from that arc on are perfect fits canon-wise, but they do fit the characterizations better overall with some characters (Starswirl especially).

[Megas 27,770]

On 8/12/2019 at 6:56 PM, PathfinderCS said:

From my understanding anything before the "From the Shadows" is pretty much non-canon due to a variety of reasons. Granted, that doesn't mean all comics from that arc on are perfect fits canon-wise, but they do fit the characterizations better overall with some characters (Starswirl especially).

Iirc, they straight up said that’s when they’d work with Hasbro to tie the two more closely 

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

I'm with @Goat-kun on this one. Call me stubborn, but I've never considered the comics canon - even within the first two story arcs, there were multiple contradictions between the comics and the show. So I don't use them for arguments about the show or accept arguments about the show made using them. Nor do I particularly care what the writers themselves think of the matter... they've never shown that they are putting in the time and effort to make sure the comic's stories fit with the show - see the above point re contradictions.

For example, I don't consider it true that Nightmare Moon was created by moon-dwelling fart-spirits possessing Luna or whatever that Celestia-awful Nightmare Rarity arc used as a reason. 

Not to say that I don't find some of those comics enjoyable, because I absolutely do. I just don't think they portray events that happen in the same continuity as the show itself. The show ending won't change that for me. The story of show-G4 ends at the same time as Season 9 does. Any comic set after that merely extends the comic continuity.

[Castle Bleck 19,380]

10 hours ago, Sunny Fox said:

For example, I don't consider it true that Nightmare Moon was created by moon-dwelling fart-spirits possessing Luna or whatever that Celestia-awful Nightmare Rarity arc used as a reason.

As I recall, FIENDship fixed ^that^:

Now Nightmare was an independent entity who corrupted Luna first, then -- during the banishment -- met and corrupted the "moon-dwelling fart-spirits" () into being her army.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Anti-Villain

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

2 minutes ago, Anti-Villain said:

FIENDship retconned it:

Nightmare was an independent entity that corrupted Luna first, then -- during the banishment -- she met and corrupted the "moon-dwelling fart-spirits" into being her army.

So you're saying the comics can't even keep their own internal consistency straight... maybe they're more like the show than I realized...

Still not canon.