That said, Ponyville has exceptional Vo Tech program.

For some reason, this comic really came out caricature-like, as I decided to try inking on my android tablet. I also drew this with gum. No, seriously. There are no good, cheap capacitive styluses for drawing, so I taped and molded a stick of wrapped chewing gum around my DS stylus, and it worked like a charm. Blunt enough to register contact with the screen, and firm enough to avoid that mushy feeling most capacitive styli are designed to have. At some point, I should probably invest in some real drawing equipment, but one step at a time.

After the one-two punch of this issue (#11/12) and the Equestria Girls Annual, I did seriously ask myself why I continued to get the comics. Then, soon after, the Spike mini-story and the slow-to-start, solid-finish pirate story came out and I had my reminder. Because the comic series is so patchwork, sometimes one needs the reminder that there are so many writers and artists who touch it that it really can’t be treated as a whole.

There are Cook/Price issues that I do in fact like, namely the Rarity and Luna micro-series comics. The two definitely thrive in the short-form, since their style comes off as a series of connected vignettes rather than a smooth arc; it’s the long-form issues that get to me. I’ve yet to read a Cook/Price multi-issue story that holds together throughout. Part of it is the vignetted structure, part of it is Price’s visual density (dang, does he try to fit tiny visual references and gags into every inch). I’m more inclined to side with Nuhfer, who can undoubtedly arc an arc, and Anderson, who achieves tone like no other.

Perhaps that’s why I stick with it. Only about half of the comics are worth reading, but the ones that are, really are.

I’m back on board with Season 4 after a bit of initial disappointment. As far as I could tell, this season just started a lot weaker than the others, Season 2 leading with “Lesson Zero,” and Season 3 putting “Too Many Pinkie Pies” right up front. I enjoyed “Castle Mane-ia,” but it wasn’t until “Power Ponies” that I felt confident again. It brought back the sense of surprise to the series, namely that the episode where they became super heroes turned out to be a Spike episode, and whether intended or not, the super villain obsessed with hair styling felt delightfully subversive. As for “BATS!,” the initial “bat ponies” murmurs gave me nightmarish visions of Gaia online, but in the end, it turned out darn tasteful. Plus, hey, have we actually ever had an Applejack & Fluttershy episode before?

Expect a podcast covering this and more in the near future!

The show really doesn’t have enough songs about racism.
GX