Written by: James Amus
Artist: Tony Fleecs
Colourist: Heather Breckel
Lettering by: Neil Uyetake
Cover artist: Tony Fleecs
Published by: IDW Publishing
Shadowlock has brought to life several of Equestria’s most famous fictional characters. The Mane Six must battle against Cyclops-Clops, Frankenstags’ monster and one of H. Pony Lovecraft’s sea monsters. Shadowlock is on a mission to erase a certain part of Equestria’s’ history, in order to prevent the return of one of it’s darkest times. However this cloaked unicorn is also erasing all the books that stand in his way. Will Princess Twilight and her friends be capable of uncovering the truth behind Shadowlocks mission, before all of the libraries lay bare?
We are now in Part Two of this literary adventure for the ponies. The Mane Six tracked down our ‘villain’ Shadowlock to a Western town, where the Frontier lies. Cornering Shadowlock in the town’s library, his reaction has called some chaos. Using his magic, he brings to life several fictional characters. We have the pony equivalents of Frankenstein’s Monster, The Kraken and Cyclops. Although Frankenstag is referred to by his Creator’s name, it isn’t long before the Monster points out the difference. Making for a very informative piece for the readers, a short dialogue with a comical end. Shadowlock reveals that he is erasing the evidence in books of a certain era in Equestrian history as its return would cause untold destruction. Twilight understands this situation, but it is difficult to have a conversation with Shadowlock without a group of monsters thrashing a library around you. Next issue should reveal all about the point in history that our cloaked pony wishes to avoid.
I must admit that I have grown attached to Shadowlocks character appearance. So much mystery lies underneath that hood, and we do get a good look at his face in this comic. A youthful appearance, making him around Twilight’s age. His scar is intriguing, and I imagine it has something to do with his reason for carrying out this widescale, protection plan. If all was revealed, I can see him and Twilight becoming great friends. Perhaps later working alongside her in the Castle, but admittedly I’m getting ahead of myself. This is set to be one of the most interesting MLP stories for me to read yet. Twilight has surprised me yet again, instead of getting caught up in the chaos, she quietly meets with Shadowlock in order to hear him out. To try and understand why he is causing so much trouble. Unfortunately it appears Shadowlock was one step ahead of our Princess, and has cast a spell on her sleeping friends.
Seriously, fictional characters have come to life in a library! Causing havoc and also correcting a piece of misinformation about Frankenstag. Whilst Shadowlock escapes, his spell is still active and is a difficult one to break. Once that mess is cleared up, Twilight and her friends split up and set about protecting all the places that would be obvious for Shadowlock to attack. They later devise a plan involving the Equestrian Museum, home to all of the country’s important artifacts and scripts through the centuries. A risky plan, but one that is far too enticing for Shadowlock to avoid. There is far more action to come in the next issue, as the rest of the Mane Six have become trapped within several timelines.
This issue has three cover arts, with the Regular Cover by Tony Fleecs. An eye catching one for sure, as the Mane Six (Plus Spike) stand in front of an open book. With the cloaked Shadowlock behind them. Such a vivid piece of art, that would make a great art piece in my living room. Tony is also responsible for this story’s artwork, with wide eyed ponies being his style. Something all the more fitting in this issue, as monsters jump forth from books. A chilling experience for Fluttershy, the most timid of all our Mane Six. Tony was also lucky enough to create some new pony characters, although they are based upon some classic, fictional characters. An experience I’m sure he very much enjoyed. Our Subscription Cover is by Sara Richard, who returns once more with her iconic dreamlike, pastel artstyle. As Applejack and Twilight take in the Equestrian equivalent of Easter Island. With large, sculpted pony heads rising from the ground by a cliff. Each head also resembles one of the Mane Six. Finally we have the Cover RI by Valentina Pinto, who has worked across a number of interesting titles. Including Strawberry Shortcake, Red Sonja, The Blood Queen, Psycho Bonkers and Grimm Fairy Tales. For the Cover RI, we have Rarity in the centre, surrounded by jewels that just emphasis her elegance.
Once again My Little Pony has brought us another exciting adventure. The next issue should bring us the conclusion to this story. Will Twilight be able to rescue her friends from the various points in Equestrian history? And just what is the truth behind Shadowlocks mission?
Overall: 9/10
