Written By: Christina Rice
Artist: Agnes Garbowska
Colorist:Heather Breckel
Lettering By: Neil Uyetake
Published By: IDW Publishing
The Cutie Mark Crusaders are back! Whilst doing some volunteer work at the local hospital, Ponyville’s most trustworthy fillies find a mystery to solve. As medical supplies start disappearing from a locked closet, the girls are hot on the heels of the responsible party! However this mystery maynot be simple to solve…
The Cutie Mark Crusaders have tried many occupations and hobbies before they eventually got their cutie marks. Now they know their destiny is to help any pony that needs it, be it finding their special talents or solving a mystery. This new mini–series has started strong, as the girls have a serious case on their hands. Their eagerness to solve the case quickly jeopardises some of the staff’s careers at the local hospital. Thankfully, with the help of one of the Mane Six, all is solved in the end.
I don’t recall ever seeing the hospital in the MLP comics before, but I do remember it once from the show, when Rainbow Dash got hurt and was recuperating with a Daring Do novel. That aside, to the best of my knowledge, the hospital staff are new characters in the MLP universe. The character of Distemper, the hospital’s Custodian reminds me a lot of the Janitor from Scrubs. The new additions of Distemper, Redheart and Nurse Neightingale to MLP world is exciting, as it adds another level of civilisation to the MLP universe. The attitudes of the hospital staff are comparable to what would be common in the real world. This also applies to the consequences involved regarding the theft of medical supplies.
Both AppleBloom and Scootaloo were a bit too quick to find the culprit. Instead of following Sweetie Belle’s intuition, the case ended in a total mess. Having to con the hospital staff with an emergency just to gain their attention again, the truth is finally revealed. Lessons are learnt, jobs are restored and apologies given. All in all an entertaining story! I don’t know if this will be a mini–series or not, but it has had a solid start.
This first issue of the Ponyville Mysteries can be found with eight variant cover arts. The first, cover A, at the top of the page is by Agnes Garbowska, this issue’s artist. In it we have Nurse Redheart, frightened whilst standing at an opened window, with an unknown unicorn doctor in the foreground. Cover B is by Philip Murphy, showing the Cutie Mark Crusaders in front of the hospital in some shocking weather. The retailer incentive cover A is by Andy Price, drawn in a classic 1940’s American detective style, with plenty of shadows, classy undertones and espionage. Retailer incentive B is from Brenda Hickey, with the trio holding a pose whilst in Sherlock Holmes attire. Retailer exclusive tidewater con cover is from Tim Shinn, and we have the girls strolling across a crosswalk with a gem in a cart. The retailer exclusive IDW convention cover is from Jay Fosgitt. This is certainly an eye catcher, as the Crusaders attend Ponyville Comic Con. There, they come across cosplayers and the cast of Horsefly, the Equestrian equivalent of Firefly. Finally we have the retailer exclusive sketch cover, which is just blank. As for the issue itself, the artwork is by Agnes Garbowska. If its possible, this artwork and character design is even cuter than previous stories. It is probably aimed at a younger audience; the ponies have wider eyes and a more classic 80’s style shape. The facial expressions are where the talent lies.
Well that’s it for Issue #1 of Ponyville Mysteries, and I do advise picking this up pronto as it looks to be the start of what seems like an entertaining side series. Out now from IDW Publishing, with more reviews coming in the future from me.
Overall: 8/10
