Written By: Thom Zahler
Artist: Andy Price
Colorist: Heather Breckel
Lettering By: Neil Uyetake
Published By: IDW Publishing
Fashion designer extraordinaire Rarity and her animal loving friend Fluttershy are taking the train to Manehattan. Wanting to study the style of the big city and gain some inspiration, Rarity is shocked to discover that she has in fact stepped back in time. With everyone clad in studded jackets, parachute pants, acid wash jeans and sweatbands, fashion trends have circled back around! Meanwhile Fluttershy is struggling to adhere to the codes and regulations of having an animal shelter, so she attends a symposium to gain some insight.
Both of our Ponyville friends head back to the bustling Manehattan in search of inspiration. Rarity is forced to face her worst nightmare of repetitive fashion and she has to overcome her past designs with a new outlook. Fluttershy is quickly realising at the Animal Shelter Symposium that her work on her own animal shelter may have all been in vain. With numerous forms, inspections, licenses and programmes to undertake, Fluttershy is close to giving up! As the two girls support one another, they are quick to see the light and get back on their hooves! Seeing as we are back in Manehattan, Rarity travels to fashion store ‘Le Nouveau Pommel’. This brings the return of fellow fashion designer, Coco Pommel. Thanks to Fluttershy, we also get to see quite a few new characters. Hopefully they will appear again later down the line, as they are all involved with running animal shelters in their own towns.
This issue can be found with three variant artworks, the first being the front cover, pictured at the top of this review. Created by Andy Price, it showcases the Mane Six and Spike, revisiting some unique fashion trends; namely Rarity embodying Prince, and Spike working on his Thriller moves. This front cover is also in the same artstyle found in the rest of the issue. Cover B is by Sara Richard, and with it returns the pastel artwork that has graced many a cover in the past. A fashion statement is being made by Fluttershy, Rarity and Coco Pommel. Lastly we have cover RI by Toni Kuusisto, as Applejack takes on a homemade mechanical bull, one that seems to have already defeated Big Mac. Three wonderful cover arts, each of which would make great individual posters.
Well that’s it for another issue! This one-shot is definitely worth picking up, but may be eclipsed by the next issue, featuring Princess Celestia!
Overall: 7/10
