

If you're a member of the overlapping Venn Diagram of comic book readers and My Little Pony fans, then your prayers to Princess Celestia have been answered: During this morning's panel at Comic-Con International, IDW and Hasbro announced a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comic series by Catie Cook and Andy Price, set to launch this November. Cook's cute, cartoony style has made her a ComicsAlliance favorite, but as a writer, she's probably best known for her equally cute webcomic, Gronk. Either way, she's a huge fan of My Little Pony, as is Price.

Of course, a Friendship is Magic comic faces a bit more of a challenge than just being cute. One of the more interesting things about the show is how it managed to find a legion of fans outside of its target market -- namely, older viewers who were attracted to the show for its sharp wit, engaging characters and clean designs, myself included. It presents an interesting challenge, and I was able to ask editor Bobby Curnow about how IDW's version was going to approach it:

"We're trying our best to capture the tone of the show, which has plenty of witty jokes that appeal to older fans. It's silly and irreverent, but at the same time, it's still very character focused, which is a crucial ingredient for any smart story. Basically we're just working on making the stories as strong as possible, and everything falls into place from there. It helps that the writer of the series, Katie Cook, is a big fan of the show, and is a naturally warm, friendly, funny and silly person. I think the scripts come off pretty naturally as a result, while at the same time retaining a real comic book feel. Andy Price, the artist, certainly helps in that department. "



In addition to making the company about 20% cooler, My Little Pony's arrival at IDW also means that the publisher has struck a comic book licensing deal with almost all of Hasbro's major properties, including G.I. Joe, the Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons. When asked if this would lead to a big Hasbro crossover, possibly involving the Ponies teaming up with Snake-Eyes and Optimus Prime to explore a lost dungeon, Curnow's response was about what you'd expect: "I'd love that as well. Anything is possible, I suppose! (But not likely!)"

As yet, no official art for the series has been released, but visitors to Price's DeviantArt page can check out character studies and other art that shows he's got a handle on the characters, as well as the MLP banner that he created for IDW's booth: