It’s hard to tell if the popularity behind My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is decreasing or as high as it ever was. This year, Hasbro has set a date to end the critically acclaimed series and fan convention, Bronycon, announced next year will be the last year the event takes place. At the time time, the books surrounding the series from IDW Comics seem to be doing well and are met with relatively high praise. Is this new series, featuring Princess Luna another one which will earn praise or is it just trotting to the end?

Princess Luna and Stygian find themselves being called to another world where an evil force has a malicious plan in place.

Writing

It often surprising how much detail goes into a series which is supposed to involve magical horses having adventures about making friends. When all of the mythology is laid out this franchise involves dimensional travel, shapeshifters, and characters which display powers close to those of deities. Writer Jeremy Whitley needs to be commended just for the amount of detail put into making sure all the different story lines are handled properly. This comic makes references to the cartoon and previous issues of the main comic series seamlessly. Unfortunately so many references are made it often feels some “See other issue” boxes would have been appreciated.

My Little Pony: Nightmare Knights presents an entertaining story. It also sets a up good reason why moving forward only certain individuals will be able to help with the mission. The issue does a successful job of both laying out the stakes and making the reader want to come back for the next issue.


Artwork

This issue features lots of great moments where you will find yourself paying attention to the details put into the issue. Tony Fleecs provides some great art work throughout this issue. Many pages feature minute details which readers will be able to scrutinize over to discover all the different easter eggs which are featured in the issue.

The color work by Heather Breckel allows for great magical effects and emotion to radiate to the reader. The use of different shades helps to showcase the between areas which are safe and ones where the characters are in danger. Also, the reveal of the main villain is aided greatly by the intense bits of color used in their presentation.

The lettering by Neil Uyetake delivers the comedy and drama of the comic with fantastic accuracy. Use of proper lettering helps to show when Luna summons forth her Nightmare Moon voice. It also helps the action to play out through use of very eye catching sound effects.

Conclusion

While it may not be the best issue of the year, it still is a fun book over and is well worth the time for fans of the franchise. My Little Pony: Nightmare Knights is geared for not only fans of Princess Luna or fans of the enemies turned friends in the franchise, but also individuals who enjoy the lore the comics can spin. Lots of good attention to detail makes sure to explain how it fits into the broader storylines and tries to continuity with lots of effort.