3 out of 5

Bought it during my brief (and abandoned) investigation of de Campi’s work.  Still not clear on the MLP obsession.  But… I would guess, from this single exposure, that ‘Friends Forever’ would meet fan expectations.  It certainly passes as entertaining kid fare, though ’twas nothing special otherwise.

There’s a reality show cooking contest going on, and several of our Pony friends are competing.  But, whoops, one Pony gets mistaken for another, and winds up on the show inadvertently, much to the intended contestant’s chagrin.  No, I can’t be bothered to check names.  The various cooking styles and send-ups of reality show judges are amusing, as are, initially, the intended contestant’s attempts to get back onto the show.  The ‘friends forever’ bit comes in when three of our leads decide to sorta team-up to have the best contest ever (even though this doesn’t really change all that much), and it’s an accessible lesson in supporting each other for the lil’uns.  Then, to toss the requisite amount of chaos into the mix, the intended contestant (whom I should really just start calling IC) bursts in with a fondant gun and we’ll gloss over how this is akin to a school shooting and just cast it as comedy.  Not that a premise of tattooed ponies is at all serious, but the ending seemed just a bit too silly for me, relegating this whole shindig to a standard read.

Carla Speed McNeil’s art is inoffesnive and bubbly, but really only works thanks to Jenn Manley Lee & Bill Mudron’s amazingly bright colors.  Their smart choice of palettes and solids vs. fades help keep things lively when so much would otherwise look the same.  I’d be interested to see interiors by cover artist Andy Price.

Now take this one issue review and apply it to everything My Little Pony.