After a stressful fashion show, Rarity's friends decide to send her on a spa vacation to give her a chance to unwind before the big show in Canterlot. Flax and What's New Age All-Natural Wellness Center turns out to not be what she expected. Every day is hard work and frustration, the only thing keeping Rarity from leaving after the first day is the small gifts of beauty products she receives at the end of the day. After a couple days, however, Rarity has had enough and intends to leave. She learns about Flax and Wheat's financial troubles, and about their business creating all-natural beauty products. With her entrepreneurship Rarity is able to help them rebrand, increase production and prices, and sell their products in Canterlot.
In a two page side story we learn the story of Hayseed, a minor character from one episode of the show.
The Review
The MLP:FiM micro-series have been hit and miss for me so far. Neither have been bad per say, but neither have been particularly good either. So when I saw that Cook and Price were coming back for this micro-issue I have to say I had high hopes for this one. If nothing else the art is a few notches higher than it was before.
And I was right to have high hopes. I'd even wager that this single issue was even better than the first four issues of the main series. It takes everything that made those four issues great, and condenses them into a single issue. Somehow we get more story this time around than the first two issues of the micro-series, making this quite possibly the most satisfying read of the entire MLP:FiM comic series.
Not only is the story satisfying, but the comedy in this is gold. From the writing to the art everything worked together perfectly to make for a great read and one that any fan of the show should get their hands on. The pages are rich with good writing and background gags that give this issue strong reread potential. Ever wanted to see Fluttershy and Big Mac get hit on by overzealously attentive prospects? Well look no further than page two. Actually do look further, the rest of the issue is a lot of fun too.
What really impressed me—besides the art that I had missed so, so much—was how Katie Cook managed to take a bunch of hippie stereotypes and turn them into proper characters. All in a single issue. The dilemma, while on a scale more similar to the show, humanizes—so to speak—the hippies to the point that I really was invested in the outcome of the story.
And somehow the laughs don't stop after the abuse of Rarity stops. It continues to be funny, but in a way other than Rarity having to deal with a situation she can't stand. It's all still focused on the characters, with Rarity's jokes all being wonderfully in line with how she is portrayed in the show.
Cook and Price are a great team, and if it weren't for the fact that they would quickly be overworked, I'd say let them write everything pony related.
Oh yes, and that backup made me really hate Spike. How dare he crush Hayseed's dreams!
The Grade
5/5
2 comments:
This was my favourite of all the MLP comics so far, even counting the regular series.
Katie, Heather and Andy are an example of when the perfect storm of a team come together.
I have to admit, I panicked a little when they weren't doing issue 5.
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