• Let's Review: Friends Forever #5

    What's this I see with my nostalgic eye? A comic book with Zecora and Fluttershy!

    Was its charm real or a total fake? Find out more below the break.

    Lest by I be targeted by a thug's employers, you should know that there will be spoilers.

    After an awkward start, the Friends Forever line seemed to be picking up speed. Issue #2 showed that the comic could form connections not previously seen. Issue #3 demonstrated the line's potential to present characters in a new light. Issue #4 showed how the comics could flesh out relationships that were neglected within the show.

    Friends Forever #5 accomplishes some of that, but by comic's end I felt this was more a stumble after the rising quality. Yet it's not a flaw of the characters, the artwork, or ideas. It's more to do with the story's flow.

    Art wise, Tony Fleecs does a wonderful job depicting not just the lead characters but all the animals within the story. From birds to squirrels, bears to bunnies, there are a lot of critters to render. This comic strikes me as a balancing act between detail and cartoon simplicity. How much fur can be rendered using only three lines? How expressive can Fluttershy and Zecora be given the limited facial features? The answer is a lot because Fleecs does a great job of making these characters expressive.

    In some ways this expression is very freaky. But Fluttershy is freaking out, so it works.

    Since reviewing Friends Forever #35, I've been taking greater notice of how gradients are used in the background. It's similar balancing act as the characters. Sometimes there are just enough background elements to establish the setting while beyond lies a simple gradation. In other cases all one needs are the immediate props to understand how the characters are arranged. A shadow underneath is the only hint of a floor.

    This is the key to minimalism: there isn't an absence of information.

    Once or twice this can backfire. An example is a panel in which Zecora is standing behind a light, but with no shadow under her hooves she appears to be floating. Yet these moments are rare and Heather Breckel matches the tones of the gradients to either the setting or the emotions.

    This is confusion. We don't have enough info to tell how far apart Zecora stands 
    or where she is in relation to the larger environment. 
    So let's start things off in Fluttershy's home. It is there that–shock and awe–she's talking with animals!

    Turns out that beavers are master manipulators of social media.

    Why are none of you gasping?

    Oh, right. She does that a lot. Well, this time they're talking back!

    "Only when I have something worth saying."
    This creature is already far smarter than most humans. 

    Still no gasps? Dang it.

    This probably the biggest stumbling point for the comic: the central conflict isn't a big problem. Fluttershy has always been able to communicate with animals. Granted, they've never replied back in words we can understand but she could. Since the animals are being secretive but respectful, so it's hard to see this as anything sinister.

    The "Crazy One".
    Scary how I know they're talking about Pinkie Pie.

    What is strange is a brief encounter with Rarity, who at first chalks this up to fatigue. In truth, I want to know more about the time she heard a sewing machine speak to her. Her assumption is reasonable, but it's odd that she's not paying this greater attention, given all they've experienced.

    What did the machine say?
    Was it the sowing machine Skynet?

    Since the problem only seems to worsen, Fluttershy decides to forgo a hospital visit and instead goes to see the reclusive zebra who lives in the super-deadly Everfree Forest. I can say that without any skepticism if I remember that Zecora doesn't ask for healthcare. Though she might need fire insurance.

    Oh dear. Now she'll have to move in with Twilight at the new castle. 

    This is where the comic really stands out. Zecora has become a deus ex machina solution in many tales. She has just the right item to cure any solution, or is smarter than the mane cast and can advise them on the right path. In this comic, she doesn't have all the answers and her methods are more haphazard. More than that, she's allowed to be quirky.

    I empathize. I'm terrible at cooking or baking.

    It's not just the explosion that, strange enough, doesn't seem to harm the interior. Zecora's dialog is more rambling. Her methods follow a process of elimination I couldn't follow with a map and several guide diamond dogs. I like this idea of Zecora being a little off. Let her be quirky. She no less respected, but it makes sense that someone living in complete solitude would develop some eccentricities. Although I find it most odd that she keeps referring to herself in the third person. Silver Quill thinks that makes someone sound a little too crazy.

    I can neither dance nor easily recite the alphabet backwards.
    Thus I stand in awe of them both.

    However, this sets up a rough dynamic. There's great humor here in that Zecora is behaving to a plan that makes sense to her, but we're seeing this from Fluttershy's perspective. Specifically, we have no idea what's going on.

    Why is shy looking at the top of Fluttershy's head?
    Or is she watching those rapid movements in the background?

    An odd trait for Fluttershy this issue is that she's exceptionally literal. The filly has zero imagination. Show her a rorschach test and she'll see ink. Ask her to guess the shape of a card and she'll say it's card-shaped. I'm surprised Zecora didn't take this as a sign Fluttershy's not crazy. After all, how could anyone this lacking in creative thought couldn't dream up fake voices?

    Separately, these two are pretty funny. Yet Friends Forever is based on a duo working together. Sadly, that's just not present. Fluttershy is almost a victim to Zecora's experiments before she dashes off after a talking raccoon. Rather than giving chase, Zecora enjoys a comedy bit with two cats.

    Zecora, you need a good cop for this to work!

    With Friends Forever #4, I said that the central focus was the brother-sister dynamic. The mystery of the Crystal Ghost was a secondary issue. This comic is the reversal. The main goal is to figure out why these animals are now speaking, and so the relationship between Zecora and Fluttershy isn't really explored. I could see these too bonding over the idea of being a little off. Both prefer privacy, both operate in settings most ponies don't understand. Yet I don't sense they share the connection.

    Back to the minimalism. A toppled tree and a branch.
    Just enough to know the setting. The gradient does the rest.

    In fact, any bond is quickly subverted by the true culprit.

    This is how John de Lancie is greeted upon entering most rooms.

    Discord truly hijacks the story for the last few pages. There are tender moments with Fluttershy and tense dialog with Zecora. I find the latter intriguing. These two haven't spoken much in the show and I like the idea of them sharing an adventure. Yet we've lost the focus on the comic's lead characters. Fluttershy is too busy visiting with her animal friends and Zecora's relationship with the spirit of chaos can't advance beyond a few disses.

    Too sweet... Blacking out...

    This why I think the issue breaks the stride. There's much to enjoy, but it's more a series of events while it could have gone deeper. Given that this was the 5th issue I viewed it as an example of what to look for in future stories. Friends Forever can feature more than just the lead pair, but there has to be a reason why they were chosen for this story. Although Zecora could test Fluttershy for ailments, she ultimately serves no purpose. Now instead of being the instant-fix, she's been made superfluous.

    "You stole my spotlight from this issue.
    I promise my stealth attack will not miss you."

    We'd get more of a middle ground when Zecora teamed up with Spike in Friends Forever #21. Funny enough, there would be more interaction between Fluttershy and Zecora thanks to a secret service Avery.

    This is both nice and bitter. A nice exchange of information and support that we never saw.

    This comic also launched a very odd trend for Fluttershy. Although she's starred in these comics several times, Fluttershy has a hard time working in a duo. Often she and her costar would operate in separate spheres with little overlap. It wouldn't be until Friends Forever #32 that she'd work alongside a character start-to-finish and enjoy a stronger presentation.

    She looks like she's having fun.

    I reference a lot of later issue because I find value in looking back at these early comics to see how the series has traveled, changed, stumbled, and evolved. This is a fun story but it highlighted the biggest challenge for the series: how do you blend these two characters into a shared conflict?

    I'm Silver Quill. Thanks for reading!