March of the Ponies: MLP Comics (Fluttershy One-shot)

[NOTE: Links to other March of the Ponies stories will go here as they are published.Part 1 - Abridged MLP history, Part 2 - Review of Lauren Faust's prior works, Part 3 - MLP Comics (Micro-series of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, CMCs/Celestia, Spike/Luna; Nightmare Rarity arc (main series)), Part 4 - Equestria Girls review, Part 5 - Fan-made episodes (Dusk's Dawn, Double Rainboom, Snowdrop), Part 6 - Fan works (Music, Doctor Whooves, Parody/Abridged Series, Fanfictions), Part 7 - Season Reviews: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Magical Mystery Cure, Season 4 (to date)]

If Rarity's comic was the best translation of an episode into comic form, Fluttershy's is the best comic of the bunch.

Not the main cover, but the best.

While this story wouldn't work as well in motion, the one-shot for Fluttershy played its layouts and art perfectly to complement a story that any creative mind could identify with.

It was almost uncomfortable how much I sympathized with the fears Fluttershy had in this story. And I have to give the crew (writer Barbara Randall Kesel, artist Tony Fleecs and colorist Amy Mebberson) credit: this is as good a team as I've seen in any book. These are names that need to get big in the industry.

I thought the story worked out because, 1. it's a very identifiable problem, and 2. Kesel portrayed the fear in nearly its absolute worst-case scenario. It triggered all the emotions it needed to.

Simultaneously, though, the lengths Fluttershy goes to hide her talents give the book great humor moments and the timing the book used in utilizing 2-page spreads and full-page spreads was done at an expert level, giving the rooms and knitting sculptures their deserved grandiosity and scope.

I thought Rarity was a little ore impulsive than she usually is written and the closing inner monologue felt out of place, but those are nitpicks in an otherwise enjoyable look into Fluttershy's timid nature.

I don't think this story translates well into TV, but that's not how I judge a comic anyway. As a comic, this story gets a 9.2/10. If you come across this issue in a store and you've ever been nervous about showing off a talent or creative work, this is a must-read.

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