A couple of weeks ago, the newest My Little Pony comic book series launched from IDW Publishing! To help ring in the new series, Equestia Daily had the honor to sit down and interview IDW Comic Editor Bobby Curnow about the new series.
After the break you'll find a peek behind the scene into the creation of the new series, what some of the major themes in the comic are, and hints of what's to come later this year! See you there!
The Illustrious Q: What is the basic premise for Legends of Magic?
Bobby Curnow: Legends of Magic explores the myths and history of Equestria, and tells the stories of some of the most influential ponies of days past. Many of these stories have direct links to places, groups and individual ponies in the present day. So history is very much alive! An interesting wrinkle we'll explore is where the line between myth and historical fact is in Equestria. Some things that are assumed to be tall tales may not be as fanciful as they seem.
TIQ: How did the idea for the series come about? Was it during the very last—and box filled—meeting at Hasbro Studio’s old LA office?
BC: It's something that's been percolating for a while. We originally thought the concept might work for a story arc in the ongoing title, but after talking with Hasbro studio we realized there was more than just a handful of story opportunities to mine, so it made sense to go more in depth.
TIQ: What are some of the challenges that you’ve found when editing this book that are different from editing the previous My Little Pony comics?
BC: It's not too different. There's a bit more coordination and reference accumulation with Hasbro as there may be elements at play that won't be referenced for a while elsewhere.
TIQ: What do you see as the best aspects of this series?
BC: I personally love history, and exploring the connection between past and present. So for me, this series is a treat. For anyone who wants to dig deeper into what Equestia was like in the past, this is the series for you. If you're more interested in the present day cast and world, then you may find some intriguing links to what's going on now.
TIQ: The key point from Twilight Sparkle’s ascension to Princesshood—and sprouting a purple pair of wings—was that when Twilight finished Starswirl’s unfinished spell, she understood Friendship in a way that Starswirl did not. Does the possibility exist that this series will explore how Starswirl came to understand friendship?
BC: As we go on, we'll explore Starswirl more, so I'd say that's definitely a possibility, yes.
TIQ: The Solicitation for the first issue mentions that we’ll be uncovering the “secrets of Starswirl the Bearded and his many magical friends.” Considering that this is the first that we’ve heard of Starswirl having magical friends, are these characters exclusive to the comic or are they in some way tied into the upcoming Season 7?
BC: Some characters have been mentioned in passing in the show in seasons past, some may be mentioned in the upcoming season, and some will be brand new characters.
TIQ: In the initial announcement from Comics Alliance, Jeremy Whitley stated that the series gives the chance to “follow mythological members of the cast who have only ever appeared in stories and flashbacks.” Does this refer to characters who have already been mentioned on screen a ton of times, new characters who have yet to appear on the show, or a combination of the two?
BC: A combination of the two. Can't get into it much more than that for the time being!
TIQ: The early history of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna was covered in My Little Pony: The Journal of the Two Sisters which was published by Little Brown back in 2014. Could we possibly see elements from that book make their way into the series?
BC: It's possible!
TIQ: There are a number of really big events that happen one thousand years before the start of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV Series. Without really going into detail, could we possibly see a potential lead-up to some of those events?
BC: Most certainly.
TIQ: Considering that a good majority of the ancient history for Equestria has been created by My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show creator Lauren Faust, prior to whatever is coming out with Season 7 of the show, would it be possible to see her write an issue of the comic?
BC: There's no plans for that, and I would imagine Lauren would be far too busy on other projects for something like that. The door is always open for folks who have worked on the show and Lauren would be most welcome!
TIQ: Will each issue in the series contain a self contained story, or does the possibility exist for multi-issue arcs that build upon an ongoing storyline like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
BC: A little bit of both. The first six issues will be mostly self-contained and set in the past, but there will be "present day" book ends that will slowly advance an overall story that we may get into more depth in after the first six issues.
TIQ: Building off of the previous question, does the storyline have a definite beginning, middle, and end like Locke & Key?
BC: At the moment Jeremy has an overall plan for the first year, which can be built upon after that. So I'd say there's a set story planned which opens the door to the next chapter so to speak.
TIQ: If the book is able to jump around between different time periods, could we possibly see different eras of Equestria’s History explored?
BC: Absolutely-- as well as different places in the present day. The whole of Equestria, present and past, is open to us in this series, and being able to see different times and places is part of the fun.
TIQ: The cover by Brenda Hickey for the first issue in the series features a lot of brand new ponies. Considering the name guessing game that has been going on since the cover appeared, do any of those ponies have names that’ve been mentioned on the show?
BC: Yes. That's all I'll say for now!
TIQ: If the sales of Legends of Magic stay strong, and the My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel mini-series does well later this year, could we possibly see a third monthly ongoing My Little Pony comic hit the shelves? Perhaps a return of Friends Forever?
BC: It's possible. I personally think two ongoings work nicely, with the occasional mini-series or special thrown in from time to time. But we'll see what the market dictates. The Friends Forever run far outlasted what I thought (I had it pegged at 12, then 25 issues). I feel content with that run, but if there's a great clamoring for more I think it's definitely creatively possible.
TIQ: Is there anything else you want to talk about?
BC: We talked a bit about Jeremy's story plans which I'm very excited about. But I do want to mention the fantastic work that artist Brenda Hickey is doing. She just finished the pencils for issue #2 and I feel like she's leveled up since she last worked on My Little Pony. Her cartooning is top notch and hilarious, but she's also doing a great job giving each time period and location a unique feel. I'm very excited to see what she brings to the next stories and I believe readers will enjoy her work as well.
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #1 is available wherever comic books are sold.
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #2
Jeremy Whitley (w) • Brenda Hickey (a & mc) • Heather Breckel (c) • Zachery Sterling (sc) • Caytlin "Pixel-Prism" Vilbrandt (ric)
The legendary Rockhoof is the strongest pony in the realm! But is he strong enough to stop the mighty magma creatures that live inside a volcano?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet point:
- The secret history of some of Equestria’s most legendary ponies!
In Comic Shops Everywhere: May 10th, 2017
Twitter: The Illustrious Q
