The editor of the IDW My Little Pony comics, Riley Farmer, has been answering a bunch of questions from fans on Twitter.
The questions were submitted anonymously through the website NGL. If you'd like to ask her questions yourself, she said on Sunday that she wouldn't answer any more questions until "maybe next Friday" (July 14).
This article only includes the parts of the thread which are relevant to her work at IDW; you can see her answers to other questions like "give me your hot take on cheese" on Twitter, or on archive.today if you don't want to log in to Twitter. The questions and answers have been edited for clarity. Additional contextual information, indicated by square brackets, has been included where I felt like it.
The MLP comics
No current plans, but it's definitely a possibility! I would love to see him meet Misty.
Where did Discord go after issue 10?
Probably on vacation, TBH.
She's going to make her debut soon! I just want to see her exploring her freedom and powers. I'm curious to see how she'll change, and if she remains awkward and shy.
For sure! They'll all probably show up eventually.
Would there be a chance of LGBTQ+ characters appearing in the comics?
There is a non-binary character in the Bridlewoodstock one-shot [referring to Cherry]. :) Representation is very important to me and I'll always try to include queer characters. It is hard because we don't include romance a lot, but hopefully we can sprinkle it in.
It will last 5ever probably. We have more plans for one-shots and miniseries, yes!
I got excited about your MLP post – do fans send in fan mail of MLP stories and whatnot? I've got a novel story that I wrote that I want to share with the MLP crew… [referring to this tweet by Riley Farmer about the possibility of a letters column for the MLP comic]
Reminder that we cannot accept unsolicited stories, ideas, or pitches. This protects both us and you. I'll let everyone know when/if letter submissions are open. 🦄
Personal preferences
Who do you think is best pony?
Pinkie Pie, Izzy, and Pickle Barrel [a character created by IDW artist Natalie Haines].
What is your favorite villainous character from My Little Pony?
The one that shows up in issue #16. :) [Issue 16 begins an arc in which Pipp and Zipp's cutie marks are switched.]
Hey, who's your favorite G5 pony to draw?
I cannot draw. 😭
What's your opinion on Zipp's friendship with Misty?
I wish Zipp was less suspicious! I'm excited to see them grow as friends.
What's your personal favorite G5 ship? If not ship, then favorite duo?
Lots of questions about ships. Even though they're all adults, I feel like they're all children so I don't really ship any, haha. But obviously I love Fluttershy/Discord and Applejack/Rainbow Dash in G4.
What show or franchise would be the wackiest crossover with My Little Pony?
Um, I feel like mixing it with something super dark would be weird. Like, imagine the Dark Knight meeting Fluttershy. But then again, Adam West's Batman and Pinkie Pie would be fun… I think Star Wars would be a difficult sell.
Do you think Makaryo's animation about Violette Rainbow is canon? [referring to "When Love Repeats"]
Yes (for fun). No (for legal reasons).
The future of the MLP franchise
Yup! Hasbro keeps me updated about all those things and gives me a rundown of what's going to happen each season. Not sure about Make Your Mark. I can answer some lore questions, but only about the comics really.
Do you know if Make Your Mark is ending after "Secrets of Starlight"?
Even if I knew, I could not say.
After G5 is finished, could G6 be the cancelled reboot of Friendship Is Magic, where Twilight is an earth pony and Pinkie is a pegasus? [referring to Boulder Media's work on a G4 reboot movie, which was scrapped in April 2018]
What?! G5 isn't going anywhere! I have no idea what Hasbro would plan for G6, but I doubt they'd go backwards.
Working for IDW as an artist or a writer
What does it take to be a writer/artist for IDW?
Usually you have to have an editor reach out to you! It's good to stay active in the community, on social media, and participate in anthologies if possible.
Do you work with artists remotely?
All of my artists are remote! They're from all across the world.
Have you worked with any artists from Australia? :D
Not as far as I know… I've tried, but the project wasn't a good fit.
How many images is too many for a portfolio?
I'm honestly not sure if there is a rule, or what's common. Personally, I'm not going to look for 30–40, but, like, 5 seems too little. So maybe 15–20? This is me making up stuff.
Are storyboards and animatics examples of sequential artwork?
I… would think so? It technically is sequential artwork, and has a lot of transferable skills to comics, but I would prefer to see actual comic samples if you want to do interior art work.
Everyday! That's how I've hired a lot of people.
Twitter: @_overcast07
