IDW Comics Revisited - Main Series #14

With 2013 coming to a close and the micro series also drawing to a close as the show's fourth season was in full swing, the main series had to continue this pirates story that had quite a few issues in its first half. And considering the previous two parters in the comics did worse in their second halves, it seemed like there was so much against this issue right from the get go? But did it manage to defy the odds and do a good job of getting the comics back on track? Well, let's find out.

So we begin with Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash fighting the giant crab. Twilight soon decides they need a plan, which is for one to get into the hole to get the map while the others distract the crab. Rainbow Dash volunteers to fly in while the others serve as a distraction, and we learn that the crab is actually glowing because of all the energy drinks he consumes. Rainbow successfully retrieves the map though, only to find her friends captured by him. Fortunately, Pinkie happens to speak crab and summons an army of small crabs to steal the giant crab's possessions, allowing her to make a deal: The map in exchange for the safe return of the rest of the crab's stash.

Among the items are a few messages in bottles similar to what Captain Hoofbeard has been sending out. Rainbow protests and says they shouldn't ask questions, just give Hoofbeard the map, which is not loyalty but blind allegiance that is even more of a problem in this day and age than it was when this comic came out. Twilight is naturally skeptical, and after reading one of the messages deduces that Hoofbeard must be crazy. Everyone then gets back on the ship as Applejack reveals that she couldn't get Hoofbeard to open up about his "treasure" despite all the mango juice she served him, and everyone ignores Fluttershy's confession about Gil being in a coconut in her hat.

A few days pass and the x does indeed change. On top of that there's no wind and they've been going in circles on purpose. Twilight and everyone agrees that they need to mutiny on Hoofbeard, but Rainbow is still not onboard despite what's happening and only agrees to play along on the promise that she can be a pirate captain, basically stroking her ego. They all mutiny, but Pinkie forgets to man the wheel and Hoofbeard takes control, forcing a showdown that ends with Hoofbeard out numbered and forced to surrender. They head for home as Fluttershy decides to take some food to Hoofbeard and talk to him, revealing her not secret about Gil. Just then the ship suddenly comes to a stop as all find themselves atop the x. And it turns out that Fluttershy stupidly let Hoofbeard out because he sounded sorry, which is only even more painful to watch now that we have her performance from "Daring Doubt" where she blindly believes everything Caballeron says.

It turns out that Hoofbeard wasn't crazy at all, he was looking for a mermare (seaponies before seaponies) literally named Jewel who loved him but was forbidden by her own culture from going off with Hoofbeard in a discount version of The Little Mermaid. Hoofbeard things that somehow this time he'll be allowed to have Jewel even though the mermares don't want him following them, but Fluttershy delivers an aesop basically similar to Disney's Beauty and The Beast about how if you love someone, let them go. She releases Gil and this speech somehow convinces the mermares to let Jewel go, though Hoofbeard is instead turned into a mermare by Twilight, and Hoofbeard says that even with the mutiny the mane six are the best crew he ever had. And then a random sea creature never mentioned before comes along to take the mane six back home.

And that's the story, so what do I think of the issue? Honestly, this one suffers from having to be forced to have a happy ending. Why did we need to have Hoofbeard actually be sane? What would've been wrong with him actually being crazy and the mane six realizing that they got mixed up with the wrong guy? This love of his is never even eluded to before, the vague foreshadowing with the moving x would give no suggestion about looking for a mermare. And if that's the case why did Hoofbeard never tell either the mane six or his old crew that's what he was looking for back before they had any reason to think he was crazy? The mutiny is done pretty well, including the battle with Hoofbeard aboard the ship, and the battle with the giant crab was done well too. It's such a shame that everything else is either out of left field or reeks of poor characterization to move the plot along. Heck, why was Spike in this arc at all when he contributed nothing of substance? Was it solely to make up for his unexplained absence from "Neigh Anything"? The movie definitely did underwater ponies better with seaponies/hippogriffs, though the pirates admittedly got little screen time compared to Hoofbeard easily commanding attention throughout this two part arc. Alicorn Twilight ended up being the least drama inducing thing about this whole arc and they handled her character really well, almost at the expense of everyone else in fact. Much like the Nightmare Forces arc, this arc had an interesting premise and it was clearly one that they had thought out more, but it still stumbled in the end with its writing choices. Maybe it's a guilty pleasure, but I'd say this issue isn't worth picking up unless you really like pony pirates.

Whew, and there you have it. Come back tomorrow when we'll take a look at what was an undisputed low point for the comics up to that point with Main Series #15.