Hello & welcome back to Trotting Towards Nightmare Night and we continue our Flutterween celebration as we enter the world of comics as we look at one of the more bizarre story arcs from the IDW comic line as we look at Night of The Apples. The MLP Wiki lists it as Night of The Living Apples but everything else I've seen list it as Night of The Apples. And this is perhaps one of the less well reviewed arc from the IDW comics. Understandable as it's concept is out there and doesn't really do enough with it. When you see the title, it perhaps elicits thoughts of B Movies and this comic does seem to be going for that same style of camp but it does seem amiss as we will explain as the review goes on. With that out of the way, let's begin.
Staff
Thom Zahler - Writer
The writing on this comic seems to be one of the biggest issues as it's story that goes out there and it's clear that this is a story that is not grounded in reality but there seem too many easy outs and parts of the comic that just don't make sense such as The CMC thinking that fighting off a hoard of evil apples would get them their cutie marks. Or the fact that parts of it seem too on the nose, I mean the main villain of this arc is named Bad Apple. That seems a bit too on the nose. Now as I said in the introduction, this seems to be a tribute/parody of and to B Movies. When I first saw the name of this arc, the movie, Attack of The Killer Tomatoes came to mind.
Now, I've not seen this movie but it really does seem like with the name and the fact that the main villains are fruit, that this arc could have possibly drawn inspiration from this film. But the thing is that this comic just doesn't push the camp far enough but having said that, we do get some weird moments such as Pinkie sneaking and spying on the evil apples disguised as an apple.
Again, odd moments are nothing out the norm in these type of movies or tributes to them, look at one of my favorite musicals, Little Shop of Horrors. It's a great musical (not the mean-spirited director's cut) that has some odd moments. Steve Martin's Dentist is a ball of psycho but the story is strong enough to where you are able to buy into what is going in it and that story takes something that people would never think of to be a villain and make a plant, threatening. Audrey II is one of the most threatening villains from any musical and you are able to buy into the threat that it poses whereas Bad Apple as I'll touch upon more, when I talk about the characters, never comes off as a threat. Yes, this story is more comedic than other arcs but an apple with an evil mustache isn't threatening. But again, you could have made that worked but it's silly but not in the campy way that this story is aiming for. Rather in, what am I looking at?
Art - Tony Fleecs
The art is okay. The characters do like they do in the show and they are easily recognizable but nothing really pops here.
Colors - Heather Breckel
The coloring is nice and pretty good. It is pleasant on the eyes but like with the art, there is nothing spectacular about it.
Cover
I do like the cover as it continues that B movie trend with the fonting style used for the title and the giant Apple attacking in the background.
The Plot
The comic starts out promisingly as we open on the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon and we find out that remnants from their battle, in this case being a meteor would return years later and it happens to land at Sweet Apple Acres late at night and the noise wakes Applejack and she goes to check it only to be attacked by sentient apples as she is covered in them.
Again, not a bad start and then we cut to the next morning, where the CMC are discussing how cutie marks appear based on whether they arrive for a hidden skill that they haven't discovered yet or if they get to choose them based on what they love. Yeah, I don't miss those days, the CMC getting their cutie marks has definitely opened up the door for new stories and ideas to come their way such as helping others find their place, even if it means that they can't help everyone that they come across get a cutie mark. Twilight and Rarity discuss how it happened for them. And Spike suggests that Twily send a letter to Celestia and ask her ask about this.
All of the sudden as the characters are walking through Ponyville and wondering where AJ is, Spike is carried off by the evil apples. So, they decide to head to Sweet Apple Acres to check on the Apples and Twilight is surprised that it's quiet there.
Twilight Sparkle: It's pretty quiet here. Usually by this time of day, the farm is bustling with activity.
Pinkie Pie: Hello! HELLOOOOO! Where is everybody?
Twilight Sparkle: Well, it WAS pretty quiet
Yeah, that moment was pretty funny. When her friends discover the Apple family, they discover that the Apple family has been taken hostage by the sentinet apples. With two guards blocking the entrance to the barn, where the Apple Family is being forced to work for the sentient Apples. Does this sound weird to anyone else? The sentient apples start to attack our heroines and they outnumber our ladies and they seem to get high distance as one jumps into the air to attack Dash as she attempts to fly away. But it is to no avail and that is when we are introduced to the villain of this two part arc, Bad Apple. We soon discover that the Apple Family were forced to build catapults for the sentient Apples, so that these evil Apples could attack the Ponies and they are able to take down Rainbow Dash. And they get Twilight caught in a bushel of apples.
Twilight Sparkle: What are you going to do?
Bad Apple: Gloat! There will be much gloating! Then I intend to take Ponyville! And now that there are of you to help build my catapults, I may just get that done tonight. Ruthless and ahead of schedule, I rule!
Yeah, we are dealing with a villain that doesn't hide his evilness at all and not having subtly can work sometimes but with Bad Apple here, it's so overt that it kinda gets annoying. That night, we see Mayor Mare walking through Ponyville and talking to Ponyville's accountant and that is when we see the evil sentient apples attack the Ponies and the accountant starts counting all of the apples and Mayor Mare tells her to stop counting. Even Spitfire of the Wonderbolts can't stop them. And they somehow set fire to Ponyville. That's odd, how were they able to set fire to Ponyville as we never see them use fire and they don't have limbs. According to Bad Apple, his plan is golden and delicious. Ha!
One of Bad Apple's minions finds Mayor Mare and they talk about terms of surrender. And he has now renamed Ponyville, Apple-Only-Ville. I am just not feeling this guy. I think he's trying too hard to be a villain. On the next page, we see various panels of all the apples have taken over and they are even forcing Miss Rarity to make uniforms, which leads to another good.
I don't get it. You don't even have bodies.
They plan to next attack Appleloosa. And they hope to conquer the rest of Equestira after that. Scootaloo hears this and runs to Fluttershy's cottage, where the Ponies are hiding to give our heroines the news.
Scootaloo: They're going to attack Appleloosa! And then more cities. And THEN CANTERLOT!
Twilight Sparkle: Then we're running out of time. And we still need more information.
We find out from Fluttershy that Angel's friends are doing the best that they can. Twilight decides that they need an inside pony and she is staring directly at Pinkie Pie. We find out according to the treaty that Mayor Mare signed, Twily can't use her magic on apples but she can still use it on ponies. Wait, wait, wait, this story is set after Twilight became a princess, so couldn't she have overruled the treaty. You'd think that would be something that she could do. Ah well, Twily decides that they need to send a pony disguised as an apple to get more information and maybe free Spike. AJ volunteers but she asks Pinkie to do it as she is better at sneaking. And we see Pinkie enter the now headquarters of the evil Apples as an apple herself but the guards at first won't let her in until she gives her name, and it's Apple Pie. Our new Pinkie apple goes to the barn and finds Spike and at first, he isn't convinced until she does the Pinkie Promise and Pinkie thinks something that I think most of the readers were thinking about the fact that Spike was locked in a cage.
Gah! How do they work locks without useful appendages like hooves?
We find out from an apple named Good Apple. Could you guys not gives these guys better names? And we learn that he was created differently.
The force that created us... it created me differently. I am not like my brother and sister apples. I don't yearn for conquest they way they do. And they only seek war because Bad Apple is leading them. My first memory is of a battle between siblings. And then we found ourselves here. While I was trying to find out where we were, Bad Apple rallied my fellow apples to his side. I was a good influence, and so he locked me away.
Odd but I guess I can go with it but soon, Pinkie Apple is discovered and has to make a run or bounce in this case for it as that is the mode of all of the evil Apples move about. And she is able to trick the guards protecting Sweet Apple Acres by pointing out that Bad Apple never said anything about anyone leaving. And Pinkie is slowly turning back into party loving pony self. And we get a funny moment between the two guards.
Apple Guard # 1: Did you see her tail?
Apple Guard # 2: Come on, man, don't be so seedist.
Pinkie returns to Fluttershy's cottage with the information about the Apples and tells them of Good Apple and she made me laugh with how she said that his name seemed a little conceited. We find out from AJ that she wishes that the vampire fruit bats were still around and ask Flutters, if she could get a message to them but Flutters can't get to the sanctuary as it's on Sweet Apple Acres and she still can't communicate with them as she was only able to understand their language as Flutterbat. And this gives Twilight an idea. One, I'm not too sure on.
Wait! That gives me an idea! Two in fact! We don't need the fruit bats. We have the next best thing!
She uses her magic to turn Fluttershy into Flutterbat. Oh, I am not sure how I feel about it because as she says Flutterbat is buried deep inside Fluttershy and she uses her magic to bring that side to the surface and I can understand why, she thought this might be the best option but as the other Ponies, AJ especially points out, they had trouble with Flutterbat, the last time. I mean Fluttershy said that she trusted Twilight and we will learn that Flutters learns how to control Flutterbat in this arc but this feels like an extreme to go to fight the evil Apples.
Characters
Main Characters
Twilight Sparkle
As I said I'm mixed on Twilight turning Fluttershy into Flutterbat. I do like seeing Flutterbat again but this just feels like a bit of an extreme to go to. It does work out eventually in the end.
Pinkie Pie
Pinkie probably had the best moment in the comic, with her moments as Apple Pie sneaking into Sweet Apple Acres that made me laugh a bit.
Applejack
You'd think that with this arc focusing on evil Apples, that AJ would play a bit more of a part. She has a bit of a part considering that they overtook Sweet Apple Acres but really, Pinkie and AJ had a more active role in the story.
Fluttershy
Fluttershy had a bit part as we saw from the end of this issue, it'll expand in the next issue with the return of Flutterbat.
Supporting Character
Good Apple
This character as observed seems to be the polar opposite of Bad Apple but that doesn't give him much of a character as he is just meant to be such a good guy that it gets kinda annoying after a while. Though it is interesting that while all the Evil sentient Apples are red, he's green. Especially considering that color is usually associated with sour apples. Hmm.
Villain
Bad Apple
This guy is a bit of a joke and I know that is most likely the point as she's an apple and they aren't that threatening and again I think that is the joke that this arc was going for but even still, he just doesn't work as a villain. I am never able to buy him as a legitimate threat to the Ponies and I was just left scratching my head at how fast, he was able to take over Ponyville. Yes, he does have the numbers advantage but he's an apple. Couldn't one of the Ponies just have stepped on him and turned him into apple sauce. I'm just saying that is probably an easy solution to defeat him but yes I know, there'd be no story, if someone did that but this guy is just so absurd and perhaps the weirdest villain that the Ponies have faced. Which does fit in with the B Movie feel that this arc seems to be aiming for but I still find bizarre that everypony is treating him as a serious threat.
My Thoughts On This Issue
My thoughts are mixed, I can see what the writer was going for with this story but I don't think he quite gets to what he wants to do with this story and the Apples just aren't very interesting villains as they're your stock take over the world villains. I do like the Ponies for the most part in this issue but I still really question Twilight's decision to turn Fluttershy back into Flutterbat. Yes, that is why I'm looking at this comic but I feel like that was a bit of an extreme measure to take to defeat the villains. Ah well, join me next time as I conclude my look at this arc with a look at Issue # 33 of IDW's My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic series.
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