IDW Comics - Story Discussion (Spoilers)

Well, reading the holiday special felt like pulling teeth. The story was a mess that tried to talk about the problem with consumism but it came out so blatant and in-your-face that felt condescending, and it was so chaotic that managed to shoot it’s own foot several times on a row. (The Sassquash story was much better than this.)
 
At least Hickey’s art is great as always, but it hurts to see it being wasted on a trainwreck of a script.

So people that constantly talk about how commercialization of Christmas is bad in their view are as bad as those commercializing to begin with? What was the message here? “Don’t get pissed other people like scams, it makes them happy?”

@Itsthinking  
Also the fact that Spike and AB say they know what’s best for themselves even though they’re kids and they jump on anything new.

@Itsthinking  
Yeah, basically “Commercialism is bad but if you ever complain about it, you are a mean jerk. Now buy our commercialized comic about how commercialism is bad.”
 
You know, it has been half a century since Charlie Brown used this same aesop, except he didn’t screw it up.  

 
Hell, even Garfield did it better.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXmOp0zuAMg

@Anonycat  
Honestly it feels like there was an attempt at subverting the whole “commercialism is bad, buy our products saying it’s bad!” thing, but then it got caught up with “Commercialism is bad, but you’re a dick” thing.

What is it with the MLP Christmas comics and them making the characters more hostile or cynical?  
I understand how the same message can become tiring but when it goes against the norm it feels more negative as a result.

@Background Pony #8935  
Let’s be fair here, the 2015 one was alright.

@ImRaidAccount  
Yeah it is though it had the one with the reindeer but eh semantics.

@Background Pony #8935
 
@Background Pony #8935  
Hey, at least it is consistent with AJ just loving to ruin Hearthswarming for everyone.

@ImRaidAccount  
The Sassquash one was much better.

@Itsthinking  
Yeah but they were unintentional.

I liked the 2015 Holiday a lot, it’s easily the best though that isn’t saying much

@Megas75  
Which one was that?

@Wiimeiser  
That was the anthology of stories.

@Background Pony #8935  
I dunno. Sounds just like how the comics have been in general for the last couple years.

@Red-Supernova  
“Hostile and cynical” accurately describes the way as Price draws his ponies, I’ll give hm that.

@Anonycat  

 
This. And not to mention how he makes them overreact to every minor occurrence, especially in a “serious” adventure story really takes you out of it. And the cameos.

@Anonycat  
@Villain Pony  
Andy Price is a good artist but whenever he draws ponies glaring at each other over minor mistakes, all of his art’s likeability just vanishes. And he’s been doing this since the very beginning of the comics.

@Red-Supernova  
Ok I don’t get that from Prices work, also I don’t get cynical from the past issues. But I mean why here since it’s Christmas, I should be feeling joy, not confused with the characters being hostile and mean.

@Red-Supernova  
I don’t get that from here.
 
 
@Villain Pony  
I don’t mind the cameos thank you.

Concerning the recent comic, it does amuse me a little to see the argument about commercialism and the holidays is still going on. I’ve read Ronald Hutton’s Stations of the Sun and it mentioned in there that people have been complaining about that for about 200 years now.
 
Of course before that they were complaining about how every Christmas the local rowdies got plastered, stole things, and beat up disagreeable locals (think Mardi Gras with more home invasions), so maybe this is better.

Judging by the time in the comic it appears to start the day before Hearth’s Warming. So advertising the day before it actually starts is a faux pas?

@Background Pony #8935  
Might want to take a look back, Price’s default expression for ponies goes often to angry looking.

@Background Pony #8935  
Yeah, that shit belongs in the Christmas episodes of adult cartoons, not here.

I agree with IDW that Christmas has become too commercialized. They should be pleased to know that I did my part in fighting the commercialization of the holiday by not paying to read this comic.
 
The comic doesn’t seem to know what it’s trying to say. It’s like “Commercialization is bad except when people like it. Then you’re a jerk for pointing out how they’re being swindled. Buy our comic for all your friends and family!”
 
The art was good overall. I appreciated the care taken with giving everybody a new winter outfit but Hickey goes too far with expressions sometimes when the situation doesn’t call for it.