I also wonder how much time is spent on writing them anyway

And what the writer was smoking that day. And how much.

Well, the art itself is so off-key that it would hardly help if the dialogue was better, would it?

Just think: If not for Studio B, the whole series would be like that!

edited 24th Jan '12 8:19:53 PM by RedSavant

I don't know if they read better in German, but nothing can save those vectors. Spike, man, lay off the drugs.

I swear Spike's expression NEVER changes

also, I don't personally follow the tennant, but isn't it generally accepted that:

Bad Art =/= Bad product?

Someone needs to rewrite that story as a parody.

those german comics look okay to me...if that's what you are talkin' bout..

Bad art doesn't necessarily equal bad product, but in a visual medium it's a major blow, especially since the visuals are at least half of the product's marketability and enjoyability in some cases.

In any case, I meant that without Studio B and Lauren, the whole show would be like that in terms of dialogue, and maybe even art too.

Rain, Rain Go Away! is the only magazine thing I've seen parodied.

Well yeah, you can have something with bad art that's well written, but if you can have both why wouldn't you? And anyway, that isn't really the case here. One of those German comics has the cast too tired from the heat to walk to the lake, so they build a water slide to it, which I guess is somehow less effort? Yeah, bad art and bad writing. Excellent combo.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:29:43 PM by Crowfall

Oh no, I wasn't denying that in any way. I just misinterpreted something Red said is all

The thing that bugs me the most about the art is that it can't be difficult for them to get better quality stock vectors. If it were hand-drawn I could understand it, but the fact that they repeatedly use the same Off Model images for everything just smacks of laziness to me. I mean, in one of them I swear that when they wanted Spike to be asleep, they literally just closed his eyes and rotated the vector so that he was horizontal. Of course, if the art was decent, those comics wouldn't be half as funny, so I'm not complaining.

I still think my favorite comic is the one where the ponies play soccer and then all sit like Lyra.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:35:02 PM by JapaneseTeeth

In any case, I meant that without Studio B and Lauren, the whole show would be like that in terms of dialogue, and maybe even art too.

It would actually be what people who haven't watched FIM think it's like.

That parody is too good

I really have no words for how perfect that is after reading the source comic. Too good.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:35:35 PM by PerpetualLurker

@Whatshisgame: Okay, the SBAHJ gag at the end of that parody almost made me fall out of my chair.

The concept of the story is similar to Applebuck Season (Dashie bring so keen on training hard they have to tie her down literally and show her how wrecked she looks!), but the execution of the story is a train wreck.

I really don't get it. The fandom puts out an amazing number of quality vectors, so it can't be that hard. Hell, they could just buy some of the fan made art if they don't feel like doing any work.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:38:22 PM by Crowfall

I know, right? Seriously, Twilight could pop a balloon with her muzzle in those comics.

Some execs really are only good at money matters and nothing else.

They should at least have hired someone competent to delegate work matters to.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:42:37 PM by AceOfScarabs

Doesn't Hasbro own the art for the show? And it was somehow cheaper to (badly) draw new art instead of reusing the good art you already have? Hasbro is just way too fragmented in its different subsidiaries. Some really know what they're doing (Wizards of the Coast, the animation side of FIM, Transformers for the most part). And some just seem to have no idea what they're doing, and have no contact with the parts of the company that do know what they are doing. It really makes no sense from a business standpoint.

Hasbro needs proper reorganisation. Maybe Twi can help them with it

why are we bitching about something that truly is no big deal?

wait, this is the internet.

nevermind

Yeah, everything under Hasbro's umbrella seems to be autonomous for the must part. For some things, this works. I don't think the Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons teams would have been able to function under close corporate supervision. But when you are working on the EXACT SAME FRANCHISE with the EXACT SAME CHARACTERS, there needs to be a little communication, right? It's baffling to me to see how disconnected the merch is from the show.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:53:38 PM by PerpetualLurker

Are there separate branches for different countries? Maybe the German branch is just really lazy.

The execs haven't taken the thumbscrews to their merch department yet.

@Crowfall: No, I think they're all varying degrees of 'off the ball'.

edited 24th Jan '12 8:59:50 PM by edvedd