A month after acquiring the license for Hasbro’s Jem and the Holograms, BOOM! Studios has revealed that it has also acquired the comic rights to My Little Pony. Publisher Michael Kelly broke the news to Publishers Weekly, saying that he plans to release new comics based on the Friendship is Magic series, which ran from 2010 to 2019, as well as deluxe editions of older works.
Created by Bonnie Zacherle in 1982, the My Little Pony series revolves around talking horses in the magical world of Equestria. In addition to its target audience of young girls, Friendship is Magic, created by Lauren Faust, has also developed a strong following among older men (nicknamed “bronies”).
When the Friendship Is Magic comic debuted at IDW in 2012, Kelly, who was Hasbro’s director of global publishing and collectibles, said, “There’s deep storytelling and strong characters that appeal to a wide audience. It’s just a pastel-colored pony who just happens to be a girl.” He added: “While[comics’]complex sequential storytelling is aimed at a certain age and above, it could also appeal to children as young as eight years old if they are familiar with the medium.”
“My Little Pony” was the last Hasbro film released by IDW, which released crossovers with “Transformers” in 2020 and 2021. Since then, Transformers and G.I. Joe have moved to Skybound, while Marvel has regained the rights to Rom and Micronauts, and Dungeons & Dragons was acquired by Dark Horse last year (along with Magic: The Gathering, published by BOOM!). Along with the two new licenses, BOOM! has the rights to Power Rangers, which Hasbro acquired in 2018, three years after it began publishing the comics.
Kelly also provided an update on BOOM!’s Gem plans, saying that the setting for the comic (such as a reboot or sequel to the original manga) has not yet been determined. “Nothing is set in stone, but there are a lot of possibilities. Although our writing focuses on young adults/emerging adults, everything will be accessible and appropriate for late middle grade readers as well,” he says. In the meantime, you can sign up to pre-order the IDW reprint when it launches on Kickstarter.
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