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Preorders of 90,000 For My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic by Katie Cook and Andy Price

I heard about this over the weekend at NYCC, and The Beat has a story on it. But the launch of the My Little Pony by friend of the show Katie Cook and Andy Price, published by IDW, are huge. I think it not only speaks well of the MLPFIM brand, and Cook and Price, but also that there is an audience for all-ages comcs (even, it seems, at $4 a pop!)

More coverage and commentary at The Beat.

Comments

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    MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    That's cool. The show should do the book as an Off the Racks!

    M.
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    John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    That My Little Pony craze has recently even been covered in news media over here in Europe - there is still much mystification about how adults become fanatics over it.
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    I don't know anything about the whole My Little Pony thing, other than it being a girl's toy in the 80's and a cartoon now. But if it brings a new audience to comics when sales are in free-fall, I am all for it!
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    dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    edited October 2012
    All I know is the new show is a huge hit with kids and adults. A friends wife is an animator on it and has told me they believe close to half the audience is adult males. I watched 3 episodes and it is ok,but nothing worth going out of my way to watch.

    The same animator has also never seen an entire episode. Last month a brony met her and was in shock when she told him that.
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    I haven't seen a single episode of this show yet and really know next to nothing of it other than its popularity, but I do have several friends who are heads-over-heels in love with the series, and I'm aware of several more through numerous online contacts. It has an extremely large and loyal adult audience. The magic is obviously there.
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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    My name is Torchsong, and I'm a Brony.

    I came by the show after going to the meme site My Little Brony.
    http://memebase.cheezburger.com/bronies

    That lead to me watching the show. Catching the references designed for adults to appreciate that will fly over the kids' heads. Big Lebowski ponies, anyone? The animation was done by the same crew who brought another of my favorite shows - the Powerpuff Girls - to life.

    Next thing you know, I'm taking a "Which Pony are You?" quiz on the internet, and getting outraged and huffy that they would DARE suggest I'm closest in personalty to Rarity. Which means, of course, that I *am* closest in personality to Rarity.

    I now have a Rarity figure on my cube at work. She was soon joined by a Fluttershy. Then a Pinkie Pie. My Deadpool figure is really confused. :)

    My wife condones this behavior, as she likes the show as well, and has the "original" ponies from way back when. It's telling that we were both equally excited when the Granny Smith/Big MacIntosh minifigure set came out.

    Yes, I preordered the book, but only one of the variant covers. That money's reserved for Season 1's release on DVD. :)

    FOR GOD'S SAKE HELP MEEEEEEE.......

    :)

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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    An additional story -

    At this past Phoenix Con, I set up my table and put my usual group of 4-5 paintings I'd done over the course of the year. One of these paintings was Derpy, a popular character from the show. Reaction was instant and furious. Everyone wanted it, but nobody wanted to pay what I was asking. Sensing opportunity knocking, I said I'd be happy to draw a pony for whoever asked at a discounted rate.

    I didn't stop drawing the entire convention. I made enough coin to buy myself a new grill.

    I've done a few local comic store signings where I've been asked to sketch ponies. The word is out. I'm doomed.
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    GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    edited October 2012
    Al, there's a 12 step program and the support group Bronies Anonymous for that. You're admiting you have a problem, that's progress. We're here for ya man.
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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    Greg said:

    Al, there's a 12 step program and the support group Bronies Anonymous for that. You're admiting you have a problem, that's progress. We're here for ya man.

    Sadly, the money's too sweet for me to give it up, and it makes kids* smile.

    *and a few teens/grownups who may have gender identity issues.**
    ** Not that there's anything wrong with that

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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    And, as cliche'd as it sounds, the kids who dig the show *DO* make it worth my while to whore myself out. At the aforementioned Con:

    - One kid couldn't believe a 43-year old knew about MLP, and started grilling me with trivia on it. Blew her away that I knew all three members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we got into over whether Rarity or Rainbow Dash was the best pony.

    - One kid was kind of milling around my table and she had to be the most cynical, jaded 6-7 year-old I've ever met. She wasn't having a good time and asked why I was wasting my time drawing ponies. I said I enjoy doing it and does she watch the show? Who's her favorite pony (it was Princess Luna)? So I hear this and start sketching away. I did the best damn Princess Luna sketch that could be done. She saw it and suddenly a big smile crept onto her face. I told her that's the kind of face you have to have at a comic con at her age. You haven't earned the right to be jaded and angry about comic books yet. And yes, sonofabitch that I am, I still charged her $5 for the sketch. :) But she was happy, and I like to imagine she had a good rest-of-the-con in spite of herself.

    - While away on a bathroom break, a kid showed up with her mom and wanted a pony sketch, but couldn't say what she wanted (shy). My wife, running the table, and the girl's mom tried to get it out of her, but she kept whispering it, until finally, out of nowhere she bursts out with "IWANTRAINBOWDASHDOINGASONICRAINBOOMINCOLOR!!!" Scared the crap out of everyone. I'm glad I took a pee break. :)

    So it *is* worth doing just to mess with kids who can't believe this old guy knows his stuff. :)
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    LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    edited October 2012
    The lesson here? Bronies are loyal and Bronies buy.

    And yet DC / Warner Brothers doesn't seem to think that a full Super Best Friends Forever series by MLP:FIM creator/co-creator/whatever Lauren Faust is a good idea.

    I mean, a weekly cartoon with 3 female superheroes with proven appeal across age, gender, and culture lines (one of whom is A PRINCESS), from the person who kickstarted the whole Brony thing. Nope, no money to be made there! 8-}

    Seriously, DC... y u no want monies?
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    luke52luke52 Posts: 1,392
    I do wonder how this title can sell so many copies at pre order??? I told my girlfriend this news as she was a fan as a kid... Five minutes later... Pre orders hit 90,001...
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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    luke52 said:

    I do wonder how this title can sell so many copies at pre order??? I told my girlfriend this news as she was a fan as a kid... Five minutes later... Pre orders hit 90,001...

    They used our comic-buying sensibilities against us. There are six variant covers - one featuring each of the "Mane 6" (Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie). In addition you can buy a slipcased version that has all six covers.

    First you take MLP fans who have the same collecting gene everyone else has (see above - my Rarity purchase has recently been joined by a Fluttershy). Then make them comic books - it's like a DOUBLE-collecting aneurysm! :)

    IDW - they're not stupid. They know exactly what they're doing. :)


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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    No, I didn't order all six. Just one for me.
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    GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    @Torchsong - Other than characters from the show, did you get any (insert character name here) pony requests?
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    John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    @Torchsong : reading your confessions made my day - thanks for that :-bd
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    John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    The brony phenomenon: 'Yeah, this is a little weird, but we like what we like' - video
    The animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is wildly popular – but not with the audience you might expect. The cartoon is a spinoff of My Little Pony, a 1980s children's programme intended for girls. Today, however, many of the show's fans are young adult men who call themselves bronies. To learn more the Guardian travelled to New York Comic Con, where thousands of bronies gather to celebrate their obsession
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    TorchsongTorchsong Posts: 2,794
    Greg said:

    @Torchsong - Other than characters from the show, did you get any (insert character name here) pony requests?

    To date I've drawn a General Lee MLP, a couple ponies that people created themselves and wanted me to bring my hand to them, and in my finest hour, I did one for myself:

    image

    That's me, Henry Rollins, and my wife with my Black Flag pony. He chuckled (I think it was the first time he'd ever seen a Black Flag MLP before), signed it, and it proudly hangs above my toilet. The seat of honor.
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    dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    Torchsong said:

    Greg said:

    @Torchsong - Other than characters from the show, did you get any (insert character name here) pony requests?

    To date I've drawn a General Lee MLP, a couple ponies that people created themselves and wanted me to bring my hand to them, and in my finest hour, I did one for myself:

    image

    That's me, Henry Rollins, and my wife with my Black Flag pony. He chuckled (I think it was the first time he'd ever seen a Black Flag MLP before), signed it, and it proudly hangs above my toilet. The seat of honor.



    Nice,Rollins is on my list of people I would love to meet.

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    Matt said:

    That's cool. The show should do the book as an Off the Racks!

    M.

    THIS! Just for the hell of it.
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    peedmyselfpeedmyself Posts: 105
    edited October 2012
    I think ep. 1275 (Previews) picked MLP for an Off The Racks episode.

    I have a two year old and have had the show playing probably at least a dozen or so times, but even then I couldn't tell you anything about it. Top talent will be fighting over MLP work if it continues to pull in those numbers. (not that Katie and Andy aren't the tops, I actually haven't seen their stuff so I can't comment! I have heard the names a fair bit, though.)
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