A month after acquiring the license for Hasbro’s Jem and the Holograms, BOOM! Studios has revealed they also acquired the comic book rights for My Little Pony. Publisher Michael Kelly shared the news with Publishers Weekly, stating they plan to release new comics based on the 2010–2019 incarnation of the series Friendship is Magic, and deluxe editions of older material.
Created by Bonnie Zacherle in 1982, the My Little Pony franchise revolves around the talking horses of the magical world of Equestria. Friendship is Magic, which was created by Lauren Faust, earned a strong, older male following (dubbed “bronies”) in addition to its target audience of young girls.
Kelly, who worked as Hasbro’s Director of Global Publishing & Collectibles when the Friendship is Magic comic debuted at IDW in 2012, states, “There is deep storytelling and strong characters that appeal to a wide audience. It just happens to star pastel-colored ponies that are girls.” He adds, “The complex sequential storytelling [of the comics] will keep it above a certain age, but it could appeal to those as young as eight if they’re comfortable in the medium.”
My Little Pony was the last remaining Hasbro property published by IDW, who released crossovers with Transformers in 2020 and 2021. Since then, Transformers and G.I. Joe have relocated to Skybound, while Marvel regained the Rom and Micronauts rights, and Dungeons & Dragons was acquired by Dark Horse (alongside Magic: The Gathering, which was published by BOOM!) last year. Along with its two new licenses, BOOM! has the rights to Power Rangers, which Hasbro acquired in 2018, three years after they began publishing the comics.
Kelly also provided an update on BOOM!’s Jem plans, saying they haven’t decided on a setting (eg. a reboot or continuation of the original cartoon) for their comics yet. “Nothing is set in stone, but there are lots of possibilities. Our writing will focus on young adult/new adult, but everything will be accessible and appropriate for a late middle-grade reader,” he says. In the meantime, you can sign up to preorder the reprint of the IDW run when it launches on Kickstarter.
English (US) · 