Five months. Five issues. Camp Bighoof certainly took a stretch of time to conclude its tale. I've been reviewing each entry, but now it's time to consider the series as a whole.
Catch the full retrospective after the break!
Five months of a single comic line can feel like a satisfying journey or a slog based on a number of factors. The likeability of the characters. The probability and believability of the events. Yet in looking back at this series, I would argue that rising tension is one of the most important aspects. Each event escalating the stakes so that the protagonists must meet and surpass the challenge to eventually overcome the final event.
"Hey kids! Want to see a dead body?"
Camp Bighoof succeeds in presenting false escalations at the end of each issue, but this slight-of-hoof quickly reveals itself and does more to generate a disappointment throughout the event. We'll break down the A and B plots shortly but first comes a look at the comics most unique identity.
Welcome to hell!
Art
Such a curious contrast with these visuals. Artist Kate Sherron takes a very different approach to character and background illustrations. An initial lesson in art is to break a character or object down into basic shapes and use that as a guide to build up a more complex illustration. Sherron chooses to emphasize these shapes even as she presents fully-rendered characters. In particular, the normally-rounded ponies often feature triangular jawlines that match their sharper mouth expressions. Otherwise, they revert to a rounder forms we might expect. Characters also pose in fluid shapes that emphasize bending to match shapes like a U or C. That's right, letters are also references for illustrations.
So many curves!
This style reaches its most basic expression with the backgrounds. Trees, for example, are simply a triangle leading up to a circle with one or two waves to denote leafs. Mountaintops become perfectly symetrical triangles. Bushes are a collection of ovals with only a few panels denoting a kind of texture. While the ponies are never operating within a void, they are occupying a space that fits multiple simplified shapes together to imply a setting without overly defining it. Such a presentation runs the risk of becoming uninteresting unless it can be paired with a vivid color scheme.
Purple mountains majesty indeed!
And we certainly have that! Colorist Reggie Graham along with assistants Jonathan Dobbs and Rick Mac lay out a very vivid pallet that gives this comic series a distinct look. While our familiar ponies have recognizable palettes, their surroundings are far more saturated to create contrasts between constructed settings, inorganic elements, and local flora. Normally, I'm not a fan of coloring the line work around the ponies because it causes them to blend into the background and deny them a presence. In this case, the contrasting colors help them stand out.
Perspective in this story can be... off.
Without this collage of colors, I doubt the comic would have as strong a visual impression. It compliments the simplified setting by adding vibrancy to each element. Even if you de-saturate the colors, the contrast still stand outs out. So while this might not work as a regular look for the comics, it helps give this mini-series a unique identity.
Interesting how the colors highlight the two most extreme emotions.
Plot A: The campers
You might not expect this to be the primary story, given the title of this mini-series. Yet I really do think that Bighoof is secondary to this camp's intended goal: teach foals about nature and help them practice magic. This is the Fellowship of Friendship being proactive about magic's restoration and helping avoid literal pitfalls like what we witnessed in the first Make Your Mark special. There is tremendous potential here as we get four teams assembled, each centered around a particular pony's perspective.
Super Sentai Teams, assemble!
Sunny helps demonstrate this in the first issue as her team connects over a love of the outdoors and she excels at helping a hesitant camper come out of his shell. The problem is that the avalanche they accidentaly cause derails the entire story. Suddenly, all the teams are focused on one task: clearing the entrance. The foals who came here to learn lose their individuality and become a background component. Combine that with the Sunny and Zipp now distracted by their own Bighoof hunt and the initial premise has gone into the waste bin.
So much shipping!
We are repeatedly told that the campers are improving in their magical proficency, but now that all the foals are treated as a single identity rather than individuals we don't have any characters that can reflect this growth. Sunny and Zipp's absence also undermines the earlier teams since Izzy, Pipp, and Hitch have to pull double-duty to make up for the absence. This could have been a source for conflict within the group, but Hitch's brief encounter with Bighoof removed that tension as well. Sunny and Zipp have his blessing to continue the search. Forget that colt that was feeling lonely and missing his family. There's a legend to chase!
Can you name all the characters in this panel?
Neither can I!
The comic's strength lies in its ability to feature various characters both past and present without the need for a vocal cast. We got to see the return of both Discord and Fluttershy thanks to this series along with cameos by ponies like Pinkie Pie. If ever there were a medium that could explore extra elements of this new Equestria, it's IDW's publications. This mini-series could have been a great character piece for both foals and grown ponies to show different aspects of themselves, but instead it's sidelined into a search that is low-priority. I think the only time we got to see some one-on-one teaching was in issue #3, where Izzy intercepts a thrown stone and Sunny gives a brief lecture. All this within the scope of one page and then forgotten. Imagine if we had gotten to spend time with the offending colt and come to understand why he felt the need to show off. This would have given either Sunny or Izzy a chance to work with the colt and help him learn the difference between skill and bluster. Looking back on this story, I can't help but feel that we've been cheated of a richer character study.
As the sun sets on the plot, I still can't name anypony!
Plot B: Bighoof
So what about Bighoof? Or the myriad of other names by which the creature becomes known to all tribes? The archetypal image of a wild being–so similar to modern man/pony yet different–living outside the bounds of society has a universal appeal. Something that tantalizes our thoughts and conjures the imagination. In this way, Bighoof/Bridlesquach/Zeti can be whatever the story needs it to be. To this story, Bighoof is a cheap hook for the next issue.
Remember your blood pressure!
Consider that every proceeding issue ends with an encounter with Bighoof, either physical encounters or implying evidence. Yet each of these moments is undone by the next issue. Bighoof is in the camp, eating their food. Surely this creates a supply shortage for the camp? Nope! Turns out that giant was just snacking on some junk food.
You two are enablers!
Several camera traps have been activated. Will we finally get the proof Sunny and Zipp seek? Kind of! After an entire issue of false flags, we get one shot that is quickly torn up the next issue because Bighoof is a mommy.
And you're not even looking out for your kid's health!
What a odd morality for that final decision. Had Bighoof been on his/her own, the ponies would have shared this evidence freely. Throw a kid into the equastion an suddenly they have a crisis of conscience over the consequences. Shouldn't this being sentience be a factor? Should having a family really be the only factor to give them pause? Maybe a demonstration of the creature's kind nature to make them realize that they are offering a gentle soul over to the wolves? There was a lot to explore here but it got condensed into whether or not the creature was a parent.
Stop stealing Bighoof's culture!
The realization that a third Bighoof was outside the valley, trying to get in and reunite with its family, could have added some tension to the camp's efforts to clear the rubble. Instead, pacifying calls from its mate remove that danger as well. It's frustrating to consider how this series moved forward with false tension and never committed to a genuine conflict.
Hi.
So if the campers were the more important focus, what to do with Bighoof? Like I said, Bighoof is whatever the story requires. It's an idea and ideas can serve in a variety of roles. Consider that instead of Sunny and Zipp persuing Bighoof, the foals decided to pursue instead. Or perhaps Bighoof was a ruse set up by Hitch and Izzy to give the campers something thrilling to consider. Hone their magic by persuing a legend. There are four teams of ponies and five issues with which to see how they would pursue this goal. I don't know what kind of editorial mandates or revisions forced the story down this path, but there is so much potential in the first issue that I don't understand why Stephane Cooke chose this particular path.
The squirrel was the real villain this whole time!
Filler Fluff?
I try to anticipate counter-arguments to my criticisms, and one is someone saying, "Silver, you camping kookaburra! Why can't you just enjoy a fun bit of fluff? Not everything has to be a great character piece." There is some merit to this idea but I don't think it works within the G5 context. Hasbro made a strange decision to spread the story out amongst several mediums with long stretches in between story developments. Consider how long we often had to wait for just four episode of Make Your Mark, with Tell Your Tale sometimes spoiling elements. G5's greatest challenge is entropy. We need to keep the energy lively to keep interest in the series alive. A filler piece like Camp Bighoof can't contribute to this feeling when it's missing so many of its own opportunities.
A little slapstick never hurt.
Except for Sunny.
Ultimately, this story is forgettable. The only defining character trait is Zipp's desire to achieve something outside her future role as queen, and the sacrifice of that dream for some questionable ethics. I really think this story could have been a great chance to let the main cast and secondary characters shine if it shifted the focus and didn't rely on Bighoof's appearance to be a hook into the next issue. I certainly fell for that trap with each successive isue, but looking back I now feel cheated. By next week, I predict there won't be an additional scan, a fan comic, or any artwork inspired by this series. It lumbered through five months without making an imprint, and I am sad to write that.
Just one name. That's all I ask!
Here's hoping that future mini-series will emphasize characters more and give a chance for real tension to rise between issues. We'll have to see.
"It's okay, kids. The sequel's already dead!"
I'm Silver Quill. Thanks for reading!
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