I’ve been waiting somewhat impatiently for No Pink Ponies to start updating again after the rather unexpected beating of Jess’s unrequited crush (whom, for a lack of better name, I refer to as “T”) at the hands of his dead fiance’s little sister, Melissa. We’d not seen any sign of Melissa being abusive in the past. Indeed, while she initially blamed T for the death of her big sister, it seemed that his saving her life helped redeem him in her eyes, and also led to Melissa becoming a possible complication (or should I say competition?) in Jess’s furtive daydreams of winning T’s affections.

As far as hiatuses go, it wasn’t too bad. One month is child’s play compared to some comics. It was the pseudo-cliffhanger element, combined with an action that felt very much out-of-character that was annoying. And even with the resumption of the comic, it still is feeling a tad flat… almost as if Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar had tried for a quick laugh, found it had fallen short of the mark, and was working hard to fix that error. (Then again, random violence is rarely as funny as most people think, especially when put in a semi-realistic environment.)

Perhaps the one element I find most annoying with the recent updates is the return of the “whoops, almost” relationship shtick. Having T and Jess get close only to be interrupted by Melissa feels contrived (as does Melissa’s denial-filled explanation for beating on T). There is no Moonlighting curse. Sexual tension can occur even with couples who are dating and having sex. Jess (or T) can feel inadequate, worry about competition even after starting to date. Who knows… having them date may even inspire new storylines, and keep the comic steered away from the dread shoals of hiatus that have beached this comic on more than one occasion.