Canon.

@Background Pony #4316  
IMO this is an annoying problem. They won’t design these things if they can hide them…
 
He said he’s a good tactician, his cutie mark should be something like a football play.

BUT WHAT IS STYGIAN’S CUTIE MARK?

Rockhoof’s like The Shoveler from Mystery Men.
 
Think he’s got a garden spade tucked somewhere?

Just letting you all know, for people who keep shouting “canon” there in the comic cover, so I’m guessing it’s canon to the comic. mic drop DAB

@Background Pony #B10E  
and yayponies, and my favorite, readcomiconline.to

Those complaining of contradiction in the comics, it was stated in a press release that issues #50 and onwards were going to be more inlined with show canon. Everything before then is irrevalent. A soft reboot if you will. Also those complaining of having to buy the comics. https://m.youtube.com/user/ChronoShenron This channel has ALL IDW MLP FiM issues for free viewing including covers. Plus there are things like Comixology.

@Minus  
I thought for sure they were going to draw comparisons to Sunburst, who was also a scholar with limited power.

So Starswirl can shoot up portals to alternate dimensions just like that?

@Minus  
No wonder Stygian is one of my new favorite characters. He also shares some parallels with Coulson.

@vevans0009  
Technically, EQG is a parallel universe, canonically connected to the shows universe, as established in the movies since the first scene, and established partially in the show by Flash Sentry, fully by this. I base what’s canon on the hierarchy of show, movie, comics, tcg, merchandise, inferred headcanon, in that order, with contradictions solved based on that hierarchy, regardless of what I want to be canon.  
Case in point, I like MarbleMac, but show>headcanon, however strong the inference.

@Stotter  
Might just call the comics, mane show and eqg’s as different universes. Its the only way for me to explain it. XD

So, then they didn’t invent every genre of music in competition? I guess it wasn’t just his blue coat that isn’t canon.

every dazzlings fan when they 1st see this  

Celestia takes after Starswirl when she resorted to banishing Luna to the moon instead of trying to work things out.  
He is her mentor after all.

“There! Its those fur-less apes problems now”

@IceKitsune  
People like that, it’s never sarcasm, they’re probably just butt hurt because EQG is now canon and they most likely hated those movies.

@Keira Alcove  
I’m pretty sure they were being sarcastic. Or at least I hope so anyway

@SolidSonicTH  
Just because it doesn’t say he did doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, so again, get over it.

@IceKitsune  
NUH UH, THE SHOW NEVER SAID STAR SWIRL SENT THEM TO THE HUMAN DIMENSION.

I bet there are going to be tons of people saying this doesn’t count for one reason or another. It’s canon get over it.

Goes against the comics, but the movies are canon. Cool. It felt like that was gonna happen anyway to me.
 
Also for the mane 6 comparisons, Stygian is clearly their Spike.

This makes no sense then. The comics and spin-off’s don’t add up even further.

@Applejack007  
The arrangement is the same as the Mane 6: two of each.