By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

CREATORS: Ryan Parrott (Author), Dan Mora (Penciller/Inker) Raul Angulo (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer)

THE SCENE: The Power Rangers morph into action to take on Goldar and the Putty Patrol.

WHY THEY’RE AWESOME: Go Go Power Rangers is always near the top of my stack. That’s due in large part to the work of Dan Mora and Raul Angulo. I don’t even know if we deserve a team of artists as good as they are…

To wit, I’ve pulled two selections from this week’s Go Go Power Rangers #9. The first is the  five-way shot you see above. I like the concept of this one more than the actual execution. The center point for the gutters is in between the eyes. Thus, the way the image is framed you get a lot more of Zack and Billy than you do the others. Jason is almost boxed out. But it’s still a neat way to play with the page layout and spice up the morphing sequence.

The second is a close-up shot of the Red Ranger and Goldar in battle. Firstly, Mora’s take on Goldar has been spectacular from the get-go. He emphasizes the character’s simian side without making him look like a big hulking gorilla. I love the emphasis on the fangs. Goldar always looks much more agile when Mora draws him. That approach makes sense, as he’s supposed to be a warrior.

(Also, don’t skip on the level of detail Mora puts into the Red Ranger helmet, including Goldar’s reflection in the visor.)

This issue is tied into the big “Shattered Grid” crossover. That story has no shortage of life and death stakes. But Ryan Parrott nonetheless takes time to inject levity into the proceedings. He pokes a little fun at the standard Power Rangers “monster attack” formula in this issue. This panel gives us the most notable instance, not to mention the funniest. Of course, it’s a reference to the cliche that the “definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Keep in mind how many times we saw Goldar and the putties attack the Rangers over the years.

If you’re picking up this issue (and you should), look for MMPR‘s resident school teacher Miss Appleby early on. Parrott gives her a couple of funny lines.

Go Go Power Rangers #9 is out now from BOOM! Studios. It’s also available online via Comixology.

Email Rob at PrimaryIgnition@yahoo.com, or follow Primary Ignition on Twitter.