Tag Pink Ranger costume

Weekly Comic 100s: Drakkon New Dawn, Star Wars, and More!

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn
AUTHOR: Anthony Burch
ARTISTS: Simone Ragazzoni, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Jung-Geun Yoon.
RELEASED: August 19, 2020

I’m starting to get a little weary of all this Drakkon-verse stuff. It works as part of a story where the Power Rangers go to a dark alternate universe. But as an island unto itself? Meh. As time progresses, it feels like all we’re doing is answering where this person or that person are in the Drakkon-verse. That’s not enough to justify a miniseries like this, in my view.

Then again, it must be selling. So what do I know?

TITLE: Batman #97
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Guillem March & Morey.
RELEASED: August 18, 2020

The central story of “Joker War” has lots of intrigue. But there are little things that throw if off-balance. For instance, there’s a really cool moment where Batman has to fight a bunch of “Joker zombies” blind-folded. I love that. It’s a wonderful use of all Bruce’s training. But much like Joker’s facial expression at the end of last issue, a small detail taints it…

Batman says, “A good bat knows how to fight blind.”

Ugh. Why? Whatever happened to Batman being the strong silent type?

Also, why does Joker have abs?

TITLE: Justice League #51
AUTHOR: Jeff Loveness
ARTISTS: Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques (Inker), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Philip Tan, Jay David Ramos, & Nick Derington.
RELEASED: August 18, 2020

Robson Rocha really gets to flex here with an beautiful two-page montage of some of the League’s most iconic moments. Beautiful work.

The narration in this issue is a little confusing. It takes some time to catch on to not necessarily who it is, but who they’re talking to. Still, you should catch on by the end. I love me a good Black Mercy story. So it’ll be interesting to see what they turn in here.

TITLE: Dead Day #2
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
ARTISTS: Evgeniy Bornyakov, Juancho! (Colorist), Charles Pritchett (Letterer). Cover by Andy Clarke & Jose Villarrubia.
RELEASED: August 19, 2020

“Nice to see you two lovebirds back together, though. I’m sure rigor mortis has it’s advantages.”

Ew.

These fashionable guys on the cover are “Lifers,” a group of religious extremists somewhat ironically opposed to the whole resurrection thing. They make for a nice bit of world-building. I like ’em.

TITLE: Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #4
AUTHOR: Ethan Sacks
ARTISTS: Paolo Villanneli, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Travis Lanham (Letterer). Cover by Lee Bermejo.
RELEASED: August 19, 2020

Story-wise, this isn’t the most engaging book you’ll find. I’ve almost completely lost the plot. But Paolo Villanneli and Arif Prianto are killing it on the art. The opening page is beautiful. It’s got a gritty texture, yet is still as colorful as you want Star Wars to be. And of course, Lee Bermejo’s covers are awesome.

TITLE: Darth Vader #4
AUTHOR: Greg Pak
ARTISTS: Raffaele Ienco, Neeraj Menon (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by InHyuk Lee.
RELEASED: August 12, 2020

Vader basically gets swallowed by a whale in this issue. I mean, c’mon. You’ve gotta love that. A friggin’ whale!

In contrast, this story is trying to get a lot of mileage out of trotting out characters from prequels. As if we care that much what happened to Ric Olie. Don’t know who Ric Olie is? You’re not alone. There was a way to do this without scraping the bottom of the barrel. It might have only been a one or two-issue story where Vader simply visits Padme’s tomb. But sometimes, less is more.

TITLE: Something is Killing the Children #9
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Werter Dell-Edera, Miquel Muerto (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: August 12, 2020

There’s a fantastic image in here that takes us into our first ever flashback scene with Erica Slaughter. She’s curled up in a cupboard, and one eye is staring straight out at the reader. That and all the deep blacks make it a really spooky shot.

Should this book count as a guilty pleasure? Because of all the…y’know…child death? Either way, I’m enjoying the hell out of it. It’s one of the best indie comics on the market right now.

TITLE: Wonder Woman #760
AUTHOR: Mariko Tamaki
ARTISTS: Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Pat Brosseau (Letterer). Cover by David Marquez.
RELEASED: August 18, 2020

I find it so amusing that Maxwell Lord, the character created for Justice League International, has evolved into such a formidable villain for Wonder Woman. And low and behold, he’s once again  casting her in an unfavorable public light.

Last issue, we were introduced to Diana’s new neighbor Emma, who I get the sense will be a civilian-level friend for her. Almost a Jimmy Olsen equivalent. I’m very curious to see how that evolves, as it’s not often we get to see Wondie have that kind of relationship.

 

MMPR: Shattered Grid – 25 Morphinominal Moments, Part Two

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’re back, and still counting down moments from Shattered Grid. It’s 25 Morphinominal Moments for 25 years of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

(Check out Part One if you missed it!)

6. Enter the Ranger Slayer (Go Go Power Rangers #9)
Go Go Power Rangers maintained an interesting balancing act during Shattered Grid. It had to continue doing its own thing, while also introducing us to the Ranger Slayer, and giving her a story that ties into the event overall.

Of course, the Ranger Slayer is the older Kimberly counterpart from Lord Drakkon’s universe. This take on Kimberly definitely has a Katniss Everdeen vibe going for her. She gets a strong introduction too, complete with a couple of oddly humorous lines from Miss Appleby. Mora re-uses this same action pose later in the issue when we see her in morphed form.

And then to boot, we get this next little moment…

7. “Who let you go outside with that haircut?”

I mean, we’ve got two Kimberlys. At that point, you can’t not have a hair joke, right? At least she made herself laugh.

8. Power Rangers Zeo (MMPR Annual 2018)
Zeo has been surprisingly underrepresented in the BOOM! books. Luckily that will be rectified a bit once Marguerite Bennett and our new creative team take over. But MMPR Annual 2018 was the first time we’d seen the Zeo covered by Kyle Higgins and the crew.

Drawn by Marcus To, the story shows us the team’s farewell party for Jason after he loses the Gold Ranger powers. But amidst it all is a great little scene between Tommy and Jason on top of the Command Center. They reminisce about old times, and Jason talks about how good it was to be a Ranger again, if only for a short time.

Of course, there’s a big swerve near the end. But I adore the idea. Scenes like this are a big part of what makes this BOOM! Studios MMPR run so great.

9. Zordon and the Emissaries (MMPR Free Comic Book Day Special)
One of the highlights of Kyle Higgins’ work in the PR universe was MMPR #15, a Zordon-focused issue, following everybody’s favorite blue head in a tube as he travels through a dimensional rift and meets his counterpart from Lord Drakkon’s universe. In the MMPR special that came out on Free Comic Book Day, Higgins once again got to play around with Zordon. This time with co-author Ryan Parrott, and illustrator Diego Galindo.

As the conflict with Drakkon continues to escalate, Zordon seemingly travels to an etherial plane of sorts to meet with three emissaries, in the hopes that they will ask the “Morphin Masters” (long story) to intervene. These emissaries take the shifting forms of various red, blue, and yellow rangers, which is fascinating. They’re seemingly speaking to Zordon from inside the Morphin Grid. So it makes a sort of sense that they would take on these familiar forms.

While there’s certainly no need for us to see them again, I certainly wouldn’t mind another appearance from these emissaries, if not the Morphin Masters themselves.

10. Tommy lounging.
This might seem relatively insignificant, given all Shattered Grid throws at us, but I love this panel. Daniele Di Nicuolo, along with inker Simona Di Gianfelice and colorist Walter Baiamonte, show us Lord Drakkon slumped down in his throne. He almost looks like a petulant young king. If you’re just doing a quick scan of this page, it’s easy to mistake Tommy’s expression as a smile. But of course, it’s not. He’s stewing as he stares into the Red Zeonizer Crystal he stole from his Zeo-era counterpart (see above), who was loved by his friends and fellow Rangers…

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Astonishing Art: MMPR Cosplay by Arthur Lobato

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’ve talked about nostalgic feels in this space before. Todays selections gave me the wannabe dad feels.

I stumbled across the Red Ranger piece yesterday, and traced it back to the Instagram page of Brazilian designer/illustrator Arthur Lobato. As the day went on, he followed it up with Pink and Black. Hopefully we get more in the near future.

These perfectly capture the kind of playful parent I want to be someday. Joy and fun radiate off each of them. The cartooning is also well done, and the colors really pop. The whole parent/child and Ranger/zord dynamic is really cute too.

My favorite of the three is the red one, simply because of the way the little boy is looking up at his dad. Here’s hoping I get to do a two-part Halloween costume with my kid someday…

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Epic Covers: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #26

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #26, cover, Jamal CampbellBy Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

ARTIST: Jamal Campbell

THE ISSUE: Part 2 of the “Shattered Grid” story arc, celebrating 25 years of Power Rangers. The cover harkens back to the finale of issue #25. Kimberly holds the body of Tommy Oliver, who has just been murdered by his evil doppleganger, Lord Drakkon. Meanwhile Jen Scotts, the Pink Time Force Ranger, has just arrived in their timeline.

WHY IT’S EPIC: While this cover is pretty awesome on its own merits, it’s really only epic if you’re a Power Rangers geek like me. Tommy and Kimberly are both characters from the original version of the show, which hit the airwaves in 1993. Jen, however, is a character from the show’s 2001 incarnation, Power Rangers Time Force. While we’ve seen different Rangers from different seasons cross paths before (see “Forever Red,” “Once a Ranger,” “Legendary Battle,” etc), this interaction promises more depth, and much more personal stakes.

Jen’s pose is very Power Rangers-esque, with the smoke added for effect. The different shades and intensities of pink really catch the eye. The way Tommy and Kim are positioned feels very natural, which isn’t always the case when you talk about these “grieving” poses. This one is somewhat evocative of the famous image from A Death in the Family of Batman cradling Jason Todd’s dead body. But MMPR #26 does enough to stand on its own in that regard.

Campbell has done the majority of the covers for this series. They’re all very good. But this one has a special place among the bunch.

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A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #2 Review – An Unexpected Reunion

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #2, cover, Elsa CharretierTITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #2
AUTHORS: Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson
PENCILLER: Daniele Di Nicuolo. Cover by Elsa Charretier.
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: July 27, 2016

***WARNING: Spoilers lay ahead!***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Well this was unexpected. To not only get the return of Kimberly Hart as the Pink Ranger, but two additional returns! The intrigue level just went up. But at what cost (if any) to our main character?

Kimberly is in trouble. Goldar has captured her mother and turned her into a ghastly monster. Though her powers have been temporarily returned to her thanks to Zordon, the Pink Ranger needs help. It comes in the form of two old friends: Zack and Trini. But will they be enough to save her mother and defeat Goldar?

Zack and Trini came completely out of left field, and I’m not sure their presence is a good thing. We spend a large portion of this issue catching up, giving them their powers, etc. But isn’t this book supposed to be about Kimberly? At what point does the novelty of having these heroes back distract from Kim’s story? That’s not to say they aren’t important. But how about a book featuring Jason, Zack, and Trini as a trio? They all went to the same peace conference, after all.

SMMPR: Pink #2, opening page, Daniele Di Nicuolopeaking of which, in this issue we hear Jason “has his own mission to attend to.” Uh…what? I assume they wanted a reason to keep Jason out of the book, for fear of even more focus shifting away from Kim. But with a line like that, you’ve got to assume they’ll tell us where he is eventually. Either that, or they’re wetting our appetites for a future MMPR: Red story.

Kimberly gives Zack and Trini their powers back by sharing her temporary power from Zordon. They both get makeshift costumes as well. Only instead of having strictly black accents, their suits come with traces of pink as well. It’s a nice representation of their power coming from Kim’s “pink energy.” Also, for whatever reason, Zack’s has a hood.

The past rears its head yet again when Goldar debuts Typhonis, a new war zord made from the hacked up limbs of the Thunder Megazord and Tigerzord. It conjures up memories of the zords falling apart on the show, which was somehow hysterical. So intentional or not, Typhonis is funny by association.

This issue also gives us our first in-story appearance of the White Ranger. Kim has a very brief exchange with Tommy, reaffirming the necessity for them to have a reunion by the end of this story. After Amy Jo Johnson left the show, the only closure we got on the relationship was a Dear John letter received by Tommy during the events of Power Rangers Zeo. It wasn’t even addressed when Johnson returned for Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. What I’d like is a scene that helps bridge the gap between MMPR and Zeo. Give us some insight we didn’t have before. Show us where their relationship is. Perhaps this is the last time they’re together before the break up…

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #2, Daniele Di Nicuolo, interiorDaniele Di Nicuolo gets to flex her “acting” muscles more in this issue. Much of it is very animated, i.e. Trini’s face exploding with jubilation at the sight of her old friend. That’s something we wouldn’t see in one of Hendry Prasetya’s issues over in the main series. That’s not a knock, just a difference. This book should look different than MMPR proper. Both books are fun, which is what matters. I look forward to seeing another of Di Nicuolo’s explosive, high energy action sequences next issue.

The return of Zack and Trini is a pleasant surprise. But Fletcher and Thompson need to be careful. The book isn’t about the dynamic between Kimberly, Zack, and Trini. It’s about Kimberly. Yes, the Power Rangers have their foundation in teamwork and camaraderie. But let’s remember where our focus should be. This is the Pink Ranger’s much-deserved spotlight. Let her shine.

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A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #1 Review – Ranger Recharged

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1, Elsa Charretier, coverTITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #1
AUTHOR: Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson
PENCILLER: Danielle Di Nicuolo. Cover by Elsa Charretier.
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: June 1, 2016

By  Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

It makes sense that Kimberly is the first Power Ranger to get a solo story from BOOM! Studios. That character had a special connection with the audience. She was spunky, athletic, strong, and feminine. On a show that was primarily for boys, she gave young girls someone to look up to. In many ways, she was the most interesting character on the show. So it’s all the more natural that Brenden Fletcher, renowned author of books like Batgirl, Gotham Academy, and Black Canary, would find his way to her. He obviously knows his way around strong female characters, which bodes well for Kimberly’s fans.

Some time after Kimberly left her Power Ranger days behind her to compete at the Pan Global Games, she finds herself in St. Moineau, France. Her mother and stepfather, along with all the town’s residents, have mysteriously gone missing. Suspecting foul play, she contacts Zordon. While she may be a bit rusty, Kim is about to dust off her helmet and bow for another round as the Pink Ranger!

MMPR Pink #1, Ranger suitIn contrast to the ongoing series, Pink arguably appeals to an older audience that’s more familiar with the TV show. This issue is full of fan service. We get very specific callbacks to names and events from the show, not the least of which are the Pan Global Games, and a magic sword Zordon uses to give Kim her powers back. It would have been very easy to simply separate the Pink Ranger from the rest of the team, somehow. For instance, perhaps the other Rangers get sent to another planet, and she’s left to defend Earth herself. The fact they didn’t do that says a lot about this team’s respect for the character and her world. While those less familiar with the show may be left in the dark a bit, it’s worth it for those of us who watched all those years ago.

The Kimberly we meet here has a bad ass streak that the one we knew did not have. She wears a leather jacket, rides a motorcycle, and has a bow and arrows if needed. It’s a bit like Arrow meets The Hunger Games. But Fletcher and Thompson make sure there’s enough of the bubbly Kimberly that we remember. You can believably hear Amy Jo Johnson’s voice in her dialogue.

Power Rangers Pink, motorcycleOur villain winds up being someone we know from the show, who has long deserved a crack at being a solo villain. Seeing how he and Kimberly match up one-on-one should prove intriguing for (again) long time fans of the show.

Danielle Di Nicuolo draws a hell of a Pink Ranger. Though the costume she wears in this issue (shown above) is slightly different than the one we’re familiar with. Most conspicuous are the traces of black, which I interpret as a mark of Kim’s experience and veteran standing. I imagine if there were to be a Power Rangers version of Marvel’s X-Factor, reuniting the original team members, these are the kind of costumes they’d wear.

Di Nicuolo’s strengths lie with action scenes. Her Kimberly is best when she’s kicking, flipping, or using her bow and arrow. She show’s us a fighting style that makes sense for Kimberly. Her inclusion of a classic Pink Ranger pose toward the end of the issue was much appreciated.

I never imagined we’d have two Power Ranger comics on the stands at the same time. Much less two that seem to value and appreciate the source material so much. It’s a testament to how much of an impact Power Rangers had on ’90s kids, that they’d grow up and create such awesome comics featuring those heroes. I, for one, can’t wait to see more.

 Images from readcomics.net. 

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