Tag Power Rangers in Space

Astonishing Art: Power Rangers by Carlos Zarur Jr.

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Goni Montes’ “helmet” covers for the various issues of BOOM! Studios’ Power Rangers comics (most notably issue #0 back in 2016) are pretty darn iconic. So it’s no surprise that they’d inspire other artists to take a foray into the PR universe.

Carlos Zarur Jr. is one such artist, whose work is modeled after the Montes covers. I’ve pulled a few of my favorites from his portfolio. Including one of the Pink Operation Overdrive Ranger, which is the piece that originally drew me to him. That season doesn’t get a lot of love. So it’s nice to see Zarur Jr. give it some attention.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Power Rangers Unlimited: Countdown to Ruin Micro-Review – Unlimited Done Right

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***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Power Rangers Unlimited Countdown to Ruin 1, cover, 2022, Keyla ValerioTITLE: Power Rangers Unlimited: Countdown to Ruin #1
AUTHOR: Marguerite Bennett
ARTISTS: Anna Kekovsky Chandra & Giuseppe Cafaro, Sara Antonellini (Colorist), Sharon Marino & Fabi Marques (Color Assistants), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Keyla Valerio.

RELEASED: June 29, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue is a great companion to Power Rangers in Space. It doesn’t tell us anything that’s crucial to PRiS from a story perspective. But it offers a lot of fun character exploration into Andros and Zhane. And that’s really what these Power Rangers Unlimited books should be.

As far as Bennett is concerned, Countdown to Ruin is a huge upgrade from her brief run on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. If allowing her to explore the larger PR universe gets us more content like this, I say let her have at it.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Weekly Comic 100s: Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1

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***This is where we keep 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 Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1
AUTHOR: L.L. McKinney
ARTISTS: Simone Ragazzoni, Igor Monti (Colorist), Sabrina Del Grosso (Color Assistant), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Dan Mora.
RELEASED: March 31, 2021

This story, which nicely explores Astronema’s origins, seems a little confused about its timeline. It alludes to she and the rest of the villains not knowing where Zordon is. But I wasn’t under the impression Zordon’s location was a mystery. Particularly as he and the Rangers are defending Earth from Lord Zedd.

Still, this is pretty well executed. I’d enjoy seeing more stories published under the Power Rangers Unlimited banner. There’s no shortage of material.

Early in the issue we see Astronema fighting Rangers wearing the suits from the Super Sentai Choushinsei Flashman. Stuff like that is always fun.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Weekly Comic 100s: Power Rangers #5

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***This is where we keep 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 #5
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
ARTISTS: Francesco Mortarino, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Jose Enrique Fernandez (Color Assistant), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Matteo Scalera.
RELEASED: March 24, 2021

I was thrilled at the tail end of issue #4 to see the planet Onyx, and I’m even more thrilled to see it explored more here. In Power Rangers in Space, the Onyx Tavern was more or less the franchise’s equivalent of the Mos Eisley Cantina.

This is a good issue for in Space fans, as we can clearly see Ecliptor on the cover. And he’s not the only familiar character inside. Once again, different characters from different eras are colliding in the pages of Power Rangers comics. As a fan, it’s really cool to see.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

MMPR: Shattered Grid: 25 Morphinominal Moments, Part Four

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

As it happens, these last two installments of our countdown are largely going to be monopolized by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #29 and #30 respectively. Naturally, Kyle Higgins, Daniele Di Nicuolo, and the crew at BOOM! Studios have ramped things up as we move toward this week’s finale. You’ll see that here, as four spots are occupied by moments from issue #29.

(Part One. Part Two. Part Three.)

16. Lightspeed Rescue appearances.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is a perennially underrated season, in my opinion. Sadly, that point is accentuated by the fact that Lightspeed is fairly underrepresented in Shattered Grid. Not as bad as, say, Operation Overdrive. But still.

However, we do get a few appearances from Carter, the Red Lightspeed Ranger. And issue #29 does start with an appearance from Kelsey, the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger. Oddly enough, she’s in a push-up contest with TJ. Mind you, her hair is the wrong color. But I’m just grateful she made the cut!

17. Andros, Karone, Zordon, and Kruger.
One thing I’ve complained about as it relates to the main MMPR comic, is how characters are learning too many things about their future. The appearance of Saba, the Thunderzords, etc. But of course, I threw my hands up once we got to Shattered Grid, and simply opted to enjoy the story. So this little moment with Andros and Karone managed to be a highlight for me. The story obviously isn’t about them specifically. But this relationship is an important one in the annals of Power Rangers history. So to see it get spotlighted like this is pretty cool.

Zordon and Kruger also get a little scene on the same page. I wouldn’t have mentioned it, were it not right after this Andros/Karone exchange. But it’s cool in its own right.

18. Terra Venture revelation.
Outside of what we saw in the outstanding MMPR #20, the Grace Sterling character hasn’t done much for me. I appreciated the Promethea concept, though. Even moreso when we got this little gem of a revelation…

Promethea is Terra Venture, the space colony that serves as the setting for Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. I mean, c’mon! How damn cool is that? They didn’t have to go there. But they did. And I love ’em for it!

19. Reinforcements from the Future
This is a beautiful moment. Conceptually, artistically, or virtually any way you want to look at it.

As they prepare to face Lord Drakkon’s forces, our heroes discover the cavalry has arrived…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holy crap, that’s gorgeous. The splash page on the right even has a Kevin Maguire, Justice League International feel to it.

While I highly doubt this was intentional, I appreciate that Daniele Di Nicuolo put the Quantum Ranger at the front of the pack. Jason, Kimberly, and the others are seeing the future here, after all. Also, note the appearance of the Rangers from the upcoming Power Rangers Beast Morphers.

20. Tommy’s “second chance.” (Go Go Power Ragners #12)
Up to this point, Go Go Power Rangers had been Tommy-free. Present-day Tommy, at least. That ultimately works to the book’s advantage. The Green Ranger isn’t hogging the spotlight, and we get to focus more on our five heroes.

However, the series makes an exception in issue #12, when Ranger Slayer tracks Tommy down. She shoots him with a super-powered arrow. The future Green Ranger is hurt, but not killed. Kimberly says she’s giving him a second chance. I suspect we’ll find out what she meant in the finale.

It’s definitely a thrill to see Dan Mora draw Tommy, the Green Ranger, and the Dragonzord. By the by, we find Tommy working out at a gym while it’s closed. I suspect that’s meant to imply that his family doesn’t have a lot of money, so he can’t afford a gym membership. Not sure where they got that notion, though. To the best of my recollection, it was never established on the show…

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MMPR: Shattered Grid: 25 Morphinominal Moments, Part One

Rob Siebert 4 Comments

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

As promised, here we are. My 25 personal favorite moments from Shattered Grid. Keep in mind, these are subjective and opinion-based. Keep in mind, though, that I’m one of many that’s looking at this series as as life-long (and now officially out of the closet) Power Rangers geek. I might throw in a critique or two…

1. Time Force arrives. (MMPR #25)
Time Force was a series highlight for many a PR fan. It upped the drama and personal stakes, and the characters were a little more sophisticated. So it was hugely gratifying to not only see the Time Force Rangers front and center on the very first page of Shattered Grid, but for Jen to have such a pivotal role. To this day, she’s one of the franchise’s strongest female heroes.

In the above image, the Rangers reference the “other dimensions.” That takes us right into moment two, and my main gripe with Shattered Grid…

2. Ninjor’s temple. (MMPR #25)
After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers became Power Rangers Zeo, Ninjor disappeared, never to be seen again. So there’s a feel-good quality to him being around for Shattered Grid. Especially given he’s decent-sized role.

But what puts this moment on the list is the fact that we actually get to see inside Ninjor’s temple, and watch him work his magic. Not that it’s particularly extravagant. But I can appreciate wall-to-wall bookshelves for a legendary wizard figure like this. Literally. Remember, this is supposedly the guy that created the Power Coins.

3. Time is fractured. (MMPR #26)
Seeing Jen in the Command Center was a geek-out moment for me. She’s talking about Time Force, all the Rangers that come after the Mighty Morphin team, and the crisis they’re facing. It’s a great Power Rangers legacy moment.

From a story standpoint, this scene is here so author Kyle Higgins can explain how the event works. How the Morphing Grid has split the timeline into different dimensions to “protect from paradoxes andËš causality.” Admittedly, it’s a convincing sell job. But what he’s really telling us is that Shattered Grid is structured like a multiverse story. Think Crisis on Infinite Earths for Power Rangers. Again, this is subjective, but I’m a big continuity geek. As far as PR is concerned, I’ve always loved the idea of it being one continuous story with one team leading into the next, albeit indirectly. Shattered Grid almost skims over that element. Still, I don’t hold this idea against Higgins. It’s the simplest way to execute the story, and it allows them to shove in as many Rangers as possible. In the end, that’s what matters.

3. Lord Drakkon gets “samuraized.” (MMPR #26)
As the story progresses, Lord Drakkon gains strength by stealing a morpher from each Ranger team and siphoning the power. This was the first time we actually saw him do it, and his little upgrade came with a costume change. While Drakkon’s costume would get a few little additions in subsequent issues, this has been his look for the majority of Shattered Grid. I like it. It makes him look more distinct, and less like the White Ranger.

Note the appearance of Finster 5 in the above image. Certainly not my favorite creation of the BOOM! comics. But it’s cute.

5. Zordon’s call to action. (MMPR #27)

I mean, c’mon. COME ON…

You’ve got a beautifully constructed montage here, with Drakkon’s forces attacking EIGHT Ranger teams at their respective home bases. Again, an amazing legacy moment, if for no other reason than it’s Zordon at the center of it all. We’ve got the amazing Daniele di Nicuolo on the pencils for MMPR #25–30, and he keeps finding new ways to hit it out of the park.

Note the Dino Thunder scene in the upper left hand corner. I’m a little surprised they haven’t paid closer attention to Dino Thunder, as an older Tommy was a part of that season. That’s a hell of a missed opportunity.

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

A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #20 Review – Summer of ’69

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #20
AUTHORS: Kyle Higgins, Ryan Ferrier
PENCILLERS: Daniele Di Nicuolo, Bachan. Cover by Jamal Campbell.
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: October 25, 2017

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

One thing you can’t take away from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #20? It knows how the moon works.

Throughout the show’s history, Power Rangers has had a really weird take on the moon. The most notable example is probably the iconic “Forever Red” episode, where we see 10 years worth of Red Rangers fighting unmorphed on the lunar surface. They can breathe freely, and the gravity is the same as on Earth. The entire sequence looks suspiciously like it takes place in California somewhere…

That’s not the moon we get here. This is the genuine article. How do we know? Because the issue opens with the moon landing in 1969. In true Power Rangers fashion, our astronauts accidentally unleash an alien threat. And so, decades before Jason and the others take up arms against Rita Repulsa, Zordon must choose a team of heroes to protect the Earth. They are Earth’s first Power Rangers, and their story isn’t quite as happy as that of their successors.

I initially frowned upon the idea of Jason’s team not having the distinction of being the “original” Rangers of Earth. But transplanting the Power Rangers concept into the ’60s is too good an idea to pass up. It’s just a shame we don’t have time to flesh it out. Everything gets crammed into this one issue, and certain elements suffer as a result.

Our leader and Red Ranger is Grace Sterling, whose older self we’ve met in previous issues. She’s a secretary at the PR equivalent of NASA, with dreams of going into space. At her side are a British rock musician, a Russian communist, a Vietnam War veteran, and an idealistic youngster. Obviously these characters are written to clash. The problem is making it believable and organic in such a short time. For instance, there’s an exchange between the Pink and Yellow Rangers about whether the war is right or wrong. But they’re on the moon! Plus, because we know so little about these people, and the conflict only lasts about two panels, it’s almost not even worth it. In a perfect world, giving this story three or four issues would have granted it much-needed breathing room.

As this MMPR series has progressed, we’ve seen Kyle Higgins cherry pick elements and ideas from around the Power Rangers timeline. He does that here with the use of Psycho Green, a villain spinning out of the evil Psycho Ranger team from Power Rangers in Space.  I’ve gotten on Higgins’ back for muddying the pre-established continuity, but this is harmless enough. It’s a nice little tribute to PRiS. Interestingly enough, Psycho Green is apparently the right hand to another PRiS villain, Dark Specter.

MMPR: Pink artist Daniele Di Nicuolo is back for this issue, and is also solicited for issue #21. Di Nicuolo does well in the Power Rangers universe. But I was a little caught off guard by how jacked the male Rangers looked in morphed form. It’s fairly consistent with what he gave us in Pink. Maybe the alternate costumes distracted from it?

Either way, Di Nicuolo draws an awesome Psycho Green. The gender swap element in this book is also interesting to look at. Our Red and Black rangers are women, while our Yellow and Pink Rangers are men. That’s a nice little twist on things.

The scene with our five new Rangers in the Command Center is an issue highlight for me. Zordon has been absent for much of this series (the amazing issue #15 notwithstanding), so it’s great to spend a little time with him. It’s also the only time we get to see our unmorphed heroes interact with one another. Di Nicuolo gets to play with facial expressions, body language, etc.

“The Ongoing Misadventures of Squatt and Baboo” continue as well. For whatever reason, I’ve found these a little more palatable than the Bulk and Skull stories we got in earlier issues. Squatt and Baboo fight the Megazord this issue, which goes about as well as you’d imagine.

Considering how much hype MMPR #20 was given, not spending more time with this 1969 team seems like a wasted opportunity. Obviously what we saw here will factor into the coming issues, as Grace continues to interact with the Rangers. So in all fairness, we don’t have the whole story yet. But my immediate reaction is that they could have done so much more with this idea. But I’ll credit the BOOM! Studios crew for at least making it a reality. It’s a nice bit of world-building, in a series that’s already given so much to the Power Rangers mythos.

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