Tag Yellow Ranger

Power Rangers Beast Morphers, “Grid Connection” Review (Jason Returns!)

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***As big a Power Rangers fan as I am, I must admit: I’m a little behind on modern PR. Here’s where I attempt to fix that, as I check out episodes of Power Rangers Beast Morphers!***

Jason, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Grid ConnectionSERIES: Power Rangers Beast Morphers
EPISODE: S27:E15 – “Grid Connection”
STARRING: Rorrie D. Travis, Jazz Baduwalia, Jacqueline Scislowski, Abraham Rodriguez
GUEST-STARRING: Austin St. John, Brennan Mejia, Yoshi Sudarso, James Davies, Davi Santos
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Chip Lynn
DIRECTOR: Oliver Driver
PREMIERE DATE: June 18, 2020 (UK), October 24, 2020 (US)
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers (along with some friends) take on Evox, Goldar Maximus, and their forces.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The episode begins with Keeper showing back up to tell the Rangers about a vision he’s seen via the Morphin Grid. One of “many Power Rangers in a mighty battle” in which the Rangers are beaten. He adds that he can’t know which Ranger teams were fighting, as the vision was not clear.

So…Keeper couldn’t tell which Rangers were fighting in his vision? Y’know, these Ranger teams have pretty distinct costumes. They’re only similar in that they have a lot of the same colors. You’d think he’d be able to at least give them a hint or something. Was the whole thing blurry or something? Was he not wearing his glasses?

Keeper also says that Devon was hit by a meteor in his vision, which subsequently happens. Mind you, Devon isn’t even morphed when he’s hit, and he winds up totally fine. His clothes aren’t even tattered or burned. This could very well be one of the biggest affronts to the laws of reality in Power Rangers history. Like, right up there with being able to breathe on the surface of the moon.

Tyler transmission, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Grid Connection

Moments later, Grid Battleforce gets a distress call from the Dino Charge Rangers, which Nate says is from “another dimension.” I get that the “another dimension” line is probably the best way to get us into the scene, get it moving, etc. But it also makes it sound like Nate has no idea where the message is coming from. And remember, Grid Battleforce has obviously had some degree of communication with the Dino Charge dimension before, as they have access to their records, weapons, and what not.

“It’s from a familiar dimension,” might have been a better line. It’s roughly the same length, and it doesn’t make Nate look stupid.

After the rest of the Beast Morphers team are bested by Goldar’s forces, Devon sends out a distress call through the Morphin Grid that’s answered by Jason, the original Red Ranger. Any time Power Rangers can bring back someone who either hasn’t been back on the show in awhile, or hasn’t been back at all since they left, it’s special. Often the further back you go, the more special it is. As such, having Austin St. John back to play Jason for the first time in roughly 18 years is a huge deal. “Grid Connection” rightly treats him with reverence. Though not to the point of worship, as we saw with Tommy back in “Dimensions in Danger.”

Did they make Austin have to shave his beard for this? In virtually every picture I’ve seen of him in the last decade or so, he has one. I suppose it tracks that they might have wanted him to shave and look a little more like the Jason of old. But it’s still a little silly. Let him have the beard. What’s the big deal?

About two years after “Grid Connection” aired, “Morphin Master” dropped. That episode casually revealed that it was the Green Morphin Master who sent the Tyrannosaurus power coin to Devon via the meteor, which in turn called out to Jason. Why she chose to send the coin via a meteor is another question entirely…

The revelation in “Morphin Master” flew in the face of a headcanon idea I had: That whatever allowed all the past Rangers to morph in “Legendary Battle” had restored all lost powers. So for instance, the original Mighty Morphin Rangers, including Jason, would have gotten their powers back permanently. As we see with “Grid Connection” and “Morphin Master,” that’s probably not what happened. But it might have simplified things as far as explaining how different Rangers have gotten their powers back. It also might have explained how Tommy got his Master Morpher.

Unfortunately, Austin St. John’s return largely overshadows the Dino Charge actors being back again. This includes Camille Hyde and Michael Taber providing the voices for Shelby and Riley, who only appear in morphed form. Let’s not take them for granted, though.

Jason and the Dino Charge Rangers are ultimately confronted by Goldar and his forces, leading Jason to reveal his four Mighty Morphin teammates, along with the Red, Blue, and Yellow Dino Thunder Rangers, already morphed. Obviously, none of the original actors were back, even in a voiceover capacity. But it’s still amazing to see these three dino-themed teams on screen together. Granted, it was only done because they had the Sentai footage of all the counterparts being brought back for Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters. But let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. We got a big dino-themed team-up, with presumably as many of the original actors as they could afford to bring back.

What’s interesting about this to me, both on the Sentai side and the PR side, is that the Go-Busters/Beast Morphers team is largely cast aside in favor of the big dino battle. Granted, Devon comes in at the end to lend a hand. But usually these team-ups at least try to give everybody equal emphasis. It’s hard to deny that the Beast Morphers team, the incumbent team mind you, gets pushed aside here. That’s a shame, as after 30 episodes, they’d earned the right to get their due in a big team-up like this.

Dino Charge also gets a little more emphasis in the battle than the other two dino teams. That makes sense on the Sentai side, as the story was ultimately about their counterparts teaming with the Go-Busters characters.

Let’s talk about Trini. Thuy Trang, who played the original Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger, was tragically killed in a car accident in 2001. As of this writing, we know that a young actress and martial artist named Charlie Kersh will be playing Trini’s daughter in the upcoming Power Rangers 30th anniversary special. So it might be safe to assume that from a story perspective, Trini has died in the Power Rangers universe. I think that’s probably the right route to take. We certainly wouldn’t want anyone else trying to play Trini.

As Trini is presumably gone, it would make sense that Aisha, Trini’s successor as the Yellow Ranger, is the one in the costume here. Unless they retroactively tell us in the 30 anniversary show that Trini’s daughter took on her mother’s role.

Dino Thunder may be, top to bottom, my favorite series PR has ever produced. So to see those Rangers (shown above) represented here is, of course, a thrill. But as thrilling as it is, it’s also a little frustrating that neither James Napier (Conner, the Red Ranger), Kevin Dunahey (Ethan, the Blue Ranger), or Emma Lahana (Kira, the Yellow Ranger) were able to come in for a voice cameo. It really would have added an extra layer of authenticity and awesomeness to the whole thing. I’m assuming their absence has something to do with the show not wanting to spend extra money for what would ultimately amount to a few lines.

If there were ever a time to play “Go Go Power Rangers,” it would have been during Jason’s morph, on into the opening minutes of the fight. Preferably the classic Ron Wasserman version, obviously. But I’d even have taken the edgier version they used for Samurai and Megaforce. I’m extremely curious as to why PR seems so averse to using old theme songs for team-ups like this.

Jason’s lines about Zordon and Serpentera were nice little fan service moments. Incidentally, when he compares Serpentera to Evox’s Chimera Zord, he says the latter has six heads. But…*goes back and counts…it has seven. Whoops.

The big zord fight at the end featuring the three Megazords, including the original Mighty Morphin one, was nice. At least in theory…

Granted, this is all on the Sentai footage. But like a lot of modern zord fights, it was too much CGI and not enough suit work. The Chimera Zord is, conceptually, amazing. But there wasn’t anything that looked mechanical about it. Then, once we got into the fight with all the lasers and the flying, it looked like a big video game. Seeing the original Megazord during that big CGI assembly clip just felt wrong…

The device that Jason uses to open the portal at the end of the episode is just like the one Wes used to do the same thing in “Dimensions in Danger.” That might imply there’s been some kind of contact between Jason and Wes that we don’t know about. Or maybe Jason and Time Force.

I nitpick because that’s part of what I do with these reviews. But in truth, we were lucky to get what we got in “Grid Connection.” This feels like an anniversary episode, though it isn’t. Realistically, they didn’t have to adapt this Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters footage for Power Rangers. They also could have done it really lazily, without Austin St. John or any of the old cast members. Instead, despite its flaws, “Grid Connection” feels like a labor of love. A love that’s been dishearteningly absent from other PR seasons.

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

Power Rangers Beast Morphers, “Seeing Red” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Beast Morphers
EPISODE: S27:E15 – “Seeing Red”
STARRING: Rorrie D. Travis, Jazz Baduwalia, Jacqueline Scislowski, Abraham Rodriguez, Liana Ramirez
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale
DIRECTOR: Oliver Driver
PREMIERE DATE: November 2, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Devon develops a conceited attitude about his new powers.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This episode is titled “Seeing Red.” That’s such an obvious title for a Red Ranger-centered episode that I’m shocked it hadn’t been used already in the more than 20 years the franchise had been around at this point.

Ben gets a good ol’ fashioned cake to the face early in the episode. Then later, Betty sits on one. Classic Bulk and Skull, right there.

This is a kids show, so the bank robber Devon catches has to be carrying big sacks full of money. I’m a little surprised the bags didn’t have big dollar signs on them.

Is Zoey trying to be discreet in the gym when they get the call from Grid Battleforce? General Burke does the same sort of thing later in the episode. Why the discretion? They’re the only ones hanging out with a damn robot. I think discretion might be out the window at this point.

On the subject of Zoey, she leaves the battle later in the episode because, “My energy’s low. I need a carrot ASAP.” I can’t decide if that’s a cute and quirky reason to leave a battle, or the most lame one in Power Rangers history. “I can’t fight evil anymore because I have to go eat a carrot!”

Is it just me, or is the Gold Ranger outfit a little more baggy than the others? I know that’s sort of the look for Beast Morpers. But still. Is it the material it’s made with?

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

Power Rangers Beast Morphers, “A Friend Indeed” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

*** You know what I am? A multi-tasker. That’s why, as Power Rangers Dino Fury is in full swing, I’ll also be looking back at Power Rangers Beast Morphers. Why? Because I can!!!***

Jax, Power Rangers Beast MorphersSERIES: Power Rangers Beast Morphers
TITLE: S26:E7 – “A Friend Indeed”
STARRING: Rorrie D. Travis, Jazz Baduwalia, Jacqueline Scislowski, Abraham Rodriguez, Emmett Skilton (voice)
WRITER: Chip Lynn
DIRECTOR: Oliver Driver
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: April 20, 2019
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers take their Beast Bots for granted. Evox’s forces, however, do not.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We see Ravi attempting to spar with his Beast Bot, a big blue mechanical gorilla. Later in the episode we’ll see Zoey talking to a yellow mechanical bunny. I can’t help but wonder what that’s like for these young actors, and what they were thinking during some of these early episodes…

These Rangers are obnoxiously ungrateful, considering they essentially have friggin’ robot butlers. Though I guess that’s the idea, isn’t it?

We continue to foreshadow the idea of Nate having wanting a brother. It won’t be too long before that comes to fruition…

Emmett Skilton, the voice of Jax, is the low key MVP in this episode. He had to maintain that cartoony New York accent while also doing some serious emoting, particularly late in the episode when Jax gets his “feelings” hurt. Now that’s a voice actor, ladies and gentlemen.

Beast Bot Surprise Party, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, A Friend Indeed

Toward the end of the episode, Devon, Zoey, and Ravi wind up throwing a party for the Beast Bots. Remember the scene during the first act of Star Wars, when C-3PO gets an oil bath? That’s what I imagine an actual robot party would be like.

That, and maybe a table full of spare parts.

I was surprised to see this episode end on something of a cliffhanger, as Scrozzle tells Blaze and Roxy he’s working on a “cybergate” to move Evox out of the Cyber Dimension.

So let me make sure I understand this…the Cyber Dimension is a place where beings can assume “digital” forms, while also being able to exist outside the dimension in physical form. Evox, however, is too powerful to be transported to Earth without a certain amount of Morph-X. Thus, the need to steal it.

So wait, do Blaze and Roxy’s avatars use a certain amount of Morph-X every time they transport in and out of the Cyber Dimension? If so, you’d think Evox would want them coming and going as little as possible, thus conserving what Morph-X they have. Maybe they’re already doing that? I’unno. Maybe this is one of those things it’s best not to apply too much logic to…

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

Power Rangers Beast Morphers, “Digital Deception” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

*** You know what I am? A multi-tasker. That’s why, as Power Rangers Dino Fury is in full swing, I’ll also be looking back at Power Rangers Beast Morphers. Why? Because I can!!!***

Ravi, Roxy, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Digital DeceptionSERIES: Power Rangers Beast Morphers
TITLE: S26:E4 – “Digital Deception”
STARRING: Rorrie D. Travis, Jazz Baduwalia, Jacqueline Scislowski, Abraham Rodriguez, Liana Ramirez
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Denise Downer
DIRECTOR: Oliver Driver
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: March 30, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Roxy’s avatar plays head games with Ravi on Valentine’s Day.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Ben and Betty’s reaction to the cartoon bee might seem like hokey, exaggerated comedy. It’s not. That is how certain people genuinely react to bees. I’ve seen people literally rocket across the room. People who aren’t allergic, mind you. I’ll never understand.

It sure was nice of them to put full make-up, most noticeably lipstick, on Roxy while she was in hyper sleep. Grid Battleforce does it all!

“Here goes nothing but evil.” I like that line a lot. That’s a good Power Rangers line.

“Careful, I have the high ground.” Devon says that to the Tronics during the unmorphed fight. Amazing that even in the Power Rangers universe, the prequels were bad movies.

Liana Ramirez (shown right), who plays Roxy, is probably the most natural actor on the show. Her facial expressions are strong, and she has good delivery.

Roxy, Liana Ramirez, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Digital Deception

I reject the premise that Shoveltron, that big clanky monster, snuck up on Ravi. He’s obviously blinded by love. But was he deafened by love too?

There’s a great shot in this episode of the Red Ranger riding down the road on his motorcycle as the Racer Zord comes up behind him. Great camera work.

Toward the end of the episode, Zoey gets the yellow bouquet of flowers we briefly saw Nate pick out earlier. See, if he’d been paying attention, he’d have gotten her a bunch of carrots. That chick loves her some carrots.

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

Power Rangers Spotlight: Yellow Rangers by Francisco Mauriz

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Once again, our Power Rangers Spotlight falls on Thuy Trang, as well as two of her Yellow Ranger counterparts.

Brazilian artist Francisco Mauriz posted this piece last week, with the caption “Yellow rangers de universos diferentes.” (“Yellow Rangers of different universes.”) We have our old friend Trini of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, played by the late Thuy Trang. Next to her is Boi, her counterpart played by Takumi Hashimoto from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Then we have Becky G, who played Trini in last year’s Power Rangers film.

What makes this interesting isn’t just that the characters are next to each other, but how they’re behaving. Body language can make or break fan art for me. You could have friggin’ Alex Ross drawing the figures, but half the battle is lost if they’re doing something out of character. While I admit to being ignorant regarding the Boi character, both Trinis look spot-on. You’ve also got the added dimension of Thuy and Takumi being from the early ’90s, and Becky being from 2017. You can see it in how she’s posed, as well as her wardrobe. Whether Mauriz intended for it or not, there’s a lot going on here.

While I admit I may be biased, when I see this pic my eye immediately goes to Thuy Trang. Her Trini was quieter, but still friendly. That’s the read I get from Mauriz’s rendering of her here.

Fittingly, Mauriz first popped up on my radar when he posted a piece much like this one, featuring Pink Rangers. It’s the same background, too. Let’s hope he keeps drawing Rangers!

Mauriz can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Deviantart.

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Power Rangers Spotlight: Thuy Trang by Batang ’90s Art

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

You may or may not have noticed, but I’m a recently un-closeted, and unabashed Power Rangers geek. So much so that I’ve actually been concerned that there’s been too much PR content on the site lately.

Ergo, I’ve decided to give myself a regular outlet for all things Power Rangers. Instead of using features like “Astonishing Art” or “Panels of Awesomeness,” I’ll simply put them here in “Power Rangers Spotlight.” And I can think of no one better to shine the spotlight on than this artist, and this piece.

Bon Bernardo is an illustrator and designer that goes under the handle “Batang ’90s Art.” As anyone who follows him knows, he’s done no shortage of Power Rangers work. Point blank, he’s one of the best PR fan artists you’ll ever see. For all the proof you’ll need, check out his TeePublic, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

A few weeks ago Bernardo he posted a piece that’s simply beautiful. But on an entirely different level…

For the uninitiated, this is Thuy Trang. She played Trini, the Yellow Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As an adult, you look back and see she brought a quiet kind of grace to that character. As a kid, you didn’t necessarily notice what she brought to the show until she had already left.

Trang was tragically killed in September of 2001 as a result of a car accident. But her memory lives on, largely due to her contributions to Power Rangers.

What I love so much about this piece by Bernardo is that it perfectly captures the Thuy Trang that we all remember. Stunning beauty, along with a poise and grace beyond her years. There’s something about that pose too.

It’s ironic, really. So often, Bon Bernardo draws the colorful, the flambouyant, the fantastic. But it’s this, one of his simplest works, that carries the most weight. Rest in peace, Thuy.

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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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A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 4 Review – When Zordon Steals the Show

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 4
AUTHORS: Kyle Higgins, Ryan Ferrier
PENCILLERS: Hendry Prasetya, Bachan, Daniel Bayliss. Cover by Goni Montes.
COLLECTS: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #13-16
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $16.99
RELEASED: October 25, 2017

***WARNING: Spoilers lay ahead.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

The first act in the larger story of Lord Drakkon comes to an end in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 4. Tommy’s evil doppleganger looks great here, and we also get an awesome character spotlight. Overall, this MMPR series still has a big up side. But once we get into issue #16, particularly the last few pages, things start to get rocky.

When we open the book, Tommy and Billy are still trapped in an alternate universe where the Green Ranger remained with Rita Repulsa after the events of “Green With Evil.” This turn of events led to the destruction of the Power Rangers, and Tommy’s rise as the evil Lord Drakkon. Now the Tommy and Billy that we know must join up with a resistance force (led  by familiar faces) to bring Drakkon down. Meanwhile, Jason and the others face Rita and her minions with reduced powers, and without Zordon. And where is Zordon anyway?

We get the answer to that last question in issue #15, and it’s the creative highlight of the book. Zordon has been absent for several issues at this point, so it’s obviously good to check in with him. But this issue goes above and beyond, following him into a rift between the dimensions. We see him meet his counterpart from Drakkon’s world, and how Zordon has continued to play a role in the conflict despite current predicament. More importantly, after witnessing how events have unfolded in this alternate reality, we see him speak from a place of uncertainty. We aren’t always shown that perspective from a wise old sage character like this. It’s an intriguing change up, which in the end cuts to the very heart of who Zordon is.

Daniel Bayliss hits a home run with the pencils, inks, and colors. His renderings of a full-bodied Zordon interacting with the time warp around him, and later his other self, are compelling, gorgeous, and hit the mark emotionally. He also gets to play around with some of the the war sequences we’ve seen in previous issues. We get some familiar images of Rita’s forces in Washington, Drakkon holding the Red Ranger helmet, and a few glorious shots of the Thunderzords. Bayliss can’t come back to the Rangers soon enough.

We closed the previous volume with the reveal of Trini, Bulk, and Aisha (who we know as the future Yellow Ranger) as members of the resistance. Having Aisha show up is a nice bit of fan service. But that’s all it amounts to. I won’t complain about that, considering how much griping I’ve already done about Tommy and Billy seeing things from their future.

For whatever reason, this series is bound and determined to cast the fun-loving Zack as a brooder. We get more of that here. But it’s an alternate version of Zack, who has lost nearly everything and become the leader of the resistance. Given how dark the world around him has grown, I’m alright with this version of Zack being more dour. It even makes for a cool little moment with the canonical Zack toward the end.

This volume also sees Finster create Goldar clones of all builds and sizes to fight against the Rangers. I love this idea. It makes sense. Goldar has failed Rita time and again, so she has Finster “improve” on him. This might have worked as an idea for the show, time and costumes permitting. We even get to see Goldar without his armor on the very first page. I didn’t even know he could take the armor off.

Kyle Higgins deserves a lot of the credit for the more sinister Finster we’ve gotten from the BOOM! books. The crowning example is what we got from Trey Moore and Frazer Irving in the 2017 annual. But the Finster we get in this book has a nice underlying creepiness to him. By comparison, the Finster we got on the show was almost a kind old man at times.

One of the subplots we get in this book involves the Trini of Drakkon’s world coming to grips with seeing Billy, as the Billy of her world died saving her life. If Higgins and Hendry Prasetya are playing at an eventual Billy/Trini romance, they’re doing it in a very subtle manner. The potential romance between Billy and Trini thing is something some of us have been talking about since we were kids. They almost have to address it at some point. Even if it’s just an issue about how they don’t have those kind of feelings for each other. Matters aren’t helped when you consider Prasetya’s strengths are the super-powered action scenes, and not the quiet interpersonal stuff. So one can argue that material isn’t fully maximized.

On the flip side, Prasetya’s fight sequences with a morphed Lord Drakkon are epic in the inevitable good Tommy vs. evil Tommy fight. This is obviously the first time we’ve gotten to see that costume in action. It’s very evocative of classic Power Rangers. The costume is obviously visually similar to the White Ranger suit. Darken is even holding Saba for much of the battle. You can easily hear Jason David Frank’s cheesy “evil” voice when reading some of Drakkon’s dialogue. (“Hello again, Tommy.”)  There’s also a teamwork theme in effect here, which is something that’s remained present for the entire series.

The Yellow Ranger also gets a Battlizer of sorts in issue #16. It comes out of nowhere, but looks cool enough. I also appreciate that it’s Trini who gets it. She was always the most underdeveloped character on the show, and remains that way in the comics. So this is a cool moment for her.

At this point we’ve built this Lord Drakkon story up for four books. Everything has built to this confrontation between the two Tommys, and the Power Rangers finally striking back against Rita’s forces. The ending makes sense. But when I read issue #16 during it’s initial release, I was disappointed. We’d built to those big showdowns for so long, only for them to pass fairly quickly. This felt like it should have been a big, epic finale. The Megazord makes a big comeback against the Goldar clones, and Tommy and Drakkon make some kind of startling discovery about each other that leads into the next phase of the story. Instead the resolution, particularly the bit with the teens back at school, feels very rushed and slapped together. All the right ingredients are there. But we aren’t given enough time with them.

However, I will say that what happens to Drakkon at the very end has the potential to be very interesting…

Our Bulk and Skull back-up stories are no more, now replaced by “The Ongoing Misadventures of Squatt & Baboo.” Like their predecessors, these stories were fairly benign additions to each single issue that are now collected long form. Ryan Ferrier and Bachan set a similar goofy tone. But while the Bulk and Skull stories got old after just a few issues, I somehow find Squatt and Baboo’s adventures a little more palatable. Perhaps it’s because they got a fraction of the screen time Bulk and Skull did, so there’s a refreshing quality to them getting the spotlight here. The collective story is about them visiting an alternate dimension and running into Goldar. It’s mildly amusing, and Bachan has a cool take on our “heroes.”

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Vol. 4 has a few more problems than the previous volumes do. But all the elements that make the series great are still there. Namely, Higgins’ willingness to write an objectively silly concept in a more serious and dramatic voice, Hendry Prasetya’s awesome work on the words and costumes, and the added depth injected into the characters. For Power Rangers fans young and old, this series remains a must-read.

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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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A Go Go Power Rangers #4 Review – The Mystery of Salad Girl

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Go Go Power Rangers #4
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
PENCILLER: Dan Mora
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: October 18, 2017

***WARNING: Spoilers lay ahead.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Go Go Power Rangers #4 opens with a flashback to what I’ll call the “Salad Girl scene.” It’s a story from Kimberly and Zack’s recent past that’s been referenced a bunch of times in the series. Until now, when a character would mention “Salad Girl,” I had no idea if I was missing a joke or a plot detail. So if this issue accomplishes nothing else, it at least solves the mystery of Salad Girl.

Thankfully, there’s more to Go Go Power Rangers #4, as the book wraps up its first arc, while still leaving a plot thread hanging for next time. As Rita begins her second attack on Angel Grove, Kimberly is in a tough spot. She must choose between saving her boyfriend Matt, and protecting the city at large as the Pink Ranger. Meanwhile, Jason is also on the sidelines for fear of being exposed as the Red Ranger. Our heroes once again have their backs against the wall!

Dan Mora and colorist Raul Angulo have a very distinct energy they bring to the Power Rangers universe. Thus far, that’s been best exemplified in their sequences with the zords. They opened the series on a high note with their brief take on the climactic fight from “Day of the Dumpster.” They recapture that magic here, as we see the individual zords in action, followed by the Megazord. Mora somehow has a knack for drawing comic book style destruction on a grand scale. Part of it is that he’s awesome with action sequences (see the Jason/Trini sparring session from issue #2). But there’s something immensely satisfying about how these giant machines kick up debris when they’re summoned, or how the action lines wonderfully convey the speed and impact of certain blows. It also doesn’t hurt that this book has an almost regal take on the Megazord. One of the highlights of the issue is a splash page showing us the Megazord formation.

Incidentally, Mora and Angulo also give us a terrific version of our resident school principal, Mr. Caplan (shown above). His shtick on the show was that he wore a toupee. I think we can safely say they nailed that one.

On the writing front, things still look pretty good. Although late in the issue, we get a scene that seems to come out of nowhere. Zack shows up in the Command Center alone, and asks Zordon why he wasn’t chosen as team leader. He cites Jason’s absences from two recent conflicts, and in all fairness he does have a point given how early this is in their run as heroes. Parrott did plant a seed for this back in issue #2. But this still feels very sudden. Thankfully, Zordon gives him a good answer.

It’s not necessarily a good use of one’s time to apply logic to content created for young children two decades ago. But seeing as I’ve already made a habit of it, let’s go ahead. We get a trademark Rita Repulsa move here, as she uses her big wand to make her monster grow giant-sized. Standing at her side, her henchman and monster-maker Finster asks why she’d do this. This is what she says…

“We must see every skirmish to its conclusion. It’s been this way on countless worlds. Every move, every battle, every monster is a wound. Individually, each cut may miss the mark. But eventually, with enough cuts, one will strike the target…”

She’s essentially saying it’s a numbers game. If you throw the dart enough times, you’re bound to hit the bull’s eye sooner or later. I’m not in love with this approach. It almost makes it seem like Rita is resigned to a certain amount of failure from the start. Given how short-tempered she always was on the show, it feels like a contradiction. I will, however, credit the book for trying to make some kind of sense out of it. At least if you separate the strategy from the character, it works.

Nitpicks notwithstanding, we’re only four issues in, and I adore this series every bit as much as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, if not more. Part of this book’s concept is that we get to spend a little more personal time with Jason and the others. It’s a strategy that’s paying off, and that isn’t a surprise. It’s been 25 years, but people still remember these characters, and the qualities the actors were able to inject them with. As it turns out, Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, and the BOOM! Studios crew are bringing some pretty Morphenominal stuff to the table as well.

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