DreamSword Rereads the Power Rangers Comics
 

Hey there! Welcome to a new project that I decided to start!

The Power Rangers franchise is in a really weird spot right now, what with all the rumors and production hang-ups getting thrown around.

Alot of things like the toyline getting put on hiatus, to talk of the upcoming adult-oriented Netflix show possibly being the new mainline canon, with Cosmic Fury serving as the finale to what fans have followed up to now.

And seeing as how there's nothing new for one of my favorite franchises in sight, atleast in terms of TV, that got me thinking, you know what is still going? The comics done by BOOM! Studios. Not just their own original stuff either, but also various tie-ins, Kickstarter Campaigns, and more.

So I figured, hey, why not take a look back at the comics as a whole and examine why exactly they work as well as they do, and perhaps even discuss various aspects they have and how they relate not just to their source material, but also how well they hold up when put under their own lens, separated from the nostalgia that naturally comes from a property like this.

I'll be updating these reviews once a week, with one volume read per review. And on average that's about four issues per post. There will be a few exceptions of course(especially when it comes to direct tie-in comics and one-offs), but for the most part, I think that means this project will last up until close to the end of the year, if not the entirety of it. But hey, It's simple for me to do and I feel like it'll be alot of fun, so I'm happy to do it.

I plan to use the following reading order, so if you wanna follow along, this is the general road map you'll wanna go by.

Again, there'll be exceptions, but we'll tackle those when we get there. With that out of the way, let's start this off with...

Man, I had nearly forgotten all about what a great introductory arc the first four issues of Go Go actually are!

There's so much to like here! You're immediately introduced to what every character is about; Their motivations, their personalities, how they get along with everyone in the cast, and the personal struggles that being a superhero puts them all through. All accompanied by wonderful dialogue, fun action scenes, and relatable scenarios.

What makes it even better is that none of it explicitly relies on the reader having already been into the property beforehand either. Even is showcased and written in a very clear matter to where even newcomers to the franchise will have an easy time catching up to speed, while the story retains alot of the charm that comes with Power Rangers almost inherently. Or, if you want the short version of this paragraph: It's fun!

That's not to say that old school fans are totally left out though. Every issue is sprinkled with small allusion or reference that series vets are sure to pick up on. Like the two astronauts pictured above being the ones who unseal Rita in the very opening of the show. Of which this story answers the question of "What exactly happened to those two anyway?" Or even smaller things like a callback to Rito's' story about the pet dragon Rita wanted in season 3 of MMPR. Stuff like that is integrated naturally and in ways that won't confuse newcomers either.


I imagine one of the biggest highlights for both camps though will be seeing glimpses of just how the main group came to be. After all, they're all very diverse socially, so how the heck did they all become friends?

Though this does immediately highlight one prevailing element throughout these comics.


Ryan Parrott serves as the head writer for many of these comics(Go Go especially), and the man absolutely loves his flashbacks. Sure, it's somewhat necessary here in the early days, but as we continue forward, you'll see that there are a lot of flashbacks.

I don't mind them for the most part, but I don't blame the readers who find them to be a bit much. Especially when they establish stuff like how Billy and Skull used to be friends. It builds intrigue!

Speaking of the people who help make these comics reality though, I wanna take the time to highlight how awesome Dan Mora's' artwork is here. There will be many artists who work on these books as we continue onward(which will be highlighted in a beautiful way later on), but Dan Mora is the one whose art style I always think of most when I think about how these comics are drawn. This is only bolstered by how he's drawn other stuff like the old box art for the Lightning Collection figures as well as other comic works like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossovers(we'll get to those eventually).

In terms of the story in and of itself though, it's all about not just what to expect from these comics going forward, but also, well, people. What brings them together, what things might break them apart, and what drives them to do what they do. And all with very likable, three dimensional characters throughout. Stuff like Kim being caught between a feud her parents are having or the teams doubts over everything that their new lives as superheroes entails wouldn't be any sort of enthralling if their redeeming qualities weren't shown up front. It sounds basic, sure, but I've read stories where such things are forgotten about or otherwise taken for granted.

Overall, Volume 1 of GGPR has it all: Action, comedy, drama, character development, you name it. And it's all pulled off in a very fun, very fulfilling way. You'll hear no complaints from me.

I chose this page of Rita at the thumbnail shot of this post to make what I consider a significant highlight when it comes to these comics.

Every character, is in character.

Does the comic take some different turns from the show? Absolutely. But the essential core characteristics of all the major players in the cast remains strong. And Rita here is no exception.

Sure, she's a bit more cold and calculating than in MMPR proper, but what was one of, if not her biggest character trait in the show? She was petty! And that is absolutely showcased in this volume, with her executing one of her generals because he kept interrupting her.


Something else that the comics keep true to from the source material is that, while the Rangers are certainly the focal characters, the side characters also have their own little arcs that they're going through. Here, just as Victor Vincent wanted his trophy, Bulk wants to be the first Freshman Homecoming King. And you'd better believe I was rooting for him all the way.


But, that's not the main focal point, now is it? The arc of volume 2 as a whole centers around a Rita making a sentient Putty to impersonate Matt, and the drama that unfolds around both it as well the Rangers as they continue to navigate their lives both as individuals and as a group. It makes for rather interesting character drama, as well as giving a good explanation as to why Rita makes sure all of her foot soldiers are mindless drones.

It's not all perfect though. I'm personally not a fan of the idea to ship Jason and Trini. Jason already had his arc with him taking the wrong approach to his leadership, and Trini, while she wasn't given anything new this arc, I personally saw nothing wrong with continuing the angle with her family from last volume. Or, heck, why not have her be the one trying to balance everyone out as things continue to get crazy? Could've even had her be the first one to notice something off about "Matt" instead of Zack.

Speaking of Zack, that's a little bit of missed opportunity, in that Angela, the girl he was chasing for a part of Mighty Morphin', does not make an appearance nor is even so much is mentioned. With Zack's' date instead being an original character. And his own insecurities, rather than being showcased, are instead simply stated matter-of-factly by Putty Matt. Him and Trini really did the short end of the stick when it came to the character drama of volume 2, but, it's nothing super critical. Both are still enjoyable characters for what they are and what they do. I just wish there was a bit more, is all.

And on that note, well, more is certainly to come...


But that specific arc will be for another day, as next week we swerve into the comic that actually started off the BOOM Timeline to begin with...

Despite what the unedited reading order might tell you, this is a weak starting point.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, while not the first comic BOOM! Studios would make for the franchise(that'd be MMPR: Pink), is what would start off what is now a subset of Power Rangers all its own.

This one being written by Kyle Higgins and illustrated by Hendry Prasetya, and you can immediately tell the entirely different vibes this comic has from Go Go.

The tone? Darker. The art? Grittier. And the overall focus of the book is more centered on plot than characterization. The book was even advertised as "The Untold Epic of the Green Ranger" back when it first started getting published. And in that regard, this also isn't very friendly to newcomers.

BOOM's' MMPR is much more written for older fans who grew up with the original 90s TV show and wanted to see some other aspects of it explored and made darker. And that's not inherently a bad thing, mind you, but there's a surprising amount of people who use(d) the comics as a vehicle for getting into the franchise as a whole, and this comic is not the best for that, I feel.


This entire entry arc is all about the ins and outs of past wrongs and what's needed in order to achieve redemption. And while that in and of itself, can make for some compelling drama, it only hits as hard as it can if you're already familiar with all the characters involved. Tommy and his origins specifically. Sure, the books tells you the baseline of what you need to know, but that is nowhere near as strong as actually seeing it play out.

And while Tommy is most certainly the main character in all of this, that's not to say the other characters are entirely left out. We gets bits and bobs here and there with everyone else, such as Billy's' self-esteem issues(which are kinda weird when you factor in Go Go but whatever), or Kim trying to balance her emotions with cold logic in this whole situation. But again, none of that is really a main focal point. The overall plot, with Rita, her machinations, and how they affect the Rangers as a group specifically, are the primary focal point.


As a result of that, I do feel that the overall characterization does suffer some. Where it hits worst in my eyes is Zack, wherein his fun loving and heart warming personality is pretty much entirely absent from this book. Now, that's not to say Zack in MMPR proper never had moments of seriousness, concern, or critical thinking; He was second in command for a reason, afterall. But here, as an introductory piece, you wouldn't even know that his more lighthearted side was even a thing if you hadn't already seen the original show. I really do feel like that's a huge misstep for both character and world building.


I'm also really not a fan of how this volume concludes either. The entire thing has been about Tommy coming into his own and learning what exactly he has to contribute to the group while also being shown ways in which he can in turn lean on everyone else. But everything ends with Jason, the only other person in the group other than Kim who had trust in him, doubling back. Which not only spits in the face of the message, but is also really out of character for Jason himself. I get that the comics are a darker take, but so is Go Go, and there atleast, most of the core aspects of the characters were preserved while still introducing new things. Not so much with this book.

So, yeah. I don't think the start off to the comic is exactly bad or anything, but it's definitely weak in alot of aspects, and rereading it now, years later, I am firmly reminded as to why every time I was asked where to start by people who wanted to get into them, I told them to start off with Go Go Power Rangers specifically. Things will certainly get better with time, but for me, the first big step that BOOM's' new universe takes is a big of a weak one.

Secrets and trust are the center theme of this volume, and in some ways it works, in others not so much.

As one might've guessed from my previous post, my main sticking point is Zack.

The first chapter of the volume details how originally, Rita did not go after Tommy, but instead tried to tempt Zack into leaving the Rangers behind and becoming the Green Ranger willingly.

While the idea in itself isn't bad, the details surrounding make it not so great overall. First off, having Rita attack Italy presents a greatly missed opportunity. Rather than answering the question of "Why does Rita only attack Angel Grove?" (Of which Go Go would go onto do later) instead this book just sidesteps the question entirely by having her attack other places as though it's not unusual.

I also didn't like how easily Zack's' jealousy came about ontop of the decision he makes to have his encounter with Rita remain a secret. There's really no solid reason for keeping it a secret from everyone, and the scene where Jason shows his appreciation for Zack's' heroics would've been a perfect time to bring it up.

Now, I can hear someone out there saying "Oh, but that would break canon" to which I respond: You know what else breaks canon?


There's of course the smart alack response of "This entire comic series!" but no, more specifically, I'm talking about something I neglected to mention in my write-up on Volume 1, which makes the claim that the Green Power Coin isn't connected to the Morphin' Grid. Which anyone who's seen the show knows is a load of bull. Thankfully, this book then re-retcons things into "It's just not connected to the Grid in the same way" which works, I guess.


Speaking of things that I've neglected to mention, I keep forgetting to talk about how every comments ends with a more light-hearted sections that focused on the antics of Bulk and Skull. And while they aren't exactly laugh out loud hilarious or anything, they're charming and fun in their own way, and contain alot of interactions and scenarios that I could actually see the Best Duo getting into. Though is does commit the cardinal sin of getting the name of the iconic Bulkwich wrong.

Anyway, the majority of the book has to do with the Rangers finding a way to deal with a new threat in the form of the Black Dragon. A mysterious new enemy whose allied himself with Rita, and somehow has the power to cut the Rangers off from the Morphin' Grid, as well as take over their Zords. Tommy is the only one not affected, and the Black Dragon itself seems to have a rather keen interest in him. And while the whole bout against him makes for some solid stuff, the real highlight for me was something that was relegated to only a couple pages out of the entire book.


The interaction between Billy and Goldar, both locked inside of the Dark Dimension, might be very simple and straightforward, but it's also some of the strongest characterization that the MMPR comics have seen so far, especially given Billy's' own feelings of inadequacy, which no doubt mirror the feelings Goldar now has after getting locked away by the Empress that he was so devoted to. Now, this depiction of Goldar and Rita does conflict with GGPR's' portrayals of the two characters some, but I'm willing to let it slide, as it unintentionally highlights just how much Rita is not to be trusted, which in turns ties into the overall plot rather well.

In the end, it's a better step forward than volume 1, but I still wouldn't say that we've gotten to the "good" part yet.

Well we've reached it. The moment that propelled the Power Rangers comics into stardom and set the fandom on fire.

And really, it's easy to see why, as this volume has alot going for it.

Yeah, Lord Drakkon and the World of the Coinless make their debut here, and it's everything that every issue so far has been building up to. While the journey wasn't the best, does it all work out in the end?


Absolutely, and in more ways than one. As while the volume starts with the major twist of the Black Dragon being a modified Dragonzord from an alternate world, ontop of the eventual reveal of Lord Drakkon himself, the second issue takes a moment to address something that these MMPR comics have been struggling with for a bit: Character development.

An entire issue is dedicated to showcasing more of Billy. His fears, his desires, and how he interacts with his teammates. The talk between him and Zack is very heartfelt, and one that I could actually see happening in the show itself for the most part.

Granted, said issue also implies this is where Billy first makes the Communicators, which screws with continuity incredibly hard, but whatever. Minor prices to pay for a short story that I rather enjoyed. It's also drawn by Jonathan Lam rather than the usual Hendry Prasetya, which I felt was a good move, as it fit the tone of that specific tale alot better. Prasetya's' style would've just felt out of place.


That's not to say Prasetya isn't good at what he does though, as his artwork does a wonderful job at capturing and enhancing the overall tone and atmosphere of this part of the story. From making some darker versions of pre-existing designs come to life, to showing just how miserable the World of the Coinless is, his style is what my brain most closely associates with not just this arc, but also Lord Drakkon himself. I might prefer other artists for the franchise as an overall, but this stuff specifically? Prasetya all the way.

And, well, I think that also pretty covers the tale in and of itself, doesn't it? Readers often seem to forget, but these comics were made for older fans specifically, so appealing to that demographic by showcasing just what happens when the boundless joy and optimism of the source material falls just short to the forces of evil, and how badly things could've gone for our heroes overall, ontop of the age old question of "What if Tommy chose to stay with Rita?' ... it's a very appealing and interesting thing to see play out in an official way. And you won't hear any complaints from me.

Surprise, it's crossover time!

This crossover between Justice League and Power Rangers started getting published around this time, so I figured, why not cover it?

Written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Stephen Byrne, this book is basically an action movie crossover between DC and Saban's' most iconic characters that I'd absolutely love to see animated one day.


And I gotta say, it's just a really fun ride all the way through. Byrne's' art, while not perfect, makes every character feel as though they belong together, and perfectly portrays everything that a given scene/scenario is trying to properly portray. Made even more impressive given he does the coloring too.

Meanwhile, Tom Taylor's' writing feels very natural and keeps everyone in character, ontop of having some very fun and engrossing dialogue. He also creates a scenario that makes alot of sense for a crisis crossover; That being a team-up between Zedd and Brainiac, which in themselves are two villains I certainly wouldn't immediately think of just by the title alone.


Plus, as a Zack fan, it was really nice to see that Zack was basically the main character of nearly the entire run. Not in the sense that's the super mega hero who solves everyone's' problems -- no, he's got his own arc and drama going on, with him feeling the weight of everything going on; blaming himself due to his error in judgment essentially causing the entire crossover to happen to begin with. Not to mention the recent argument he had with his parents.


The crossover isn't just a mere team-up either, with elements of both works intersecting and interacting with eachother. I really dig these suits that the Rangers don temporarily, and I wish we had gotten action figures of them. Just a shame that we never got to see, say, Batman Morph into a Power Ranger or somesuch. But hey, the commentary that the League has on certain aspects of the PR universe is fun, like the bit about the two worlds having different currency towards the end of the story.


What was biggest shock to me in the entire thing though was actually the interaction between Alpha 5 and Brainiac. Both sentient machines, both with very different philosophies on life. The writers of the BOOM PR comics must've taken note of it as well, as these aspects of Alpha would later on be imported directly into the BOOM stories(we'll highlight that eventually). It's a very rare and poignant moment coming from a character many wouldn't expect, but it really works in context, and I dug it alot. A shame that Alpha's' lesson doesn't seem to stick with the twelfth-level intelligence though.

But uh, something sure does stick with Alpha.


And before you ask, no, this crossover never did get a sequel unfortunately. But I really would love to see it return one day with the same creatives behind it.

Yeah, that is a very good crossover as well as being a very fun read from start to finish and Linkara himself even did a video review of it a couple of years back.

I re-read this myself lately, due to reading someone’s fanfic that took the basic plot, but swapped the N52 Justice League for the MCU Avengers. It really is a fairly tight story for a crossover between two team heroes. And on a really random note, I read the characters’ voices as a mix of different incarnations for some reason (namely, Batman and Flash from the 2004 cartoon, GL and Superman from the DCAU, Wonder Woman from the Tomorrowverse and Cyborg from the Lego games)

Absolutely! Would love to see Tom Taylor actually write for the BOOM comics at some point.

I mean, that's a pretty solid cast your head put together! No complaints from me.

Nice, I love it.

It's little moments like that that really bring this whole thing together, you know?

This volume is the final battle both between Drakkon and The Coinless, as well as the Rangers and Rita.

And while I won't claim it's perfect, it's overall a very emotionally satisfying way to cap off the arc, as it contains both rather poignant character moments alongside the pacing of an intense action movie.


Really, I think perhaps the weakest point is the rather weird art direction at times. Like, the panel I ripped there isn't the worst, but it comes from a page that took me a sec to grasp exactly what the sequence was trying to convey; That being Drakkon dropping down from one of his ships onto the Falconzord.

The grand scale of everything going on really is what carries the whole volume though. From our heroes fighting against what seem to be impossible odds, to all the various different powers and spectacles on display. And where I felt it was most highlighted was in the issue that focused almost entirely on Zordon, featuring art by Daniel Bayliss.


That entire strip, while certainly nice in the melodrama of its writing, is really wonderful to go through just for the art and its direction alone. Bayliss perfectly captured the look and feel of a dreamscape and being a witness to the age old question of "what could have been." And I really dug how the story points out that the answer to that question won't always be a positive one. And all via the concept of a version of Zordon whose faith was misguided.


And of course, we can't end this without talking about the rather clever way inwhich the Blue Power Coin is used across both timelines, and in ways not really seen in Power Rangers before. Billy uses it to depower his foes, whereas Trini uses it to empower herself with the strength of her enemies. It's a really awesome sequence that got alot of notoriety back when this comic first dropped, to the point that Dragon Armor Trini became a playable character in Battle for the Grid.

Just, yeah. Had the comic ended here, I don't think I would've had much to complain about. But oh no, we are far from done...

By this time in the comic's' run, Go Go Power Rangers was in full swing, and as such there was a bit more of a concentrated effort to incorporate elements that linked the two, such as the mention of Matt here.

And, with the Drakkon arc now over, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers is given a little bit of breathing room, which is even reflected in the arc starting off with noting how Rita has all but disappeared for months. Thus, the Rangers instead focus on helping out in other efforts.

There's some interesting takeaways here in how each Ranger reacts to the new freedom they've been granted. Some continue to work themselves way over(Jason, Billy, and Tommy), some try to more focus on their home lives(Kimberley), and others struggle to figure what exactly it is they want to do from here on out(Trini and Zack).

But peace doesn't last for long, as sure enough, not only does Finster makes his reappearance, but there's a new face of antagonism known as Grace Sterling.


Grace is a character who drew alot of ire back when she first debuted. We'll get into it more and more as the storyline moves forward, but in the context of this volume, she's a government agent who wishes to work directly with the Power Rangers, with Zack and Jason being at odds on if they should trust her or not. And it's at this point you might guess that continuity between the comics and the show kinda starts going off the rails.

There's of course the Rangers now having knowledge of future aspects such as Saba, there's now a direct link to both In Space and Lost Galaxy in terms of plot elements being introduced, and you know, the whole "disappeared Zordon" thing. It's funny looking back on this, because at the time, alot of fans didn't mind some variance here and there, but as the comics continue to spiral into their own thing, fans would begin to find more and more issues with the concept. And I can't entirely blame them for it either.

But before even talking in detail about all that, I do wanna note one notable thing.


While the overall tone of the comic is still darker than what you'd find in the show, it does notably lighten up some. Probably to better match the tone of Go Go as well as some of the lighter aspects of the show. It's a smart move, I think, as it helps to better draw readers into the world and the characters. Or atleast, it worked on me. But that's not to say the comic still doesn't get intense, as this volume culminates in an issue that many fans still have conflicting feelings about to this day. A prequel issue that reveals that Grace was the Mighty Morphin' Red Ranger before Jason was.


And yeah, I myself have conflicting feelings about it too. On the one hand, there's the continuity break as to how space works in the show, as well as retconning our heroes being the first Rangers(though funnily enough MMPR the show itself retconned this ages ago), as well as the retcons that both Rita's' dumpster and her Moon Palace were already established on the moon despite the source material saying otherwise. There's also the question of how Grace knew where the Command Center even was despite only entering and exiting it via teleportation. It's alot of sudden developments and changes for the sake of a plot that won't sit well with many.

But on the other hand, Psycho Green is not only a really cool concept, but would later go on to be a fully fledged character that alot of fans would love. The artwork by Daniele Di Nicuolo looks fantastic, and the comic answers the question of why Zordon chose five teenaged friends over a select group of elites in the first place. Basically, it's alot easier to form a team between people who are already comfortable with eachother and work to increase their fighting prowess, rather than gather a bunch of randos and just hope that they learn to get along despite their intense differences. While I certainly get the complaints, especially concerning how suddenly important Grace is, I come out liking things more than disliking them in this case.

But regardless, it is certainly a shift in the status quo, and we'll be quick to see just how much this alters our story going forward.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Volume 6

Jonas Scharf takes over as head artist from here on out, and while I don't think his art is bad -- it definitely has some good stuff going for it, I do feel it's a bit of a step down in terms of artistic direction. Still, many pages have some details in them that are rather nice to see, and it's not as though the whole comic is ruined as a result of the art change or anything.

Anyway, the entire driving question of this arc is: Do the results justify the means? And how much does intent factor into our actions? Does it in any way excuse them?

And for the most part, I think the volume does a decent job at showing the ups and downs for each side, and is probably the best way they could've possibly utilized Grace. It's made clear that she is by no means squeaky clean, and that in many ways, she's a hypocrite ontop of being misguided. Zordon put it best when he said it's perfectly possible to made the wrong decisions for the right reasons. Something that takes a tragic turn by the end.


But we're kinda getting ahead of ourselves on that. One thing that I absolutely wanna highlight when it comes to where the comics are at now is how glad I am that character development and interaction are now alot more at the forefront. These new one-on-one scenes we've been getting between members of the team, wherein they continue to grow as friends and share their lives with eachother a great treat, and help to solidify each Rangers as, well, friends, and not just teammates with a common goal.

The villains are no slouch either, as the return of Rita sees not only more of her character flaws, but also sets up for an origin story of how exactly the (in)famous Green Candle came to be. Loved the bit about Finster's' glasses being a magical item, too.


One bit that has definitely not aged well though is Billy in this arc. Now, here, in its own context, everything he does is perfectly fine and reasonable. But it's moreso how much these events clash with some decisions that are made with the character and plot later on in the comic's' run. But, I'm not blaming Kyle Higgins for that, as what I'm alluding to happens long after we've had a change in writers. Just, be sure to keep Billy's' general distrust of Promethia in mind for later on down the line. Especially since it lead to one of the only times that Drakkon has a sense of humor.

Oh, yeah. Turns out that Lord Drakkon is alive, and held prisoner by Promethia.

I don't think anyone was going to call foul on it, especially since it leads into what might be one of the most famous events to ever hit the franchise.

And to think, it's all thanks to Saba not taking Zordon's' words about knowing when it's best to sit back and let others handle things to heart. Saba's' intentions were noble, but he still ended up making the wrong decision. And in the end, it spells disaster not just for him, but for the rest of the Power Rangers at large.


Next time, we enter the Shattered Grid, where no Ranger is safe.

Daniele Di Nicuolo returns as the artist for this, and it's a great move too because alot of her panels are really good through this volume.

Shattered Grid is widely considered Kyle Higgins' magnum opus, and for good reason, because it's an event that's incredibly huge for not just the comics, but the Power Rangers franchise as a whole.

It's a crisis crossover between all things Power Rangers, and takes advantage of that in every way that it possibly can. Sure, the primary focus is still on the MMPR team, but just about every iteration of the Rangers gets their time to shine here, with lots of great interactions throughout.


The set-up is that after escaping, Drakkon fools Ninjor into repairing his Morpher, and, after taking Ninjor prisoner, proceeds to kill Tommy in order to charge the Chaos Crystal and get back to the world of the Coinless. This in turns causes an ontological paradox that literally shatters time and space, and allows Drakkon access to worlds and knowledge unbound.

And you'd better believe that the very first issue set the fandom ablaze. Killing Tommy? Absolutely unthinkable at the time. And in an event that crosses over the entire franchise? Even Hyper Force would get in on the action! It's the perfect thing to celebrate the 25th Anniversary, and showed that this wasn't mere fanservice, this was set to be absolutely huge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT94jm8fXZA

Even better, Drakkon himself isn't one note here, expressing both regret and frustration at seeing the alternate life he could've lead. One filled with love, joy, and friendship. It disgusts him on so many levels at once. It's the classic struggle of love vs power, and while he feels a level of hesitation about it now, Drakkon is still dead set on the path that he's chosen, and he sets his sights on the Morphin' Grid in and of itself.


Something to also note real quick is that the reading order provided by BOOM Studios doesn't include the 2018 Annual, which takes place halfway through this volume. I'll be including it when I cover the next volume of MMPR as a result. Which fits, since volume 8 is slightly shorter than most other volumes.

But yeah, Drakkon goes all out here. Stealing other power sets to add to his own, creating new Sentries out of other Ranger suits to add to his army, having a version of Finster who absorbed Alpha-5 as his primary ally, creating gadgets that can disrupt other Rangers' powers, and, oh yeah...


Actually recruiting villains from across the franchise to his cause. Koragg, the A-Squad, and the Psycho Rangers, just to name a few.

This isn't just one giant war though, as there's a wonderful narrative flow to everything filled with great character interactions. And all carried by wonderful atmosphere and artwork. It's not all MMPR all the time either, as characters like Doctor K from RPM, Lauren from Samurai, and Jen from Time Force are integral to everything going on.

It's a wonderful start to what's considered the best arc of the comics, absolutely.

I was joining in the general fandom at the time this event was announced/ongoig, and I remember a few things.

1) some guy on readcomiconline hating the art, and wanting a return to the more grittier look of the previous arcs (me personally, I disagreed)

2) People reading a little too much into the death of Tommy and assuming that some parts of the plot focused on other Rangers were altered as a result (who the evidence being Wes being with the Time Force Rangers on a mission to the edge of reality and Lauren leading the Samurai Rangers). Which leads me to

3) the PR universe being split apart by series. Which struck me as hilarious, as people rejected it when Tzachor said it during Megaforce’s run, and now it was canon. It’s even funnier because when both Rider and Sentai clarified their series took place in separate universes (Zi-O and Zenkaiger, respectively), there are still people insisting on the shared universe theory.

And 4) Me being relatively new to comics at the time, this felt like a real “anyone can die” event, compared to the two previous crossover events I’d seen IDW do with their Hasbro characters (which have relatively low body counts for major events). (I had something slightly more on-topic for this one, but I forgot it)

I don't really blame the fanbase for its reaction on this. The seasons being split into different timelines is a result of the event, rather being established as how the PR universe actually is. Beforehand, it's very much shown that a majority are on the same timeline.

Meanwhile, Tzachtor just came out of nowhere and went "Oh by the way, every season is its own world" which is not only out of left field, but also completely wrong. The shows themselves even supporting most of it being one timeline.

Not that it matters though, given that both Saban and Hasbro have very much ignored Tzactor's' stance, even despite the complications that some of their seasons might have in terms of continuity.

Hey, we're back to Go Go Power Rangers after all this time!

While technically, you can read alot of Go Go straight through without much worry, given that this volume ties into Shattered Grid directly, I agree with the reading order that it's best to read volume 3 at this point.

It's an interesting way to handle a tie-in though, because most of the context of Shattered Grid isn't actually needed. It helps, but it's not strictly necessary.

So what's this arc all about? It's about Lord Drakkon sending his Ranger Slayer back in time to kickstart his ambitions years early, however, said Slayer gets sent back too far, resulting in a very important encounter between Kimberly and her dark future self.


And I once again gotta shout out Dan Mora's' art here, because the dude just has a way with the composition of alot of shots which end up with alot of great details while at the same time feeling really cinematic. There's a great feeling of motion and depth all throughout this book, which really helps with the animated movie vibes I get off the whole thing.

Related to that, there's just alot of great ideas going on with this story, ontop of the great character moments that GGPR established itself with. The Gravezord, an evil Megazord made up of pieces of the MMPR Season 2 Zords, for example, is a really cool idea ontop of having a great design. There's also the Ranger Slayer's' design in general, as well as what exactly the Coinless Kim means in terms of characterization and narrative.


Kim's' dealing with her future self not only offers a great look into her as a character, but it also gives even more reason as to why she would later on be the one to sympathize with Tommy the most, given how she went through something similar to what he did with Drakkon. It does create the minor plothole of the Rangers not recognizing Drakkon's' name when it comes up later on in the Mighty Morphin' comics, but hey, maybe they just forgot. It's whatever. Not like it would've made much difference anyway.

But Kimberly isn't the only one who gets focus here. There's also some great stuff like Jason dealing his dad's' health, the reasoning behind why Zordon doesn't directly interfere with human matters, Billy learning to stand up to Bulk and Skull, and Matt trying to get to the bottom of what exactly happened to him at the start of the book and what exactly his connection to the Power Rangers even is. Which in turn leads to the biggest shake-up of character dynamics ontop of explaining why Matt hasn't been in the MMPR comics except by name.

She may have come and gone, but the Ranger Slayer for sure leaves a long lasting impact.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Annuals

What's that? Annuals? Why yes, they do exist!

But I wouldn't blame you if you didn't know that given that the official reading order provided by BOOM makes zero mention of them.

And it's a damn shame too, because not only are they all a very fun read, but alot of the stuff contained in these annuals are things I find rather important to the narrative of the Mighty Morphin' comics and even Go Go to a limited extent.

There are three Annuals here: 2016, 2017, and 2018. And all of them feature a series of vignettes. Some are canon to the comics, others aren't, but one thing they all share in common is showcasing what various writers think the franchise brings to the table in terms of heroism. It's good stuff.

That said, these are all shorts. Like, every story being only a few pages. So I won't go super in depth or anything with my thoughts on these, but just know upfront that if you are at all interested, I do recommend reading them for yourself. With that out of the way, let's just go down the list of short stories in order. Starting with...

2016

A Week in the Life: A look into what exactly makes Jason worth of being Red Ranger. Balancing everything in his life is incredibly hard, but he continues to persevere despite it all, knowing exactly what's at stake if he doesn't.

Unlockly Heroes: Wasn't a fan of this one. Bulk and Skull as temp Rangers is a fun idea and all, but I don't like how the entire joke is that they're weak and useless when anyone who's seen the show would easily be able to tell you otherwise. Never forget that Bulk once held the lifting record at the Juice Bar!

A Spot of Trouble: Probably my favorite of the 2016 shorts. A great showcasing of Trini's' empathy combined with fantastic artwork.

Only the Strong: Further elaboration on Goldar's' backstory and what happened with his brother Silverback. Important info to have for Go Go Power Rangers and a nice oneshot besides.

It's Putty Time!: Stupid. Don't bother.

What Makes a Ranger: The Power Rangers are not heroes merely because they are Rangers, but because they always do the right thing and care for those around them. Art style is a little weird, but a good read.

2017

Search Party: Incredibly well done piece about how Rita managed to convince Lord Drakkon to join her ontop of how Drakkon got his name. The art by Goni Montes is fantastic too.

Trini's Vacation: Tied for my favorite from the 2017 Annual. Tom Taylor once again proves he can write Power Rangers stories surprisingly well.

Forever Mighty Morphin' Black: I bet atleast one of you is surprised that this one isn't my favorite. It's a great piece for sure, especially as a big Zack fan, but man do I wish it was a full on issue instead of a short. Still a fun time though.

Perfect: A beautifully haunting piece. The decision to have the whole thing drawn like a series of old style painting was a great move, and combining that with a story that looks into Finster's' backstory and psychosis makes for a delightfully atmospheric tale. My other favorite from this Annual.

Sabrina's Day Out: A piece that I could honestly see being an actual episode of the original show. Alot of fun, and Dajung Lee's' art really does fit the overall Rangers aesthetic.

2018

This Annual overall ties directly into the Shattered Grid event, with each story focusing on how various teams are dealing with the Drakkon threat in their own way. They're all fine for what they are, with the only real complaint I have being that Andros and TJ are written out of character. I imagine the one most would like the best is the Zeo tie-in, which features Drakkon killing Tommy yet again. But my personal favorite was actually the Ninja Steel tie-in, as it was nice to see one of the less popular teams get some respect for a change.

And that's that! Overall it was alot of fun going through these again, and I feel like these Annuals are a way better way of doing tie-ins than the way BOOM has been handling tie-ins for the current(at the time of this writing) Darkest Hour event with the constant tiny oneshots. But, we'll save that rant for the future.

Shattered Grid is an event in Rangers history that I don't think will ever be topped.

It being a crossover of nearly every Power Rangers property alone sits it up on high the level similar to Forever Red, but it's so much more than that.


The lack of budget constraints due to being a comic event is utilized to its absolute fullest here, featuring a ton of crossover elements such as intersecting power sets and interactions between characters who've never met before.

Saba being reforged into a longsword with Ninja Steel, Zordon and Cruger teaming together as the head mentors, a Megazord made up of Zords from a handful of different seasons, Rangers piloting other season's' Zords, and of course, the expansion of the Rangers multiverse as a whole.


Drakkon gets a ton of character development here as well. He may have achieved godhood, but even despite that there's one vital thing he's missing in his life: Love. He'd never admit to it, but he's jealous of what the Tommys from other realities have in their friendships. Drakkon chose the path of fear and hatred, and the mark that leaves on people never truly goes away.

The tragedy of Drakkon is not that he's misunderstood or lonely, but that even despite being given multiple chances to turn things around, he clings to his self-serving pride and ego. He can never admit to making any wrong choices because he's clinging too tightly to the idea that everyone should love and worship him due to the power he wields. What he truly wants will forever be out of reach, because subconsciously, he pushes it away and will never bring himself to admit it.

The action scenes are no slouch either. A majority of what makes up the final issue of this volume is a special issue titled Shattered Grid #1, which details the Rangers siege on Lord Drakkon's' palace, and the all out war that results. It's an overall wonderful sequence that has it all: Great art, wonderful character banter, and of course, the explosive and yet quiet and somber finale. Even Rita Repulsa gets in on the action, in another move that you'd never see happen on the show itself, but is incredibly smart in its implementation.

Really, the only downside I see in all of this is that Cruger is written out of character in terms of the way he speaks. But outside of that, Shattered Grid is a great adventure from start to finish, and it's easy to see why it's considered the magnum opus of Kyle Higgins, and why he himself even said he felt he could never top it. So much so infact that it would be the last Power Rangers story he'd ever work on for BOOM Studios, before going off to make his own universe known as the Massive-Verse, starting with Radiant Black. I've talked about my feelings on that story elsewhere.

But hey, Higgins wasn't the only writer involved in this event. What of Ryan Parrott? He'd continue writing Go Go Power Rangers up until its end, and given that Shattered Grid ended with a universal reset, well, it seems only fitting to return to the roots of these Rangers with the next volume of Go Go. But before that, well, let's just say there's certain other project that Parrott was involved in that I wanna talk about. But that's for next time.

Hey, Power Rangers in Space did it, why not Mighty Morphin'?

Written by Ryan Parrott and drawn by Simone di Meo, this crossover is honestly a match made in heaven from start to finish.

The setup being that Tommy has gone undercover in the Foot Clan in order to save an old friend of his. This starts a chain of events that results in the dangerous worlds of Angel Grove and New York City colliding.


And I mean that in more ways than one. Green Ranger Shredder is definitely what caught the attention of most readers back when this crossover first dropped, and yeah, it's really cool! Though funnily enough the panel where he first appears actually has an art mistake: His hands aren't gloved for the rest of the story.

That said, while the design is cool and all, if I might offer one critique? I don't like how most of his arms are exposed. In my eyes a proper Power Ranger suit should cover every part of the body, and having his arms exposed is a really weird aesthetic that some artists go for that I never quite got. It's even seen today with the resent Street Fighter crossover figures.


That's not to harp on the art overall though, as Simone di Meo introduces a wonderfully colorful, almost animation-esque aesthetic to the book that really does fit both Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles incredibly well, to the point that I would absolutely love to see this turned into an animated movie akin to the Batman vs TMNT crossover one day. Helps that the story basically flows like a movie anyway.

I also agree with the decision made to have the Turtle Rangers prioritize Colors over weaponry, as the color coded bits on each Turtle are the immediate identifier for who's who when it comes to the fanbase. Even if it does leave April as the odd woman out, what with her being the Pink Ranger when she's typically associated with Yellow. But I get it, Mikey's' Orange is not only the closest color match out of what there was to choose from, but it's alot easier to integrate his nunchucks with the Power Daggers than it would be the Power Bow.


As I've said before, I absolutely love it when crossovers fully integrate both universes involved into one another, and PR/TMNT is no exception. The Turtle Rangers, the MMPR cast donning ninja garb, Rita making Bebop and Rocksteady grow, the Putty Soldiers... it's all a bunch of things that are really cool on their own, only to be highlighted with all of the great character interactions written into this thing. The only real downside being that Trini and Casey are sadly left out with no one to really bounce off of. Which, I mean, I certainly couldn't think of anything for those two to converse over, so I won't complain too much.

But yeah, this crossover is well written, incredibly well drawn, and is just a fun ride from start to end. I highly recommend it to fans of either franchise, let alone both. Check it out!

Rita decides it's time to unleash an ancient secret weapon.

When the Rangers attempt to stop her latest attack on Earth, Jason and Trini end up pulled into the warp gate that Rita creates.

This is the (in)famous "color swap" arc of the comics, which caused a bit of a stir, and still has somewhat of a reputation simply for the mere idea that the Rangers would be able to swap power sets in any way.


Eleonora Carlini takes over as head artist now, and her style is pretty similar to Dan Mora's', I feel. Which works for the Rangers brand, though I will say that I feel as though the faces could use some work. Overall it's good art though with some pretty creative shots drawn in.

Anyhow, while the exact mechanics and logistics of the Rangers changing suits is just sort of glossed over, it in itself is a pretty fun idea that the comic does take some nice mileage out of, even if Zack, Billy, and Kim only get to get in on it during the last issue of the arc. It's mainly Jason and Trini who use it, and primarily as a way to further their relationship.


We also get some nice backstory here as usual. Such as how the Rad Bug first came to be, how Jason started to change his mindset into becoming the leader we know him as, a hint as to why Skull ended up going down the path that he did, and arguably most importantly, an answer to an old question many fans have had for a long time. That being: Why didn't Rita ever use the Green Power Coin herself? The answer being, she couldn't.

Now, I've always been of the mindset that the show itself provided enough reasons as to why Rita herself never used it. Though why she had it in the first place is a little dicey. I always inferred that she stole it from Zordon in their previous battle, but the comics offer a slightly different take that I think works out decently enough. That being that she instead stole it from Ninjor, which also works. She then had it locked away until she felt she'd really need it. Makes enough sense, and results in a fun adventure on another planet to boot.

Really though, this volume overall provides a great balance of character development and fun, which is primarily what I look for in Power Rangers. It's simple, it's to the point, and I really couldn't be happier.

I'm sure someone else we'll be meeting in the future certainly could be, though.

Written by Marguerite Bennett, this is a series of personal stories about what each member of the MMPR team did over the course of their spring break, with each story drawn by a different artist.

And while I felt the dialogue was a bit shakey in areas, I did overall like every story here, with each one I feel being better than the last. I especially liked how each one was about a bit of personal growth for each Ranger; Exploring an area or scenario that they aren't typically put into.

Is it absolutely necessary reading for the comics as a whole? No, but it's an overall wholesome and heartwarming experience. And that's enough.

Marguerite Bennett, the mind behind Back to School, leads this arc.

Meanwhile the art is headed by Simone di Meo, with help from Valeria Favoccia, French Carlomagno, and Francesco Mortarino.

While the main story of the arc is covered in volumes 9 and 10 of MMPR, I prefer to read it in the combined "Deluxe Edition" book, which adds a before and after blurb to the story that helps flesh out the characters of Ari and Remi.

And you know, on reread, it's funny. Back when the arc first premiered, many complained that it was the worst arc in the comics by far, and also compared it rather unfavorably(and unfairly) to Shattered Grid before it. But me? Not only did I always like this arc, I like it even more on reread.

One thing I will note is that I do think the arc overall flows better when read in one sitting rather than waiting for it to update monthly. And ontop of that, it really benefits from the reader taking a second to appreciate everything that went into the artwork, as it does alot of heavily lifting in terms of world building and especially scale, given all of the multi-page spreads.

Because man, the aesthetics overall are great here. Featuring alot of wonderful designs from the Solar Ranger, to the Solar Zords, to the big bad himself, the Preator. It's so cool seeing a story take full advantage of its comic medium in order to have an adventure in an alien world that's both familiar and yet at the same time foreign to what's been established in the Power Rangers canon. There's so many neat ideas that went into this arc.

Really loved how the origin of the Zeo Crystals got explored, and I especially loved how we got a team of Rangers from across other teams in other eras. And while some of the character arcs and interactions could've been handled slightly better(Cam gets very little screen time compared to everyone else), alot of it is used very smartly, with the only thing I majorly disagree with being the shipping of Tanya and Mike. Other than that, the way everyone plays off eachother, especially Tanya being the heart of the team, really worked for me.

All of that in addition to a pretty solid grasp on the overall atmosphere of the story and, while I wouldn't say the story is perfect, I did rather enjoy it. Could it have used maybe one more issue to flesh a few more things out? Sure, but for what we got, I'm satisfied. The establishing of Heckyl as the Dark Ranger is great(though I could've went without Zenowing dying), the overall theme of trusting in the future is nice, and it gave us a non-Mighty Morphin' story that fans had been begging for for awhile at that point. If you weren't a fan of Beyond the Grid, I'd say give it another shot with a fresh perspective.

And with the end of this arc came the end of what I consider the "golden era" of the MMPR line of comics specifically. Meaning that next time, we reach the end of what I consider the golden era of Go Go...

I mostly remember this arc for the big bad looking like an evil Lupinranger.

Imagine a timeline where Hasbro actually took advantage of that idea.

While slightly less focused on character and more on backstory, this volume is still all kinds of great and I really don't like how the official reading order provided by BOOM skips over it.

There's alot of great stuff here in terms of lore. The backstory of Rita and Zordon, the first Alpha robot, how Zack and Jason met... and it's all presented under the overarching theme of being torn between two worlds. That's not to say this all just dialogue though.


Not only do we have cool callbacks to stuff like the Blade Blaster Tower Formation and the body swap machine from MMPR proper, but Carlini draws alot of really great shots all throughout these issues, making for a very visually stimulating experience ontop of the great story that goes along with it. Even the faces have improved a fair deal since last volume.


But yeah, there's alot of cool stuff here in terms of the story. My favorite aspect being Rita and Kim's' relationships with their parents and how they mirror eachother. As someone who's also been torn between feuding parents, the feelings of a child caught in that situation were portrayed rather well. And it's certainly much more engrossing for me than the shipping of Trini and Jason that I'm really not a fan of.

And on the topic of Rita, I did like how this comic shows that despite who she ended up becoming, there is still good in her.


The last thing I wanna note, and I don't even know if it was really all that intentional given how much of a footnote this moment in the arc itself is, but the story does touch on the cycle of war and violence, and shows that the intent of such a thing can still be there despite the difference in method. Many recent stories in tokusatsu have talked about bringing peace as a solution to conflict, but Alpha-1 here instead sees a giant act of violence as a final solution. And what that in and of itself is nothing super new in storytelling, it definitely stands out in regards to the sorts of stories we've been seeing more of as time has gone on.

Oh, also, turns out the Dragon Shield comes from Rita's' mother, and that's just a really neat detail.

Not the ideal way I'd end the original run of Go Go, but I think it works well enough.

Despite leaving things open for the future, it definitely has a very "ending" feel all throughout it, with Alpha-1 defeated, some scenes that bookend the start of the story, as well as a few bits that directly connect to the Mighty Morphin' books.

And while it's all mostly clean, there are just a few certain aspects that don't quite sit right with me. For example, starting the book off with a retcon to how exactly Zordon got caught in the time warp wasn't the best start. I also didn't like how the Rangers never directly countered Alpha-1's' philosophy.

There's also the scene with Kim wherein the counselor is portrayed as the one in the right despite Kim making perfect sense as to why her parents suck and how they're just using their situation as an excuse to treat their daughter like a tool. "Sometimes it's hard to say what you mean" does not at all excuse all the crap that Kim's' parents have been putting her through.

But despite all that, I still enjoyed the shout outs to the show proper and liked the overall flow of the story well enough. From here on out, Ryan Parrot would take over as head writer of both MMPR and GGPR for a long time, with the stories of both books being more interconnected than ever before. It's an era that certainly has its ups and downs, and it's roughly towards the end of this era that I fell off the comics for awhile.

But before we get into all that, well, I think it's time we take a look at another bit of side material.

Written by Cullen Bunn, this is a Godzilla movie in comic form.

The premise is that Rita discovers a mystical artifact known as the Multiversal Focus, and using its power, teleports to the home dimension of Godzilla.

Now, Godzilla is a character that has been portrayed as being under every moral alignment known to man, so I found the route that this comic took, wherein Godzilla can be seen as True Neutral at best, to be rather interesting.


What's also interesting is the art by Freddie Williams II, which, while I like it, is definitely very stylized. My only real issue with it being that it makes everything look weirdly.. organic? It's kinda hard for me to explain. But he definitely has a penchant for artistically portraying what he wants to, that's for sure.

For example, I love how the Atomic Breath is portrayed in this comic: As a vortex of fire and lightning. It's the sort of thing that comic book art as a medium excels at, and is really cool to look at. I also very much appreciated just how big in scale everything felt. This entire story is an all out brawl between massive Titans, and the comic displays that wonderfully.


Also, if I could make one nitpick? It's that I feel the story is a bit too wordy at times, but man, it has some great dialogue and interactions to help make up for it. Rita especially has some stellar lines. But I also get it, because nearly the entire comic is made to be non-stop action, so I suppose there had to be some sort of compromise in order to not just have this be an art book. And again, some really nice interactions at times. As seen here:


Overall, while the comic is definitely more Godzilla focused than it is Power Rangers, it's still alot of fun, and I'd recommend it if you're up for seeing these two titans of toku both thrown down and team up all in one story.

We are now at the part of the comic wherein you have to actively do homework.

Yeah, going forward, the comics will be peppered with little bits wherein they directly reference things that happened in actual episodes of the MMPR TV show.

And while that's a cute little detail for those of us who're fans of the source material, I can imagine it only being rather confusing for anyone who's simply reading these comics as, well, comics.


Regardless, this volume is cowritten by Ryan Parrott & Sina Grace, and while it's tough to say who had control over what, I will say that whoever was in charge of writing for Lord Zedd really did nail the character. Both in personality and manner of speech.

It's notable, because this is one of the few volumes wherein I feel the dialogue is a slight bit unnatural sounding at times. And while I am not one to try and definitively point fingers over this, I do get the feeling it might be due to Grace, given how well Parrott has been able to absolutely nail the dialogue for Power Rangers characters in alot of his other works.


Either way, this volume details not just the effect that the events of Shattered Grid has on the Go Go books specifically, but also psychological warfare, and the mental toll that being a Power Ranger for nearly two years straight has had on our heroes. Everyone has their own outlets to help them cope, and when it comes to Jason specifically, his own personal way of leveraging everything might be just the key needed to saving the universe.

It's alot of neat character work alongside the setting up of what is known as the Necessary Evil arc, as well as what officially propels the comics in the events of the second season of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, as seen with Zedd, the Thunderzords, and Tommy losing his Green Ranger powers. And with that said, you might be able to guess what angle the Mighty Morphin' books are going at if you don't already know. But we'll get there in due time. I just felt it best to go in chronological order on this one.


One thing I definitely didn't expect though was this book to end with a oneshot issue focusing on Bulk and Skull! While the first three issues were drawn by Francesco Mortarino, this one is drawn by Daniel Bayliss, who does some interesting things with what he's given. I especially liked how the sequence of Bulk and Skull running through the city as it's getting torn apart has a film grain sort of filter over it, both representing their own journalism as well as evoking the feel of lost footage and war movies. Something tells me that Cloverfield served as an inspiration on this one.

And really, I'll just always appreciate a story that showcases that our Comedy Duo are every bit the heroes that the Rangers are. Fun stuff all around.

Endings, beginnings, and one hell of a trip.

This volume is all about expanding on the "White Light" two-parter from the second season of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

And sure, it's a massive retcon, but it's the sort of retcon that I don't think many fans will get upset at. As for the longest time, many agreed that the switch over to Tommy becoming the new leader of the Rangers was rather sudden.


As we've gotten older and have learned more about the production of the show, it's all understandable in a meta context: Austin St. John was leaving, and making Tommy the leader helps to avoid some newbie coming in and taking spotlight from the veterans who're staying.

But it did leave some plot beats feeling rather empty, and as such, it's a welcome change for this comic to add a whole lot more context. With Tommy having to earn the Light of Good, and Jason, Trini, and Zack's' eventually departure being due to their own personal insights and talents being needed elsewhere. And the shake up in everyone's' lives certainly isn't easy.


I'm glad that the entire thing is handled with a level of sensitivity. The replacement of the original cast was a sore spot for many growing up, and adding alot more human elements into the mix certainly helps. The only aspect of the entire situation I didn't like was Billy going to Grace for help, as I know what it's setting up for later on and I really don't like it. Not to mention it undermining Billy's' genius intellect.


However, the major thing that doesn't sit right with me is the final issue of this volume. Drawn by Eduardo Francisco, this issue details the "true" nature of the Space Dumpster that Rita and her minions were trapped in for 10,000 years. And while, as far as I can tell, the intent is to make Zordon's' punishment for Rita less harsh, I'd argue it actually makes her situation even more hellish than it already was. Emotionally destroying someone over and over for years on end is far more cruel than simply putting them into stasis/hibernation in my eyes.

And this despite the great pains the story up to now has gone through in arguing for Rita's' good side, and emphasizing how alot of her actions are due to corruption via her father. But, that's a dicey area for some, so I'll leave it alone.

But, other than that, the core of the story, about how things change over time, is handled well enough, and it's rather poignant in a meta sense, given where Go Go Power Rangers as a comic is headed towards.

Ha, didn't notice those Cowboy Bebop cameos the first time around.

This marks the final volume of Go Go Power Rangers, and rather than go out on some super huge note, it ends on a signal of what's to come in the future.

Most importantly though, it ends as the final piece to bridging the gap between the first and second seasons of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and while not perfect, I am overall satisfied.


For example, I will never understand why Grace appears to be Ryan Parrott's' waifu. She was fine as a background character and a piece of a one-off story, as Kyle Higgins wrote her, but now Parrott is going to focusing on her involvement in things alot, and it gets tiring.

I also don't really see why the Emissary kept Zordon and Jason in the dark from one another. They have the same goals, and it just leads to a break in communications that's very unnecessary. So on both a plot and character level, it lends itself to nothing, as it's not like it makes the process of Jason, Trini, and Zack leaving much smoother.


Speaking of which, man, those character designs for Adam, Aisha, and especially Rocky are pretty bad. Adam's' gets slightly better in the last issues thanks to a hairstyle change, but otherwise, I am not a fan. Rocky doesn't even remotely look like Steve Cardenas. Could they not get the rights to his likeness or something? Seems unlikely, given his willingness to show up in projects like Once & Always. The orange hair certainly doesn't help.

But that aside, the biggest draw of these final issues is just how Sina Grace and Ryan Parrott managed to makes the excuses from the original show as to why Jason, Zack, and Trini weren't around into a source of character drama, when they were treated very casually in the source material. It leads to some really good stuff like Tommy calling out Jason for being a hypocrite, given Jason's' own journey towards staying on the team. And Jason just takes it, knowing he can't tell Tommy the truth.


And finally, the Omega Ranger suits. Now, while I love these suits, I can't help but feel a bit sad that BOOM didn't go with the Diaranger suits instead. Would be a very neat way to incorporate those suits into canon while explaining why we never saw them in the show proper(no I don't count Super Mega Force). But in the end, I see the appeal of doing something entirely original, and I come out of it liking it more than not. Especially in hindsight where there are other instances inwhich the Dairanger suits should've been used. But, we'll get there eventually.

In the end, I still consider Go Go to be Ryan Parrott's' best work, and this look back on it was alot of fun. Not perfect, but a great time none the less.

This whole thing feels off, and not in the intended way.

I get the idea: Things have changed ever since the team split. Zedd, the new Rangers, the new settings, etc.

The problem, however, is in the characterization and overall tone of the story. They conflict not just with Go Go, but also past issues of MMPR. Makes me thing that Sina Grace did alot more for GGPR than what it might seem.


There are some cool things though, certainly. The arc takes full use of the power of hindsight; Having cameos from future villains. The new stuff with the Omega Rangers is always cool aesthetically. And having Dayne, a villain of the same alien race as Doggie Cruger, is a neat idea.

But again, the characterizations and tone take a bit of downward turn. The overall tone is alot more in line with Go Go than it is with Mighty Morphin', the the characterizations of everyone is a little off, but especially of Kimberly and the Blue Emissary, whom both have their quirks turned way up to 11, especially in comparison to GGPR.


And while the overall plot in and of itself isn't bad, I actually found myself alot more drawn to a very tiny background subplot wherein Bulk is trying to deal with Skull's' new girlfriend. It gets barely any attention in these four issues, but it's a much more interpersonal story that I really wanted more focus on. Bulk fearing that he might be losing his best friend is a great angle for both characterization and plot.

In the end, it's a somewhat shakey start to MMPR's' "Necessary Evil" arc, but there's still plenty of time to iron things out.

One thing I loved about the Necessary Evil arc is that we contrast Billy, Kim and Tommy being paired off with three rookies who hey have a tumultuous relationship to start off with. Whereas Jason, Zack and Trini get a new member who they get along with like a house on fire. I’ll go into more detail when you get further in.

I get what you're hinting at, but as for right now, Kiya gets along with everyone else fine.

A shame what happens later on.

We've reached the point where I started following the comics much less actively.

This section of the "Necessary Evil" arc makes alot of very questionable decisions all across the board, and even now, with the power of hindsight, it still doesn't really sit right with me.

Heck, I'd argue that hindsight only really makes it worse. But at the risk of spoiling anything, let's just zero in on why this volume doesn't work out.


In terms of plot, this flies entirely in the face of alot of things established in the story up to now. We had that entire arc about the Rangers sticking by Zordon's' ideals against Alpha-1, only to now have the Omega Rangers fully following in the very ideal that Alpha-1 was talking about.

This is also the part where both MMPR and Go Go fully merge, which in turns makes one question why the comics remain split for a good while going forward. Because let me just say that, plot wise, there really isn't much justification for the split going forward on pretty much any level. Not like the reveal of the Omega's' identities to the rest of the team results in anything positive.


Power scaling is another big issue. The Omega Rangers handled this guy pretty handily before, but now suddenly he can take them on by himself no problem? But even worse than that is Zedd, who gets handled by the Omegas with zero effort, but yet they can't handle this guy? It makes Zedd, who could take on the Rangers no problem in the original show, look like a total chump here in the comics, and can easily be seen as vindictive from the writers.


And last and most importantly, the characterization is really awfully handled here. Why would Dayne have anything personal against the Rangers when he was literally only in it for the money? And even if he did, why wouldn't he just take out Kiya right then and there?

Speaking of Kiya, I never liked the twist with her going crazy and deciding that the universe needs to be purged of Power Rangers. Not only does it come out of nowhere, but it inadvertently makes the villagers who were witch hunting her to actually be totally correct. And I can never stand when the bad guys are made out to be the correct ones in stories(hi, Kamen Rider Build).

But that's not all, because the main team of Rangers back home get hit with it too! Kim especially is really out of character here, with her being way more aggressive than she ever was which stands in stark contrast to not only her personal philosophy but also her arc as seen in GGPR. And when questioned about her gymnastics career, she says she's avoiding going back to it, which is the exact opposite of her arc in the source material.

Oh, and that's a funny thing about all of this on a meta level, by the way. Thanks to a certain internet critic who never knows what he's talking about, the Operation Overdrive team will never live down their actions in "Once A Ranger" and yet, here's this arc of the comics, wherein the Mighty Morphin' team has the same dilemma for even less reason, but yet I've never heard anyone in the fandom bat an eye.

Just... yeah. This volume left a real bad taste in my mouth.

Written by Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, and Tini Howard, this was BOOM's' first ever foray into bringing Power Rangers in comic form.

And it makes for an interesting look back on many concepts that would evolve with time.


For example, many forget that Daniele di Niculo was the original artist for this part of the franchise, and alot of what makes her art great in current stuff is here too, and looking back really showcases how her style has evolved over time.

There's also things such as Typhonis up there, which no doubt served as the basis for the Gravezord in the MMPR comics proper, as well as the new design for the Pink Ranger, which I'd be willing to bet money served as the base design for the Ranger Slayer.

But that's not to say that the comic itself is without merit otherwise, as I rather liked the story overall. There's alot to like throughout this run, and it's almost a shame that it doesn't appear to be canon to well, much of anything. Kim's' characterization is great, the pacing of the comic overall is very smooth and movie-like, and it's a scenario that one could fit into canon almost perfectly.

I say almost because if there was one aspect I didn't like in all of this, it was the romantic pairing of Trini and Zack. I just never saw them as a romantic fit for eachother, and it honestly just comes across as random when the comic reveals that they've been together for an extended period of time. Thankfully nowadays we have Once & Always to showcase that no, this ship never set sail. But really, that's a minor gripe in terms of everything.


What will probably be the biggest takeaway most will get out of this comic though(and indeed, it was what most people talked about for a long time in my circles), was the expansion the comic makes to Kim's' infamous break up letter to Tommy. The comic explains that her finding someone else was a lie, and she simply realized that Tommy and her had grown too far apart, and thus decided to find what she felt was the best way to break things off and help Tommy to move on with his life.

Me personally? I was overall fine with it, but it definitely served as a point of contention for others, and I can get why. It's very much an element that is carried entirely via the emotional state of Kim more so than any sort of rock solid logic. And looking at it in that lens, while I personally don't agree with how Kim went about things, I understand her internal logic, and thus I come out supporting more than not.

In the end, this really is a fun little one off, and I recommend it for not just fans of the original Pink Ranger, but Mighty Morphin' fans in general.

It really is the little moments that both make and break this thing.

Because when it comes to the overall plot of the Mighty Morphin' side of Necessary Evil, I really didn't like how everything played out.

Not that these last three issues of the arc introduce anything new, per se. It's just more of the same aspects that made me not really jive with the arc in the first place. And it's the final nail in the coffin for the "original" era of the comics.

It's so unevenly handled too. Because you have bits that are genuinely good, like the brief connection that Zack and Adam make, but then you have other nonsense like Ryan Parrott's' waifu Grace Sterling yet again being a get out of jail free card. And it's like, why not just write a scenario our heroes can handle?

Because really, not only does it overall cheapen any sort of drama if Grace is just going to be the one to solve everything regardless, but the specifics of which her involvement plays out makes Billy look way dumber and meeker than he ever has. And that's way out of character especially since we're not firmly in the times of MMPR season 2.


Double not helping things is that the plot comes across as really pretentious too. With stuff like the villains acting as if they're masterminds(they very much aren't), to Trini and Kiya's' final showdown pointing out off brand the entire scenario is, and that bit with Ranger Slayer there: She was never running from anything. She was literally stranded with no way back to her own timeline until now. Did Ryan Parrott have no notes on what was up with her?

Just... yeah. I like the Go Go half of this arc well enough; Sina Grace did a pretty solid job overall there. But when it comes to the MMPR half, I just can't stand by it. And if memory serves right, I'll only have more to complain about in the upcoming "Aftermath" arc.

Seeing the Solar Rangers come back was nice, atleast.

I’ll be honest, I forgot that the Solar Rangers and Alt!Kim were in this storyline, until I re-read it recently. In retrospect, I figure that I should’ve remembered that the latter’s one-shot and subsequent miniseries had to have some lead-in.

And as I hinted at earlier, as the Stone Canyon Trio prove they have what it takes to compare with their predecessors, Kiya goes full on nuts, gets stripped of the Omega Water powers and locked away. This Omega Blue was a bit of a CATastrophe

Thanks for the reminder that I need to add that to the list of things to cover.

Yeah, and on paper, the premise is an interesting one. But in execution, things take quite a bit of a leap in order for it to pan out. The Go Go side was alot more focused on character, whereas the Mighty Morphin' side was way more concerned with plot. And it's to the detriment of the combined arc overall.