[DreamSword]

Go Go Power Rangers Volume 1

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.