[DreamSword]

Go Go Power Rangers Volume 9

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.