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Preface
If you’re a PR fan, especially one of the original series, you have most likely been bombarded with the idea that the series hasn’t been very good at giving us clear, distinct characters. You may have heard the argument that they were at best character archetypes with a single trait, and that a single trait does not a full character make. This idea has been perpetuated within pop culture and even within the fandom so much that I doubt anyone can even find out where it started to begin with. Sometimes we just sort of accept it as truth since we hear it so much and while we don’t have the time to look at OG team, and in particular Zack.
Zack Taylor, out of the core team of five, was my favorite ranger as a kid. He was just brimming with fun and was exuberant to the max. In the visual medium that is television, that goes a long way to connect to the audience and distinguish yourself from the herd. He developed his own style of fighting called “Hip-Hop Akido” and was Jason’s best friend and a good friend to the others on his team.
While I generally believe that Mr. Higgins has a good grip on how most of the characters, especially the rangers would operate, even within a modern setting, I do feel like he has dropped the ball with Zack in particular. It actually becomes a bit glaring when you compare his characterization to everyone else’s because while they are acting in character, his semi-drastic change becomes all the more noticeable. The number of times I see him smile doesn’t even fill up one of my hands, nor were there any good quips coming from his recently. It causes a bit of cognitive dissonance in the mind as those who have watched the original series know how this character is supposed to act, but he doesn’t.
The Story
It turns out I was wrong in my prediction last month in that we would be starting the end phase of the arc we’ve been on. No, instead of continuing onward we make the bizarre decision to turn back the clock to a time before the Green Ranger had ever appeared and take a look at a ranger that relatively wasn’t as focused on in the preceding four issues, Zack. In terms of narrative flow I would call this a bad move. Last issue we were left on a devastating and nail biting cliff hanger that commanded us to get the next issue and this is how we’re rewarded? It feels like a bit of a cheat.
Weirdly in this issue, Higgins also saw fit to seemingly try and give the monster attacking Italy some sort of character, possibly trying to make him a tragic figure. While his death did make me feel sad it also made me confused as to why it was even included all together. It comes off as a bit out of place as I can’t even try to piece together is it’s supposed to relate to Zack’s story at all.
In this issue Rita sees it fit to begin the prep work for her to make an evil ranger of her own and sets her eyes on Zack. Zack is seemingly feeling a bit dejected over a lack of gratitude for his efforts and sulks around for a bit before being brought to Rita. In the end, Zack doesn’t accept Rita’s offer, though he was tempted. I think this is the right move as, within the parameters of the story here penned, it would have been weird if there wasn’t some hesitation in refusing. It’s a very human thing to do but our faith in Zack is restored since he ultimately did not accept it.
If I had to name my biggest problem with this story is that, for a flashback chapter meant to give us a bit insight into Zack’s “new” character. It seems to fake us out by trying to imply Zack may be jealous of Jason getting the main credit but then we are told Zack simply doesn’t feel he’s doing enough, so the former plot point seems moot. There is also, to me, a bit of a discrepancy in Zack’s future line of thinking regarding Tommy. In the previous issues he was very distrustful of Tommy, thinking he would still betray them to Rita. Yet after this experience it feels like he should be the one unequivocally on his side, seeing as how he himself said he was tempted by the power Rita offered.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this issue and think it was a wasted opportunity. Try as I may to feel for him, this doesn’t feel like my Zack and consequently makes it harder to care for him as a result. It has some wrinkles in its plot and characterization that needed ironing out that I believe a more thorough proof reading could have solved. Don’t take this to mean that I have no more faith in Higgins though, I am eagerly excited for the continuation of last issue’s story as I believe it’ll be a page-turner. Until then my friends.
The Technical Aspects
As always, let’s begin with the covers. I do like the painted style this one tries to evoke and in terms of telling you all you need to know about the comic’s story, this one does a great job. To me, one of the duties of a cover is to, among other things, give you a working idea of the plot in a nutshell. Overall, a solid cover to use, I’m pleased.
We have a new artist for this issue this month and that is Thony Silas. He wasn’t a bad fit for this position and I think he did an admirable job filling in. He tried to replicate Pasedeya’s style to the best of his ability but even though I didn’t read the page where they announced the shift in artist, I could still tell that there was something a bit off. The art was slightly a bit more angular throughout the comic and I think he did a little too much shading on the panels that made things look darker than they should have been.
Dear Zordon In The Great Beyond
How did you ever lose the green dragon coin anyway? Were you and Rita in a poker game and you were so confident you bet it in favor of her swanky palace?