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Preface
When I heard about this series coming out, I thought it would be pointless. This is a prequel to “Day of the Dumpster” and what happens literally the next few days. I still don’t think this is something we really needed to know.
But, I do now think this series definitely has some potential. While the main Power Rangers series does have focus on the Rangers’ personal lives at times, the story ultimately is driven by the Power Ranger side of things, the action, the monsters, the zords, stuff like that. This series, the stories that can drive the series, can focus more on the teenagers themselves, their relationships with their friends and family, and how they all work together. Now, whether or not the series can make these kinds of stories interesting is still up in the air. (It is possible. The Power Rangers movie definitely found a way to make the characters feel like real people)
With that said, let’s get started.
The Cover
I’m a little mixed on this cover.
On the one hand, it looks beautiful. Not only because of the artwork, but because of the imagery it provides. Rita’s image over Earth is a definite sinister image to behold. From up to down, it’s in order of “importance” or something like that. You have Rita at top symbolizing her power to literally destroy the Earth, then you have the Earth itself, then the Megazord, then the Rangers, and at the bottom, (the ones you think aren’t that important) the teenagers themselves. It’s a subtle way of introducing what’s in the comic.
However, it’s subtle. If you were a casual reader, you wouldn’t think this would be about the Rangers’ personal lives. You’d think this would be more about the Rangers’ stuff. I’m just saying, the cover doesn’t exactly state clearly what (I think) the comic will be about.
The Story
We start with the ending of the Megazord battle with Goldar from the “Day of the Dumpster” and the Rangers reflecting on what just happened.
Flashback, three months earlier, Jason is at the Juice Bar before school, unknowingly performing a scene from an anime. Ernie walks in and appropriately asks him what the heck he’s doing. Jason then explains, heavy-handedly, that when he was a kid, he was a bully and he’s now trying to discipline himself so that never happens again.
Anyway, he goes to school and meets up with Zack, and then Trini and a water-ballooned Billy via Bulk and Skull. They also meet up with another friend of theirs, Matthew Cook, captain of the football team.
Now, in the present, Rita is addressing the two dumb-dumb astronauts who let her out. They’re begging to be released, but, instead, Rita demands that they tell her everything they know about Earth. At the Juice Bar, the Rangers (except Kim who’s making kissing faces with Matthew) are talking about how everyone in the city is just totally freaking out after the Goldar attack. (They’re going to learn to get used to it, eventually) Alpha contacts Jason (via space phone) and tells the Rangers they’re needed.
At the Command Center, Zordon tells the teens about the astronauts imprisoned at Rita’s palace, and though reluctant, he lets the teens go help (not before the teens have to make excuses to their loved ones like Kim canceling tutoring Matthew for his trigonometry test). And then, it’s time.
There, the Rangers fight through the hordes of Putties and make it inside her palace. Jason goes off to fight Rita alone while the rest rescue the astronauts from Goldar. Jason obviously doesn’t do that great and now the Rangers’ only exit out is blocked by Rita and her whole gang.
Ending Thoughts
This issue was a solid start to the series, though it does have one or two issues.
The writing here offers a lot of fun moments and does set up a lot of interesting storylines for the future. The characterization from each of the Rangers is strong, accurately representing their TV counterparts and giving new readers a connection to these characters. Compared to the main comic series, the art is a little more cartoonish, but is as just as beautiful with lively colors and amazing backgrounds and set pieces.
The flashback to three months ago was the only real source of problems in this issue. Not only was Jason’s backstory felt a little forced, but everything else that it conveyed didn’t really need to be set in the past. It could have been easily written into the present. And when it did end and jumped back to the present, it felt very abrupt without any real purpose or reason.
This issue isn’t that groundbreaking, but it’s looking like it’s going to be a fun ride into the early lives of the Power Rangers.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- When all of the teens show up in the comic, their Facebook profiles show up with their likes and dislikes. I’m not going to judge any of them, but I have to say: “Who dislikes escalators? And, just because someone likes a perfect GPA, doesn’t mean that they’ll get it, Billy.” Also, Kim likes green olives. I see what you’re going for.
- My headcanon for the astronauts before this was that they just thought “Nope” and just got the heck out of there. That, or they just lived on the moon “The Martian” style.
- Rita wants to learn all about Earth so she can destroy it, huh? Just what could those astronauts possibly tell her, huh? The plot to the Emoji Movie?
