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Preface
I read a comment the other day about this event, thinking that Power Rangers is known for being extremely corny and that Power Rangers having an event that’s been basically gloom and doom so far is the exact opposite of what the franchise’s tone is and therefore, should be hated by fans. Well, that’s not exactly the case.
While Power Rangers does have corny elements to it (the rubber monsters, the lesson-of-the-day storytelling, the Ranger shouting out their weapons and attacks), it is the elements that take the story seriously that fans cherish and remember the most. Seasons like Time Force and RPM are usually fan favorites because they’re the ones who take the typical Power Rangers formula and put their hearts into making their characters and stories something worth remembering. And that’s what this story is doing so far, having Lord Drakkon as a legitimate threat to our heroes, similar to the Green Ranger arc, the first serious storytelling element of the show (You know? The thing that helped Power Rangers become popular in the first place).
Anyway, back to this super serious comic about this aggressive toy collector’s quest to assume his ultimate form by trying to win the craziest game of Risk ever.
The Cover
Lauren: “This is the place the other Samurai Rangers was talking about?! I shouldn’t have listened to them. ‘Go to Corinth’, they said. ‘It’ll be fun!’ they said!”
Dr. K: “And this is why I don’t go outside!”
Jason: “I don’t know what you all are talking about. I’m having a great time!“
Pretty enjoyable cover. The scenery is actually from the comic (though there are no Grinders involved), there are elements of the main team along with other seasons’ representatives, and Dr. K kicking a Grinder is always fun. (Also, that spark effect with the Power Sword vs that one Grinder looks amazing).
The Story
At Lord Drakkon’s palace, the Coinless Zack is being interrogated by the Ranger Sentries when Skull, posing as a Red Ranger Sentry, sneaks into Zack’s holding area and informs him of the situation. At the Command Center, the Rangers are filling Lauren in when Jen reveals that Drakkon’s forces are now invading every single Ranger dimension. Using the teleportation system, Zordon sends a message to the whole Morphin’ Grid, warning all Rangers about Drakkon and to protect their morphers at all costs.
“And may the power protect you all.”
With Drakkon attacking at all angles, the Rangers at the Command Center split up to help in their parts to take down Drakkon. Kim and Jen teleport to some of the other Ranger dimensions to recruit them so that they can fight together. Jason and Lauren teleport to Corinth (RPM’s world) so that they can get Dr. K’s help with disabling some of Drakkon’s weaponry. Billy, Trini, and Zack teleport to the Coinless’ headquarters, now at the Juice Bar, and are informed via the Coinless about the captured Ninjor and that they need to rescue him.
Back at Lord Drakkon’s lair, after his Zeo adventure from the annual, Drakkon is sitting on his throne, still contemplating as to why exactly the Rangers care about Tommy. One of the Sentries run in the throne room and quickly inform him about their trouble taking care of the RPM Rangers. Drakkon says that he already has allies who are willing to help him and heads to Corinth but not before doing another Power Transfer with the powers he received in the annual (Just for reference, they were the Zeo, In Space, and Ninja Steel powers).
After Jason and Lauren have a heart-to-heart about the pressures of being a leader, they quickly introduce themselves to the RPM Rangers and Dr. K before Drakkon arrives personally with some of his new friends…
Immediate first thought? This would make a great CD cover.
Ending Thoughts
Yeah… I can understand why other people would be excited after this ending, but personally, I’m not. I’m not that big of a fan of these evil Rangers so I don’t really care that much. I can already guess as to why they would be included in here but I think I’d have to wait until the end of the event to judge how they are used and whether or not they win me over or not.
But, other than that, this issue was fantastic with vivid scenery and touching character focus. This series has been known for its excellent pacing and momentum and this issue doesn’t disappoint. In addition to some fun action scenes (with a Tyranno Zord stomp and a two-page spread with a bunch of different Ranger teams), we’ve also had time for some character growth, both from our heroes and our villains.
Lord Drakkon’s mindset after his Zeo adventure adds another layer to his character, knowing that there was a possibility in his life where he could’ve been happy and could’ve had true friends. The conversation between Jason and Lauren is the first real interaction we’ve gotten between two Ranger teams. It gives backstory to Lauren for newcomers to the franchise and gives Jason time to create a relationship with Lauren, similar to his relationship with Grace. The only difference is that his relationship with Grace was mainly about the fear of what could happen while his relationship with Lauren is about dealing with the current reality.
MMPR #27 officially starts the war with all Rangers involved, good and bad, and gets “Shattered Grid” into gear.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- My brief explanation as to my feelings on these evil Rangers: The Psycho Rangers’ designs look menacing, but all of their episodes (besides the Lost Galaxy ones) were mainly filler plots and just made them plain boring. The A-Squad is a team that I do like, but I feel they only work in relation to the SPD Rangers, not all these other Rangers. Koragg, I think we can all agree, is just tolerable.
- I say that Lord Drakkon’s new form uses the Ninja Steel powers, but I’m not totally sure. The Zeo portion can be seen on the shield. The In Space portion can be seen on the square parts of the belt. I don’t know what exactly where the other black parts come from, though.
- The SPD portion of the two-page spread: You can see that even though there’s still a fight going on, someone had the bright idea to put Lord Drakkon’s logo on the Delta Base. I can’t believe this has to be said, but deal with your threat first and then do your interior decorating.
- Any wandering survivors in the RPM wasteland are going to be like so confused when they just see a wandering robotic dinosaur. Just imagine it for a second.
- Where did that extra seat in the Dinozord come from?
- I’ll give props to those Sentries that fired on the Dinozord. They got guts.
- Also, in the side story, the Putty Rangers have now taken on the forms of the Turbo Rangers. So, a downgrade.