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Preface
This story has a group of people traveling across a world that’s covered with diamonds, with that group of people containing 4 aliens, one of them being a furry and another one being a steampunk hipster of a fantasy world, and a techie ninja/samurai.
How is it I just don’t really care about this?
The Cover
“Really? A giant statue of the Praetor? Again, the man is compensating for something!”
All the Rangers just looking at a looming threat that is the Praetor, Mike looking like he really needs to take a poop… what’s not to love?
(Though, I honestly do like the blood-red reflection of the Praetor)
The Story
Coming off the revelation from the last issue, Cam realizes that the Void isn’t actually just its own little universe, but actually, a piece of the universe that was somehow severed from the Morphin’ Grid entirely. Using Tanya’s Zeonizer as a guide, the Rangers travel north through the planet where they find the magnetic north pole of the planet.
Since it’s been a long day, the group decides to take a rest, with Mike taking the first watch. While everyone else is sleeping, Mike is confronted by a vision of the Praetor that says he’ll kill everyone and spare only Mike if he doesn’t hand over the Solarix to him. Not wanting to deal with more survivor’s guilt, Mike secretly takes the Solarix from Ari.
I really didn’t feel like posting a scene of that dream sequence, so take this instead.
(Besides, this does basically sum it all up)
When everyone wakes up in the morning, Andros accuses Remi of taking the Solarix, that she did it to keep Ari and not risk her leaving. It quickly turns into an argument with everyone throwing insults at each other and eventually, it seems that Andros is the most likely suspect since unlike everyone else, he has his sister back. Angry, Remi shoots her cassette blaster at Andros. He dodges the blast and it hits Ari instead. As the group gets ready to attack each other, Ari starts to black out where she meets the Praetor…
This was stupid.
Ending Thoughts
I can’t believe I actually have to say it, but when you have a scene of characters accusing each other of a crime, you don’t have the scene showing who actually did it right before it.
When you have that kind of scene, you’re supposed to empathize with the people who are accusing. You’re supposed to have that same feeling going through your head of “Who would do this? Who would be so selfish?” and you’re suspicious on who you can trust. But, since it was shown to us right out of the gate on who did it, there’s no tension for your audience. There’s no wondering, there’s no questioning, just looking at characters being needlessly mean to each other and feeling like no one is being rational. And I didn’t even yet explain why this scene doesn’t work, both with the characters and the weird leaps in logic that happen here. This scene was just bad. Plain and simple.
Though, the scene itself of Mike being manipulated by the Praetor? I will give credit to that. It does play into Mike’s character arc and even though we really need information right now on who the Praetor is, this scene does show how afraid we should be of the Praetor. This one scene of him showing just how much he knows of our Rangers inner thoughts and presenting them with visions of their worst nightmares gives us an actual reason to care about the Praetor. I just wish Mike’s “betrayal” was presented in the next issue.
Besides these two major scenes, honestly, nothing else happened in this issue. We just have a one-sentence explanation for what the Void is and a very quick montage of the Rangers exploring the planet. Art-wise, there’s not a lot I can comment on aside from the coloring.
The Splintered Star’s design is impressive. The planet looks smooth crystals that are spread throughout the planet have sharp tips. The backgrounds on the planet are bright and beautiful and does remind you of fantasy worlds from other fiction. It’s a sharp contrast to the dark space backgrounds we’ve been seeing for this arc. Comparing it to Sentai 6 from MMPR #35, the Splintered Star is just filled with so many ranges of color, with it jumping out to readers and feeling so vibrant. And then, this is heavily contrasted with the Praetor, where all of his scenes are just covered in dark, ominous red.
For MMPR #37, it’s not Morphin’ Time, as this issue gives us no lore, no action, no Rangers. Just pointless drama and a contrived ending.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Since the Blue Senturion / Ninjor story ended last issue, there is not a side story associated with this issue. While I’m grateful that we can use those extra pages for something useful, I wish there was actually something useful here.
- You know what? On the cover with Mike looking like he needed to take a poop? Yeah, it makes sense with what he does in this issue.
- Those opening pages? Yeah, they just landed so we should see their ship in the background, but there’s literally no trace of it.
- Also, we get it just from the opening pages. The Zeo Crystals are super duper powerful.
- Also, Heckyl’s statement about the Dark Energem shows just how much the Energems were super not worth all of the trouble in Dino Charge.
- Mike mentioning that this situation was worse than “drop bears”? Drop bears are carnivorous koalas from Australia (Don’t worry, it’s just a hoax. You can go to Australia peacefully) But, seriously?! This is the most random and weirdest comparison I’ve ever heard in my entire life.
- Mike took “first watch” AKA “only watch” because literally no one else woke up and saw Mike freaking out all night?
- In that panel with all of Mike’s friends “dead”, Heckyl wasn’t seen there. I see how it is, Mike!
- One thing about the Praetor’s speech to Mike is like he could easily just destroy the Promethea with his cannons. First off, his ship has cannons? That’s the most information we’ve gotten for him in a while. Secondly, if he can do that, just do it then, you freakin’ coward.
- Also, insert your “Avenge the Fallen” joke.
- Also, that comment about Mike taking the Solarix before the “light of dawn”? Technically, Mike did it during that so, the deal’s off, dude.
- Every single aspect of what I found wrong with the arguing scene:
- No one tells anyone else to calm down.
- Mike was on watch the whole night and no one asked him if he didn’t see anyone take the Solarix.
- Andros accused Remi of taking the Solarix so that she could keep Ari in this world and not “risk her leaving it behind to go with [the Rangers].” First off, Andros accused Remi of this literally a second after it was gone. Secondly, Andros believes that Remi took the one thing that protects her friend. Third, there has been basically zero discussion or speculation that the Solarix could take the Rangers back to their home. Fourth, even if that was the case, why would it be automatically assumed that Remi would stay behind in a dying world and not go with her best friend?
- Mike insulted Heckyl and accused Andros, despite him being the one to take the Solarix. (Again, that’s why you don’t show us who did it in the first place).
- Mike’s insult was about how Heckyl was stupid because he tried to save lives.
- Cam says that Mike has blood on his hands… what blood? Only thing I can think of is that random group of monsters from MMPR #32.
- Remi was listing off all of the things the other Rangers have lost. She mentions Kim turning traitor (Which A. is a good thing in perspective, B. doesn’t actually mention what she lost, and C. Remi literally insulted Kim about this aspect only on the page before it), Cam losing his family (Even though for newcomers to the franchise and casual readers for this series, this has never been mentioned anywhere throughout this arc) and Heckyl losing his whole planet (Even though we saw he saved Sentai 6. It was his teacher that he lost).
- “We have the most lose.” (They even highlighted their mistake)
- There’s not much justification again as to why Andros would lose Karone if they all went back home (and even if he does, it would literally be him returning to his own timeline and saving her. Again.)
- One point of Andros is that he was distracted during a mission when the “flashback” art used for that was him beating up four monsters.
- Andros dodged that laser-like goddamn Toad from the X-Men.
- On that final page with everyone in it, everyone looks like they’re about to fight each other instead of helping the person who literally got shot. And even if a fight did have to happen here, no one goes after the person who shot first.
- Everyone looks like they’re about to fight each other with Andros vs. Heckyl, Cam vs. Mike, and Anti-Kim vs. Tanya. Tanya said literally nothing the whole discussion so why is she fighting Anti-Kim and not, you know, helping the person who GOT SHOT?!
- Ari has terrible reflexes and yet, she’s still going to be the one to save them all.
- I called it a cassette gun in the review because it looks like a cassette tape mixed with a gun. I know it’s not, but it should be a thing now.
- What might make the next issue better is Heckyl and Andros having a Dragon Ball Z Hadouken-style battle.
- I will say, despite it being stupid reasons, I did enjoy Andros being the most suspected person to betray the group because let’s face it, he’s the shadiest one of them all.
- You wanna know how Mike being the “traitor” should be revealed? The ghost of the original Magna Defender shows up, points at Mike, and says “You’re an idiot.”