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Preface
All good things must come to an end.
This “era” of the Rangers is ending with this issue and the next era will begin with Go Go Power Rangers #21 next month. Even though I am interested in what kind of stories the next era will tell, I am going to miss all of the stories that were told in this era. But, hey, let’s end things off with one special finale issue.
The Cover
An amazing full cover with one side devoted to our heroes and the other side devoted to our villains with Matt smack dab in the middle (and a random Ranger Slayer for some reason). There’s a lot of detail here, a lot of work that went in here that I’m really not going to say anything negative about. It’s good.
The Story
For our special trip to Flashback Land, Alpha 5 thought he messed up and Zordon was lost to him forever. However, Zordon’s soul AKA floating head appears and tells Alpha that he’s trapped in a time warp and he now knows their true mission. Back in the present, Alpha 1, in his garage sale mecha, heads out to finish off Zordon while the Rangers are still trapped in the force field bubble. As they can’t find their way out, Goldar destroys the force field and frees the Rangers, claiming that he doesn’t want his victory over the Rangers to be taken away by a robot.
The Rangers summon their Zords and fight Alpha 1 outside the Command Center. However, Alpha 1 anticipates their every move and incapacitates the Megazord. To defeat Alpha 1, Alpha 5, in Billy’s armor from #19, takes out one of Alpha 1’s giant robot legs while the Rangers’ Megazord in Tank Mode blast it to pieces. Searching the wreckage, they find Alpha 1’s body somewhat functioning. The Rangers offer to repair it, but Alpha 1 tells them that he plans on watching them until the next time they meet, self-destructing itself.
Narrator: “The Rangers didn’t know it, but he wouldn’t return for decades, his programming constructing the ultimate plan to defeat the Rangers once and for all. His programming becoming a virus to take the Morphin’ Grid. No longer known as Alpha 1, he gave himself a new name… Evox!”
On the moon, Rita punishes Goldar for helping the Rangers by taking away his wings. Lady Fienna’s spirit is still trapped and tells Rita that she still has some good inside her. However, even though Rita states that she wanted to avoid this, Rita announces her plans on sacrificing her mother’s life energy to unlock the Dragon Power Coin. As her spirit is destroyed, Lady Fienna tells Rita that she still loves her and that she knows one day Rita will be redeemed.
A few weeks later, the Juice Bar is all fixed up, thanks to the whole city pitching it to help rebuild it. Kim talks to the guidance counselor about her parents’ divorce, about how she shouldn’t be involved in it and that it’s not complicated at all. But, the guidance counselor makes her realize that the issues and conflicts that occur between two people love each other should be accepted, not ignored. Because of this, Kim finally apologizes to Matt for what happened between them and Matt apologizes back. At the Juice Bar, Trini and Jason break up, deciding that their relationship made them more vulnerable during Ranger fights. They decide to remain friends (obviously) and both agree that they will always have Breel.
Billy gets a new look, deciding to embrace himself as a full-fledged nerd. Bulk and Skull make their own Youtube channel called Ranger Station to give the Power Rangers more credit for what they do and maybe profit off it in a way. After Zack tells Zordon about Rita offering him the Dragon Power Coin (See MMPR #5 to find out how all that happened), Zordon apologizes to Zack, realizing that he needs to treat the Rangers as real warriors. The next day, Jason attends a special karate expo at the Juice Bar, where all of his friends are ready to cheer him on. The issue soon ends with Jason going up against his opponent…
Eh, just some rando. Probably don’t need to remember him.
Ending Thoughts
Well, what can I say? Go Go Power Rangers has been pretty meh so far so I expected this issue to be the same… Are you freakin’ kidding me? This issue is great, just like all of the ones before it.
What this series has done so far (balancing multiple characters and giving each of them screentime in each individual issue, giving memorable lines and moments, creating history that works in continuity with the show, and having beautiful art and action sequences to go along with it) needs to be commended over and over again because it’s rare nowadays to see this amount of detail and care go into a superhero team book. Even when there was an arc or an issue that I didn’t think was spectacular, there were enough moments in there to make me want to return.
This issue, as well as this entire arc, is a microcosm of all of the things to love about Go Go Power Rangers. So many major characters got their own endings to their character arcs from Billy being proud of his intelligence to Kim learning that problems have to be confronted, not ignored. The counselor scenes were vital to this as it gave a majority of our major characters time to reflect on their own on what they have done and what’s happening moving forward. On the villain side, there is Rita who went from being a basic villain to someone that has some form of mercy and that has a hope of redemption from her previous life. And then there are the minor characters like Ernie and Bulk and Skull who get their own recognition. Even Angela gets a moment and she doesn’t even have a last name!
Alpha 1 is an amazing villain to end the “year” on. The other “arc” villains just aren’t as memorable. (Super Putty had some pretty memorable moments but needed a little more screen time for its characterization. We all know what happened with the Ranger Slayer. And, I’ll admit it, but I can’t remember what that queen on Breel is called without looking it up.) Alpha 1 has a sinister design, a somewhat relatable motivation, and a lore-filled backstory. Not to mention, that he just acts so superior during his fights, calling out everyone’s flaws, that it’s satisfying when he’s “defeated”.
Of course, this issue is important to continuity. It ties into an issue from another series (even though it doesn’t mention it for some reason) and the start of the show’s “Green with Evil” arc. It even calls back to the first issue with the random Ranger yearbook entries. It truly feels like this chapter of the Power Rangers is ending.
There is something to note art-wise. Eleonora Carlini, the current artist for the Go Go Power Rangers series, puts her work in here, but there is another artist here, Francesco Mortarino. He worked a lot on the Beyond the Grid issues if you remember (and haven’t blacked it out of your memory like I did). While there is some disconnect at times, with Francesco’s art using more detailing and shading than Eleonora’s art, the overall art style is consistent, giving us some fun and creative sequences.
This Go Go Power Rangers Forever Ranger special ends this historic era of the Power Rangers in a satisfying and morphinominal fashion and if you haven’t already been reading this, I’d strongly recommend you do so immediately.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Jason Lee Scott (Age: 15 -> 16)
- Likes: “Eye of the Tiger”, Brunettes and pretty much all things Karate
- Dislikes: Bullies, Beets, and being told to “Calm down”
- Personal Quote: “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” – Ernest Hemingway
- Voted: Most athletic, Most likely to wear a headband
- First Car: Knowing my parents… it will be a dinosaur.
- Where will you be in five years: It doesn’t matter as long as my friends are there with me.
- Zack Taylor (Age: 15 -> 16)
- Likes: EDM, Ai Weiwei, and Molten Metal Melting videos
- Dislikes: Avocados, Curfews and uncomfortable silences
- Personal Quote: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there” – Theodore Roosevelt
- Voted: Biggest Flirt, Best Smile, Class Clown
- Best school rumor: The Power Rangers go here!
- Trini Kwan (Age: 15 -> 16)
- Likes: Toasted marshmallows, mason jars, and lists
- Dislikes: Heights, Velcro, and the Oxford Comma
- Personal Quote: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis
- Voted: Most environmentally conscious
- Top travel destination: The Moon?
- Favorite color: Red
- Billy Cranston (Age: 14 -> 15)
- Likes: Computers, French press coffee, and a perfect GPA
- Dislikes: Dancing, fish, and the beach
- Personal Quote: “The Enemy’s gate is down” – Orson Scott Card
- Voted: Most likely to invent the next smart phone
- What’s your commute: I wish I could teleport
- Nickname: —
- Kimberly Hart (Age: 15 -> 16)
- Likes: Green olives, balance beams, and Headphones
- Dislikes: Escalators, tongue depressors and lilies
- Personal Quote: “Please don’t write something silly for your personal quote” – Mom
- Voted: Most likely to win a Pan Global Medal
- Best date: The County Fair
- What would you say to your future self: Nice haircut.