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Preface
PREVIOUSLY ON POWER RANGERS…
Turn on your preferred viewing device. Use Netflix or any other method you prefer (ex. DVD) and look for Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin. Look for White Light. It’s the seventeenth and eighteenth episodes of the second season.
Yeah, that’s about it. All you need to know about this issue.
The Cover
It’s an improvement over the last couple of covers, more dynamic with the two giants fighting and the Thunder Megazord trying to hold Nimrod back. The touch of the power of the lightning devastating the area also adds some color contrast and hidden meaning to this battle.
The Story
So, guess what? Zedd’s a fake. Yep, after some, as Saba called it “melodramatic”, resistance from Tommy, Saba reveals it was all a test for him and offers him the White Light. Back on Earth, in their Thunder Megazord, the Rangers are having a difficult time facing Nimrod and her sisters AC and DC. Once Billy is unable to find a solution back at the Command Center, the Rangers retreat from the fight.
If you’ve seen “White Light”, you should get the gist of what happens next. Tommy arrives back on Earth with his brand-new White Ranger powers and descends from the heavens. Zordon states that Tommy’s the leader now out of nowhere and everyone morphs into action again. Tommy drives his new White Tigerzord into battle and uses the Mega Tigerzord formation to destroy Nimrod and AC and DC.
At the Juice Bar, everyone celebrates that Tommy’s back, especially Kim, who throws herself on Tommy after letting Matt silently sob in the corner about his love life. Jason congratulates Tommy on his Ranger promotion and similarly goes off to sob in the corner when Zack and Trini tell him that the Blue Emissary gave them back their memories of “Shattered Grid”. Before Jason can argue about how this is all his responsibility, Zack and Trini tell him that Jason’s not alone in this and that they’ll find a new Ranger team together.
Ending Thoughts
This issue was a good ending to the three-issue “White Light” arc, but personally, this arc overall felt off.
I’ll admit this arc had to juggle a lot of storylines, Zack and Trini learning of the Shattered Grid fallout, Tommy being tested to earn the White Ranger powers, and the main action bits of the “White Light” arc. With the previous arc, where they had to also integrate an episode’s storyline, it got the main point of that story and added more to the fallout of Tommy losing his Green Ranger powers. With this arc, they added more to the “White Light” story while at the same time, leaving parts of it out due to page constraints. For the most part, if you still haven’t seen “White Light” yet, you’ll be able to get the big points it’s trying to address, but most of the scenes from “White Light” are ones where you’re thrown right into it and are mostly just remade scenes (even using that awkward moment where Zordon makes Tommy the leader out of nowhere). The colorful and detailed artwork, though, helps keep you interested in still seeing these moments for a second time.
As for the “added” moments, they’re expected. The scene where Tommy passes his test was a little predictable (and even Saba calls that out). Zack and Trini demanding the truth and then wanting to help him is something that we’d know that they would do even if you haven’t been reading the main series. I will say, the best scene for me is Matt’s inclusion in this issue and how he knows that since Tommy’s back in the picture, any chance of Matt and Kim as more than friends is fairly small. He leaves begrudgingly, but he still makes it clear that she can talk to him whenever she wants to. It’s definitely an uncomfortable relationship that Kim and Matt have now.
Go Go Power Rangers #27 wraps up the “White Light” arc decently with some amazing action sequences and detailed artwork. While my feelings about this arc are “meh”, with predictable moments and uneven balancing of parallel storylines, I am still looking forward to seeing where Jason, Zack, and Trini’s adventure leads them to next.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- We need more sassy Saba dialogue. We haven’t gotten anything for him in the main series. He better shine here.
- As mentioned above, Zordon just makes Tommy the leader out of nowhere, because the White Light “clears [his] mind”. From what they’re trying to imply, it sounds like the White Light basically allows him to not make any bad decisions. I can kinda see that, but it needed to be explained and clarified a little more because they kept referring to it as if it’s more about the fact that Tommy doesn’t hesitate anymore. (Which isn’t that good of a reason to kick Jason out because he’s also good at making decisions under pressure.)
- Scenes/moments not used from “White Light” in this arc:
- Any mention of the Bulk and Skull / Rita plotline
- The Rangers planning a surprise party for Tommy’s return (If you didn’t know about this part, I’d imagine you would at least be a little curious in this issue why Ernie just had a cake on standby for Tommy)
- Billy seeing the creation of the White Ranger and informing the others
- The Rangers respecting Zordon’s judgment before knowing who he picked as the White Ranger (One of my favorite moments of that arc)
- Kimberly fainting on the spot
- Jason, Zack, and Kimberly fighting Putties while Billy and Trini work on repairing the Zords
- Tommy failing for the first time in his White Tigerzord (which we can’t have because Tommy does nothing wrong) and then getting back up
- Red Dragon Thunderzord riding the White Tigerzord (I wanted a picture of this so badly)
- Richie and how he kicks Tommy’s cake in the air, landing on Bulk and Skull. (In the story, they just mention that the cake was “dropped”.)