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Preface
Studying for exams is the worst.
But, is it worse than finding out everyone around you is keeping secrets?
The Cover
We got the top half of Sage and her friends looking outwards to their future as the bottom half shows part of the journey she’ll be going on. It’s a pretty decent cover overall.
The Story
So, Sage has been sneaking out in the middle of the night with Mathis to try and find out more about her dad. However, a lot of the yearbooks and information about him have been erased from the records. The only thing she was able to find was that he was a Red Ranger. Mathis doesn’t know anything about what Sage has been doing, only thinking she’s nervous about her “First Trial”.
Instead, the next morning, she heads to the teacher’s lounge, interrupting Nika’s conversation with fellow Professors Anubis Cruger and Yale. She confronts him with the knowledge that she knows that her dad was a cadet there and that it’s a big secret. However, Nika only tells her it’s best to focus on the First Trial, stating that it’s what her father wants. (Which Sage highly doubts)
Later on, after class, Sage is asked by some of her other classmates about why she came to the Ranger Academy, and she replies that she just wanted an adventure. However, that seems to be the wrong answer as Lindy walks away all sad. Later on, Theo explains that before she came to the Ranger Academy, Lindy was away from her moon colony on an engineering scholarship when it was attacked, making her the only living member alive. Sage apologizes for her words, saying that she still has so much to learn.
Later that night, Sage is studying outside of her dorms when she sees Tula sneaking around. Sage follows her down a secret corridor where Tula tries to get into a secret campus, the Green Campus. It’s locked, but for some reason, when Sage tries opening the door after Tula leaves, it opens for her. Going inside, she’s shocked to find a tube with a giant head looking directly at her. Fearing for her life, she quickly ducks out of there, wondering what that was all about.
But, Sage doesn’t have any more time for that. The First Trial is in two days and she’s woefully unprepared.
So, her friends throw her an impromptu study session, explaining all of Sage’s questions. The First Trial is all about throwing cadets onto some remote moon and forcing them to navigate the terrain to find the Bandonian Monks’ sanctuary. There, a spectracite crystal will call whoever’s there, telling them about their true Ranger color. If a cadet fails, they are held back a whole year before they can do it again.
And, so, Sage prepares and prepares until the last night before the trial. As per Ranger Academy tradition, all cadets are supposed to write down their names on the wall before the First Trial. When Sage goes to do hers, she finds her dad’s name and writes right below it, planning on making him proud for her first true test as a Ranger.
Ending Thoughts
After the fast-paced anxiety from the last issue, it’s good that this issue takes a much slower approach.
Now that we have the school setting all established, we can begin to dive into the characters a bit more. Sage’s fears of being kicked out of school morph into something more substantial than just missing out on a good time. She now wants to know more about her dad and make him proud. While at the same time, she realizes just how essential being a Ranger is, especially concerning Lindy and her tragic backstory. The scene itself between the two of them is an excellent use of storytelling, giving the readers a brief look into what Sage was told about Lindy while showing her emotions and how it affected her deeply.
In addition to Sage, as I said, this issue lets us get more immersed into the school setting, showing the casual banter between the students and showing more from that atmosphere with some background characters. It also continues to add lore and intrigue for the readers, not only with some cameos and guest appearances from various Rangers as instructors. but it introduces the mystery of the Green Campus. The premise of that alone would allow Sage to explore more of the history of the school and Tula’s past, allowing that character to be more integrated with Sage’s story.
Ranger Academy #3 is a fun and intriguing issue, allowing Sage to study for her exams while introducing more of the intriguing lore and backstory for her school and her friends.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Doggie, your wife better knows you’re here or I swear to God, this really doesn’t feel right.
- Also, Professor Yale… Are they really just going to give anyone a teaching degree these days? What am I going to learn from him? How to nap all day? Don’t some students need a translator for him?
- Nika: “There’s no such thing as a library emergency.” Uh… books purposefully being placed in the wrong section, impromptu rock concert for a guy saying he has no rhythm, library being set on fire. I could go on…
- Why does Jen get the privilege of having her full body instead of a giant head? Huh? What’s up with that?!
- Also, I really don’t see the point in naming a library after an active professor. Give love to someone who doesn’t have to be there all the time.
- So, based on the panel of Rhianth and Nika’s names being so close together and presuming that they were on the same Ranger team together, that means we got the names for the other Rangers. Zilan, Alyn (which if that’s a reference to Alwyn Dale, a main PR writer, that is super cool), and [Unpronouncable].
