(Disclaimer: Please buy the comic before reading this review available at your local comic shop!) They can also be found by visiting findacomicshop.com or comicshoplocator.comPreface
Teenagers with attitude, huh? No, this is teenagers with paranoia!
The Cover
On top, we got Sage looking at a strange metal box away from her friends. On the bottom, we see Tula going up to the memorial site bathed in a dark, foreboding light. It conveys the message of what this issue will be about but fails to show the overall mood of the story. You would think something dark happens, but nope.
The Story
On the Green Campus, Tula confesses everything. Her sister, Tashi, was a student at the Ranger Academy, who died in a mysterious shuttle crash. When Tula got to the Academy, there were no records of her and the Green Campus was shut down with no explanation. No one wanted to discuss the crash, either. So, Tula went on her own to try and investigate what truly happened.
For some reason, Sage can sense that there’s something in the air, though, she thinks it’s dangerous. Her gaze is drawn to a nearby Morpher case, which she pockets, sensing that she has some connection to it. Tula wants to investigate more and try to find clues, but Sage starts to think that maybe the only reason why Tula wanted to be her friend is because Sage is the only one who can access the Green Campus. Tula denies this, inadvertently revealing that on the day she and Mathis crashed on Sage’s moon, she was actually searching for Rhianth, Sage’s dad, in the first place. Sage is hurt by the fact that Tula never told her that her dad went to Ranger Academy and storms away. Tula cries to herself, not wanting this to happen, all the while black and red tendrils start to surround her…
The next day, Sage attends a school assembly hosted by their sector’s team of Rangers, warning them that Dark Specter is active and they’ve taken extra security protocols to ensure the safety of the students.
Two days later, Sage has had enough of the lying and the secrets. She ditches her class and finds Tula in the Battle Matrix, demanding that they work together to find out more about this. Tula tries to get her to leave her alone, but suddenly, the Battle Matrix spawns an enemy that neither of them requested…
Tula tries to shut off the simulation, but it doesn’t work. Sage tries to escape from the monster but ends up running into Lindy, who followed after her friend. Lindy gets caught by the monster and Sage doesn’t just stand by and do nothing. A voice, represented by a green figure, tells her that she can do this and she believes it.
It’s Morphin’ Time…
Ending Thoughts
Ok… now we’ve gotten to the annoying part.
Many critics of this series have noted that one of the main problems of this story comes from Sage’s character and how many of the problems could be solved through simple communication. While I believe that is true, it’s more difficult than that. First off, if Tula’s testimony is correct, then Sage asking about Green Rangers wouldn’t have mattered since there are actual signs of a cover-up here. Secondly, and this is the most important thing to keep in mind, it’s about stepping into the role of Sage. Sage is a teenager completely isolated from the outside world. She’s thrust into this new environment, all on her own without any help, and she’s trespassing as well. She doesn’t have anyone to confide in with her feelings and that leaves her feeling more alone. She’s desperate to stay secret so she won’t risk leaving the only friends she ever had. So, for everything that she’s done (and hasn’t done), it feels natural for her to act this way.
However!
The conversation between Sage and Tula as Sage is trying to get her to leave is the thing that derails the rest of the issue and leaves the emotional moment as something hollow, highlighting Sage’s paranoia to a stupid degree. Because, well, no sane person would ever think that everything we went through was some game of 4D chess like Sage was implying, thinking that this was all part of Tula’s plan to get access to the Green Campus when it was all based on a big “if”. We as readers don’t know enough about this Campus system or Rhianth to even know if this was a strategy she could have done.
Because of this, Sage starts to feel like Tula has been just using her. Sage is the one to always come at her with questions, but Tula never bothered to ask her anything. She assumes for Tula that Sage means nothing to her and believes they’re not really friends. While this is a valid concern that she could have made, that the only reason why Tula was being nice to her was because of her Green powers, it’s presented poorly. Sage’s thought process is already going down a dark path, but she doesn’t try and ask the right questions to go anywhere else, immediately coming to her own conclusions and not asking for more. The thing that she is mad at Tula for doing…
If there needed to be disarray between the two of them, especially for what is seemingly happening with this threat in the shadows, I would prefer to flow a little more naturally. Like yes, have Tula reveal that she was looking for Sage’s father, show an actual conversation between the two that happened back then, and then reflect on what she did. Sage points out that they’re not real friends, but she’s not the one who storms out. Tula is. Tula goes back to basically ignoring her until Sage has had enough and says that they should work together. Tula’s own self-isolation would serve better for the situation in the end and show a heroic quality in Sage, wanting to be there for Tula when she knows she’s still grieving her sister’s death. Even if it’s not in the best way a person can.
It’s such a shame too that I’m not a fan of what that scene was because the artwork for this issue, especially that scene, is enchanting. Every panel with its foreboding dialogue cuts off the characters’ eyes, having the readers focus solely on their words while building up the tension between the two until we get to the next page. Of both girls in tears from their fight with Sage storming out and Tula slowly being surrounded by something of darkness…
Ranger Academy #7 is a flawed debut for Sage choosing to morph, haunted by ghosts while failing to see Tula’s before it was too late.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- That pink Ranger only has two panels and has too much attitude for him to be fully contained.
- Already my favorite male Pink Ranger in the franchise which I’ll admit… there’s not a lot for. We got Dan from the MMPR 60s team, who died horribly, Finster as the Dark Ranger, but, no one cares about that, and Casey as Ranger X, who I never cared for.
