If there’s a TV series that defined my youth, it has to be Power Rangers. Everyone knows it, everyone looks back on the brightly-coloured action of the past with rose-tinted glasses and still cracks a smile at the antics of five teenagers with attitude beating up on monsters of the week. In many ways, Power Rangers was a taste of the madness of Japan, expressed through a Tokusatsu series that was chopped up and repackaged with trendy new American leads.
And it worked beautifully. A runaway success, Power Rangers mixed action with heart, goofy hijinks of the wackiest variety with massive city-destroying monster battles. Cheesy, yet glorious. Earlier this year, the Power Rangers were back in a big screen reboot…that didn’t fare too well. That’s a shame, because that film was a ton of fun and a great gateway to jumping back into the Morphin grid.
If you’re a teeny bit upset that the odds of a Power Rangers movie sequel are non-existent at this point, then worry not because the current crop of comics from Boom Studios is a pitch-perfect continuation of that franchise. Written by Kyle Higgins and featuring Hendry Prasetya for the bulk of the art duties (special mention to the colours of Matt Herms as well for making this series just so unforgettably vivid), Power Rangers doesn’t stray too far from its source material.
The team is established, with Green Ranger Tommy having recently joined the crew after casting Rita Repulsa’s brainwashing aside to fight the good fight. The original team then, arguably at the height of their popularity and ready to throw down with whatever monsters are chucked at them from the surface of the Moon.
That on its own would have been great stuff, a beautifully-visualised romp through fan service and nostalgia for fans of the series. Where Power Rangers succeeds however, is that it manages to tie this reverence for the past into newer and more modern adventures. Tales which focus on the Rangers outside of their Zords, their struggles and tribulations.
Throughout all of those trials of young adulthood and figuring out the best way to use a skyscraper-sized Megazord to roundhouse kick a beast through a mountain, there’s a strength to these characters. They’re strong indivduals, but as a team they’re unbeatable. They never wallow in self-loathing, they rise above their problems and conquer them. Power Rangers is a strong reminder that friends can be more powerful than a ridiculously awesome Dragonzord resting in the ocean.
When action is needed however, this is peak Power Rangers. The team has already embarked on some incredible adventures that puts the TV series and films to shame, such as a trip into an alternate future that featured an evil Ranger by the name of Lord Drakkon who had successfully managed to defeat the team, leaving the world ripe for Rita Repulsa to conquer.
Another storyline currenty in play has the team working with the US government and the untold tragic demise of the Rangers of 1969. Power Rangers takes the franchise into bold new directions, but most importantly, it never strays away from the sheer fun that the original TV series introduced. The stakes may be high, but the Rangers face them with a smile on their faces and a heart that is ready for battle, every single time.
It’s also a comic book series that keeps on giving, especially in the fantastic backup stories found in each issue. They’re hilarious riffs on the other characters in Power Rangers, focusing on everyone from Bulk and Skull through to the sheer tragedy of Squatt’s life as a henchman:
Aw man, I feel so bad for Squatt now. Here’s the TLDR gist of this write-up: Power Rangers is consistently fun and imaginative fan service thanks to Higgins’ script, while Prasetya’s art and the colours of Herms makes each issue stand out like an art gallery of freeze-frames from the TV show, if Zack Snyder had directed each episode.
If you’re keen on giving it a look, here’s a few links below of the available graphic novels over on Comixology. It’s morphin’ time!
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 1
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 2
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 3
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 4
Last Updated: November 28, 2017
Guz
November 29, 2017 at 08:32
Go Go Go Power Rangers !!!! 🙂 smaaked that guitar intro as a latjie got me amped every time
The D
November 29, 2017 at 09:32
It’s my ringtone. NO RAGRETS
J Smooth Soul Beats
November 30, 2017 at 15:34
The best thing power rangers has ever made, the movie and RPM are close seconds
Johann
November 30, 2017 at 15:48
I could just never watch this show as a kid, probably because I watched giant mecha anime such as macross and Gundam. Even thgouh the first Macross and Gundam was cheasy as heck, it was still better than Power Rangers imo.
jlenoconel
November 30, 2017 at 22:04
Power Rangers was more than that though. Its basically my Star Wars. I love the lore, the villains, different rangers etc.