I used to love Power Rangers when I was a kid - but then I turned 12 years old and lost interest for good (though last year’s dark’n’gritty fan-film starring Dawson’s Creek was surprisingly cool). Now it’s a comic by writer Kyle Higgins (Nightwing) and artist Hendry Prasetya which isn’t that bad.
Tommy, the Green Ranger, is haunted by Rita, the evil witch, who wants to use him to destroy the Power Rangers and rule the planet.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t an original storyline - I vaguely remember the Green Ranger, when he first appeared, being a bad guy or something that the original Rangers had to fight but then he eventually became good. Higgins looks to be returning to that storyline by probably turning Tommy evil again. On the art side, Prasetya faithfully keeps the cast looking like the world’s oldest teenagers!
There’s a rubbish backup featuring Bulk & Skull by writer Steve Orlando (Midnighter) and artist Corin Howell, and a tacked-on story about the Rangers in their Zords (robot dinosaurs) battling one of Rita’s henchmen - meh.
Looking back at the Power Rangers, it was an absolutely bonkers series even by kid’s show standards but somehow it worked. The theme song was great, the Ranger outfits, the martial arts, the robot dinosaurs that together transformed into a giant robot warrior - it might be the ultimate kid’s show! This issue isn’t bad but by far the best thing I got out of it was going online to watch clips from the old show. It’s brilliant seeing the guys in the cheap robot suits hitting each others’ squibs while demolishing a styrofoam city! It’s mega-corny and hilarious.
Rita (meter maid) might have the the worst name for a villain because it’s so ordinary! I love her character design but she has no character - she’s there just to be the generic bad guy with the stereotypical goal. What’s a “morphin”? On the show, the pterodactyl ALWAYS comes out of a volcano while the sabre-toothed tiger is similarly ALWAYS running across a desert - where is this that the Rangers live again?! None of it makes a lick of sense but it’s glorious kiddie claptrap - no wonder it was so popular.
I doubt I’ll keep reading the rest of this series as I got enough Power Rangers memories from this one issue but fans will probably enjoy this new run - Higgins and Prasetya seem to be a competent creative team with a fondness and knowledge of the material.
Go go Nostalgia Rangers!
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