Friday, June 17, 2016

GO, GO, POWER RANGERS!




If you didn't know, the Power Rangers are coming back in a big way. Yes, you heard me correctly, that goofy teenager and giant robot fighting show of the 1990's is gearing up for some big things. It's not the Power Rangers has ever really gone away though since they have had more spin offs then Happy Days. Along with a major release movie due out next year is a brand new comic from Boom! Studios that gives us the cast as we remembered them from way back when.


Before I get into my spoiler free look into the Power Rangers comic I'd like to give a very brief history of my relationship with the Power Rangers. I was simply too old to enjoy the show and into "much cooler things" all while the Power Rangers were the biggest thing on the planet. Two major released films, video games, and toys. You name it and this show probably had one of its many characters plastered all over it. As I grew up and the show continued, I discovered a certain cheesy love for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. When I feel like I need a bit of a charge and a vacation away from adulthood, I will seek out an episode on Netflix to take a brief break from life.

That brings me to the recently released comic book that I told myself I was not going to purchase. I love comics but sometimes I don't like buying them. They are expensive with most of them being upwards of the four dollar range and I didn't need to add anything to my pull list. But since this was a new series that I could follow and maybe enjoy a comic that might fly a little under the radar so story lines won't be ruined for me in the world of social media. Hail Hydra.



So going into this comic which is issue #1 (apparently there was an issue #0 but I didn't pick that one up) I wasn't sure what to expect. Was the writing going to be serious and try to do what other licenses have done going for a more dark tone than the original material. How well would the art bring the live action television show to the comic universe.

I am pleased to say that this issue fired on all cylinders for me. It takes what made the show great and continues the story. We get all the stuff that you would want in a Power Ranger comic. The story basically centers on Tommy Oliver who just so happens to be the Green Ranger Which is easily the most popular ranger. Now, those familiar with the show know that the Green Ranger was created by the evil villainess Rita Repulsa to defeat the Power Ranger team. Instead, the Green Ranger did a classic wrestling maneuver handmade the switch to the good guys.

The writing is excellent and feels like I am watching an episode of the show, that's how authentic the dialogue feels. Meanwhile the art is the perfect style to bring a live action show to comic book form. There is a lot of character development with just enough action. This is not a bad thing though; this was a fun way to get back to the heart of the characters and save the robot fighting action for issues later. Some things were done to bring the characters into 2016 with our two favorite bullies, Bulk and Skull hosting a popular podcast. Again, this works perfectly and was a good choice by the creative team.

If you have any interest in the Power Rangers at all, I highly recommend this comic. It's well told, easy to follow and drawn so there is no doubt who the characters are which can sometimes be a problem with comics based on live action material. All in all this was a nice trip back to Angel Grove. Well, I'm off to find an episode to watch so it can hold me off till issue #2.

-R.T.

No comments:

Post a Comment