Jordan Jones reviews Go Go Power Rangers #2…
Please allow me to backtrack for a moment, and talk about issue #1 as I just got caught up, and need to take everything in!
Beginning this series, I was a little hesitant. Frankly, a bit confused as well. Don’t we already have a Power Rangers comic by BOOM! Studios? See, that series is The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers already on its 18th issue. This one is Go Go Power Rangers, featuring the same cast. Now, the difference between the series’ is apparent the moment you begin reading: Go Go Power Rangers is a much more grounded story. It tells the one in the background. The one that is unfolding when the monster is down for the count, and Angel Grove is recovering from “The Arrival”. If you were expecting the series to open with a brawl, you were half-right. We see the tail-end of one with Goldar, but the writers are clearly more interested on the Rangers’ reaction post-battle, sitting on top of an intimidatingly large Megazord with Zach claiming the military should be “building their own Zords”, while Trini complains that she hates heights.
It’s this scene that sets the tone for the series, and that idea continues full-force in issue #2. And since I haven’t mentioned this yet: the series is fantastic so far. It’s fleshing out a part of the Power Rangers franchise that tends to get overlooked: the characters themselves. Go back to the ’90s TV show, if you dare, and you may notice paper-thin characterization amidst all of the action. And the action is the most exciting part, right? We aren’t here to learn about the teens highschool life. We want to see Dinozords assembling into a giant Megazord with a huge sword! We want to see multi-colored ninjas fighting spacemen made out of clay! How is a Power Rangers comic that puts all of this (mostly) into the background going to work? But it does. Now I’m wondering how the series ever got along without it.
Issue #2 opens with Kimberly, which is a wise choice. After reading issue #1, she felt like the only character that fell a bit short. While the other characters had excellent, and humorous introductions, Kimberly’s revolved solely around her boyfriend. Which is fine, but that’s all there was, and we never got a sense of who she is. Building on this introduction, the comic goes back in time, showing Kimberly on her first date with football star Matt Cooke. The best part about this bit was being able to read their inner-monologues, which were very John Hughes, Here are two people composed on the outside, but terrified on the inside. There were some very human moments here: Kim mocking Matt for trying too hard to impress, Kim getting sick over a corn-dog with Matt not quite sure what to do when she is in the bathroom praying to the porcelain gods, Kim expressing her embarrassment at ruining the date, and Matt seeming relieved that she’s human after all. Again, all of this in a Power Rangers comic. Great stuff.
All of this isn’t to say that there is NO action. In fact, we then jump forward in time to see the Rangers mid-battle with putties inside Rita’s castle. Honestly, who thought we would be in Rita’s castle this early in the series? The characterizations of Rita and her cronies are really nice so far, bringing to mind Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. The action is good enough, but that’s not the point. We are really there to learn that Zordon was imprisoned in a capsule by Rita, that she will stop fighting if they lay down their arms, and also to receive Rita’s warning to the Rangers that Zordon is simply using them. That he will do anything to win. Is he just using the Rangers? It makes one wonder how much he actually cares about the teens themselves. After all, they are simply the next in a long line of Rangers, and when they speak to him about trying to tell loved ones about their secret, to avoid conflict, he coldly tells them that they will be forfeiting their powers automatically if they do so. All in all, Rita’s words are very ominous, and that doesn’t seem to be lost on characters like Trini. There seems to be some seeds of doubt sown here. Would surrendering avoid conflict? Rita knows who they are now. That could be dangerous, after all.
We also get confirmation, in this issue, that Trini has a crush on Jason. This prompts her to ask his help to train, which also gives us some great insight into what the Rangers can do, and how they do it. I love that they are not simply making all of these characters martial arts experts from the start. The writers explain that putting on the Ranger suit affects the wearer mentally, as well as physically. This way, Billy can go from “average geek” to Bruce Lee, and the reader doesn’t have to make that mental leap.
It’s clear that each character is being revealed as having something to lose. Kim has her boyfriend to lose. With Trini it’s the trust of her mother. Billy needs the financial help of a scholarship, and can’t screw up his grades to go out fighting monsters. As far as Zach, and Jason? I don’t think we are there yet, but I bet we learn in the next few Issues. There are real stakes in this series so far. It recalls what Marvel has recently done with Spider-Man: Homecoming. Jon Watts said early on that he wanted to make a John Hughes movie featuring Spider-Man. This feels much the same here. This feels like The Mighty Morphin’ Breakfast Club. Seriously, kudos to writer Ryan Parrott for giving us characters with distinct personalities.
If I have a single complaint, it’s that I still can’t picture these obvious twenty-somethings as 14 to 16 years old. I could make the mental leap to 18 if I absolutely had to, but that young is just pushing it. They just aren’t drawn that way, and I end up pretending they are older while I’m reading. It’s a bit strange, no?
All in all, Go Go Power Rangers #2 is an excellent continuation of the series inaugural issue. This is a fun, humorous take on the Power Rangers story that is more complex than the (awesome) art suggests. It fills in the blanks. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.
Rating: 10/10
… You can find Jordan on Twitter (@JordJJones), and Facebook.
