The Power Rangers are among the most influential and well-known pop culture icons in America’s modern history. For now more than three decades, the Power Rangers have fought evil across the universe (and actually multiple universes on television and in print). The Power Rangers have become so popular and influential that they have even made appearances at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade both in physical form and as balloons. Though this year, it does not look like the parade will feature a Power Rangers balloon according to the official Macy’s website – https://www.macys.com/s/parade/lineup/?lineupaccordion=Balloonicles&lid=parade_primarycta-lineupballoonicles. The franchise has however, celebrated its legacy this year on Netflix with a 30th anniversary special. Boom! Studios also recently released its own print 30th anniversary special graphic novel, which actually ties into the original series and Netflix’s special in its own way. Also tied into that special in its own roundabout way is another Power Rangers print title, Power Rangers Unlimited: Call To Darkness. Both collections, the former having been released Aug. 20 and the latter having been released Oct. 23, are available now in full, soft cover pressings through Boom! Studios and offer plenty for readers to appreciate, not the least of which being their stories. Those stories will be discussed shortly. The various art stylings featured in the collection play into the presentations, too, and will be addressed a little later. The bonus covers included in both books round out the collections’ most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the collections. All things considered they make both sets welcome additions to any Power Rangers fan’s library.
Boom! Studios’ recently released Power Rangers 30th anniversary graphic novel and its separate Power Rangers Unlimited: Call To Darkness graphic novel are presentations that most Power Rangers fans will find quite engaging and entertaining. That is because separately and collectively they celebrate the past, present, and future of one of America’s favorite super powered teams. They celebrate the franchise’s legacy and future in large part through their stories. In the case of the 30th anniversary special, a handful of stories (six in all, plus a special bonus Power Rangers Academy preview) celebrate the franchise’s legacy, beginning with “An Ode To Ernie,” one of the most underappreciated original Power Rangers characters. It envisions Ernie making a fateful decision about the Angel Grove Juice Bar/Teen Center after another monster attack damages the facility. That bar is where so many classic Power Rangers stories were centered when the rangers weren’t battling monsters. It is also where many of the stories were centered when Rita and Lord Zedd hatched their evil plans. To that end it is a great revisiting of the single greatest era of the Power Rangers’ history. The next story envisions a future where Tommy ended up marrying Catherine, the second Pink Ranger. This is an important story because many fans wondered whether Tommy ended up with Kimberly or Catherine, considering the relationships. What is really interesting about all of this is that through this brief tale, another key matter – that of the so-called master morpher – comes into play, too, as Tommy is able to change into his Zeo Ranger form and the Green Ranger. So obviously this highly controversial piece of Power Rangers lore is here just as much as it has been discussed throughout so many of the franchise’s iterations. It is an easter egg of sorts that plenty of readers are sure to find interesting.
From there, readers eventually get a glimpse of what likely happened that led to the eventual capture of Zordon when he and Alpha-5 left Earth in the original series in yet another of the stories. Alpha’s story is tragic to say the least, and that this little snippet would once again tie so directly back to the original franchise is sure to be a fan favorite since it fills in a gap that had been left open in the series. In the last of the primary stories, it is posited that instead of Catherine, Tommy in fact married Kimberly, who in this case is going by the moniker of Emma Phillips. Why this is the case is continued in one of the Power Rangers series, Power Rangers: The Return. This cliffhanger of sorts is sure to get readers’ attention for sure.
Moving on to the other recently released title, Power Rangers Unlimited: Call To Darkness, this universe-spanning comic’s story is important in that it brings back the biggest bad of them all, Dark Specter, and one of the Power Rangers comic series’ biggest bads, Lord Drakkon, the evil Tommy of one of so many Power Rangers universes. In this story it is revealed that Rita, now Mistress Vile, has brought Dark Specter to Drakkon’s universe and plans to use him to take over every universe. That includes the Hyperforce timeline. Yes, even the non-canon Hyperforce Rangers are part of this story. The Pink Hyperforce Ranger, Chloe mentions multiple times during this team’s portion of the story, she too is searching for Zordon and that the Time Force Rangers played a part in her search. This ties back into the original canon, which makes for even more interest. Getting off topic but staying on topic a bit, the fact that Chloe is looking for Zordon and that also in the recent Netflix special, Billy was looking for Zordon (which accidentally led to the creation of the evil robot Rita) one cannot help but begin to wonder if the next iteration of the Power Rangers on television will not necessarily be a reboot of sorts but a whole new Rangers saga that spans universes and in fact follows the search for Zordon with all new ranger teams considering Zordon is at the heart of so much of the Power Rangers universes. Even in the novel’s final chapter, the original Power Rangers tea is talking to Zordon and Alpha in the command center after he and Alpha agree something big is coming. That something big was clearly what Rita was bringing to Earth. All of the chapters and universes tie together so well from one story to the next here and are certain to keep audiences reading.
Keeping in mind the role of the stories in both of these novels, they form a strong foundation for the two books. They are only part of what audiences will appreciate from each title. The various art stylings featured from tale to tale also play into the overall presentations. Each story in each book is illustrated and colored by different artists and the artists’ work really helps develop each title and story’s own identity. Case in point is the art in the 30th anniversary book’s lead story, “Ode To Ernie.” The general look of the characters and design is somewhat “cartoony” for lack of better wording and the coloring is so rich from one frame to the next. By comparison the art used in “Re-Imagine” is more akin to something one might expect from a modern anime book, so it develops its own identity therein. The same applies to the tragic “Alpha Directive.” The colors are so rich in their own way here and the overall design of Alpha and Zordon and even the Eltar war bears its own engaging look that must be seen to be appreciated.
Looking at Power Rangers Unlimited: Call To Darkness, the art styles change in each story. The opening chapter, set in Lord Drakkon’s universe comes across as a sort of rough sketch with colors as it is told. That is not a bad thing, either. It’s a unique touch that actually helps pull readers into the story. The anime sense returns again in the story’s second chapter involving the Hyperforce Rangers. So again readers get two art presentations that are distinct from one another and that are unique from any of the art in the stories in the 30th anniversary special. To that end, the overall art makes for just as much enjoyment in both books as the stories themselves, which again, manage somehow to interweave despite being two totally different titles.
One last item to examine from both of these books is the bonus art, speaking of art again included in the form of the alternate covers. Alternate art books can and often do cost much extra than the original art for whatever reason. So having all of the titles’ different covers in one place in each book allows true fans to have the stories all in one place along with all of the variant covers without having to pay an exorbitant price. The 30th Anniversary special is listed at only $9.99 while the other title lists at only $16.99, so again no reader will break the bank here, again making that bonus content of the variant covers all the more enjoyable. When this positive is coupled with the positive of the stories and the art in each tale, the whole therein makes the books in general surefire hits for any longtime Power Rangers fan and possible hints at where the Power Rangers universe could go from print to screen now that Dino Fury is over. That makes for all the more interest. Both titles are available now.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special and Power Rangers Unlimited: Call To Darkness are two successful new entries in the ongoing Power Rangers franchise that are certain to appeal to longtime fans. That is due in part to their stories which while separate from one another in each book, actually find one common ground. That common ground is the search for Zordon and the evil the Rita/Mistress Vile is bringing to try to take over all of the Power Rangers universes. Add in that the recent 30th anniversary Netflix special also found Billy Cranston searching for Zordon and unwittingly unleashing Rita again, and audiences cannot help but wonder if all of this ties together from screen to page to point to the next iteration of the Power Rangers. The artwork exhibited from one story to the next in each book helps develop each story’s identity and further engage audiences in each book overall. The bonus variant covers featured in the books also plays into their appeal, considering the cost of variant issues nowadays both in standalone issues and graphic novels. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of both books. All things considered they make both titles welcome additions to the libraries of any longtime Power Rangers fans.
Both titles are available now. More information on these and other titles from Boom! Studios is available at:
Website: https://boom-studios.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boomstudios
