Ranger Academy #10 is written by Maria Ingrande Mora and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustration is by Jo Mi-Gyeong, colours by Joana Lafuente and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art (left) is by Miguel Mercado.
Rangers Academy #10 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The final arc of Ranger Academy continues as Sage and her friends search for Tula, but Sage has a tearful reunion in store for her that she wasn’t prepared for.
Meanwhile, Sage also learns dark secrets about her birth parents as well her own past, which starts to pull some pieces of the puzzle together…
Review
BOOM! Studios’ only current ongoing series in the Power Rangers Universe continues its final arc today. But whilst I might not be ready for Ranger Academy to come to an end, there’s no denying just how much momentum the series has picked up. Today’s brand new issue marks another turning point with secrets revealed, relationships shattered and plans made for a final stand off with Dark Specter.
We pick up in issue #10 with Sage and the rest of the gang arriving on Vaela to confront Sage’s father. There’s plenty of room for banter between the students as they reminisce on the last time Mathis tried to land there. It’s a full circle moment, one of several which hammer home both the plot and character development across the series. Arriving on Vaela the group is surprised to find Tula there ready and waiting for them. It’s a moment which resolves the cliffhanger from last night. Whilst it’s a little convenient, it makes sense for the plot that Tula would come here having learned of Rhianth’s involvement in the events at the academy.
For a while now Ranger Academy has been building to the reunion of Sage and Rhianth. When the moment finally comes writer Maria Ingrande Mora treats it with the perfect amount of reverence. Sage’s emotional outburst feels in keep with the character’s actions so far and the release in the moment is well earned. This feels like a huge moment for Sage’s character, what’s surprising is that the reunion is only the beginning. Mora takes Sage on a huge arc just in this issue alone. The entire of Ranger Academy has been one big arc but this issue is so challenging for Sage. Mora is able to build in a really rewarding ending to issue #10 for readers who have stuck with the book. As the truth comes out there’s a chance for Sage to show how far they’ve come across ten issues and that development is evident and really appreciated.
The revelations come thick and fast across issue #10. First Rhianth explains to the students the full story of what happened during his time at the academy. The truth of what Dark Specter did to access the Morphin Grid is pretty shocking. Hats off to Mora for not holding back on exposing what Specter is capable of. Ranger Academy has felt like a younger skewing book so seeing this kind of respect for the reader’s intelligence is great. The pacing is such that Sage is allowed a little time to let all this new information sink in before drawing the book to a close. Mora gives enough to setup a return to the academy and a potential weapon for the team to use in the fight against Dark Specter.
This group has covertly become an un-morphed team of Rangers and I think what we’re building to here is the moment they show that to the world. The sense of excitement going in to the penultimate and final issue is high and does leave me wondering where these characters may show up next…
Verdict
Ranger Academy takes a moment to step away from the action and set itself up for a grand finale by exposing some of its biggest secrets. Issue #10 has some huge emotional stakes for Sage and the payoff is incredibly rewarding for the audience.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
