Power Rangers Prime #1 is written by Melissa Flores and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustration is by Michael Yg, colours by Fabi Marques and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art (left) is by Dan Mora.
Power Rangers Prime #1 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology right here.
Synopsis
Power Rangers IS BACK and better than ever! Prepare yourself for PRIME: a bold new era featuring a brand-new cast of characters, excitement, and attitude! In the vein of Marvel’s The Ultimates, get ready to experience a new team, a new mentor, and a threat to Earth unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Angel Grove University students face a difficult choice after crossing paths with a fugitive straight out of legend. The consequences for hiding her are dire… but her existence may not stay a secret for long.
Groundbreaking Power Rangers writer Melissa Flores ushers the iconic Rangers Mythos into the next era of adventure, joined by acclaimed artist Michael Yg (Iron Fist) to craft an unmissable experience perfect for new readers and longtime fans alike!
Review
After a brief hiatus following the incredible “Darkest Hour” arc, the Power Rangers are back with a bombastic and completely original new series. Writer Melissa Flores comes back for more Ranger action by crafting a fresh beginning which leaves the door wide open for new possibilities. For the first time we’re stepping away from the Mighty Morphin era and it couldn’t be a more exciting time to join the party…
If there’s one criticism of BOOM!’s incredible run on Power Rangers over the past few years it’s the focus on Mighty Morphin and those characters. In fairness they’re the most recognisable and high profile Rangers. Particularly to readers of the books who grew up with the show in the 90’s. Whilst the books have incorporated the second wave of Rangers – Rocky, Adam and Aisha – it never even reached to Katherine, the second Pink Ranger who joined the series in 1995 despite her status as a fan-favourite character. Though Flores (and others) would include characters from other incarnations of the show as supporting players or in one-shots, it was definitely time for BOOM! to embrace the full 30 year history of the franchise.
There certainly hasn’t been a story in Power Rangers comics as original as Prime #1. It’s clear right out of the gate that Flores is writer her own rulebook at this stage and the book feels all the more exciting because of it. Though the time period is yet to be explicitly stated it seems that Power Rangers: Prime is set in an alternate future. One where the Eltarians arrived on Earth in the past to stop an alien invasion and stayed behind. Having now colonised the planet, offering humanity access to their technology, the Eltarians now covertly rule over the planet. On face value Earth appears to be a shining utopia but it doesn’t take long to see that perhaps there’s more than meets the eye…
READ MORE: A New Age of Rangers in First Look at POWER RANGERS PRIME #1
Flores is tapping in to a different style for Power Rangers. In this alternate future the Rangers are a myth buried in the past. Their existence appears to be a matter of great importance to the Eltarians, something they’re trying very hard to keep away from the public conscious. Any reasons for this are a complete mystery coming out of issue #1 with Flores keeping her cards very close to her chest. Power Rangers is taking a leaf out of the Marvel Ultimate and now DC Absolute playbook by radically reinventing whilst also keeping a slow burn approach to its reveals.
We enter Flores’ world through the eyes of a familiar face, Power Rangers Samurai character Lauren Shiba. Lauren’s inclusion confirms that Prime isn’t necessarily rewriting the entirety of Power Rangers history. It provides connection to the past whilst avoiding the series previous dedication to Mighty Morphin. After a tussle with Eltarian forces, Lauren is left injured and eventually found by our other main character, Mark. Mark is a half-human who keeps Lauren safe. Through him we learn about the current mythical status of the Rangers. We’re also introduced to Jun, the son of one of Eltar’s most decorated military leaders.
Power Rangers Prime #1 is very much a world-building issue. So whilst Lauren, Mark and Jun are all introduced to us there’s not too many time dedicated to exploring their characters. Through them we instead examine opposing viewpoints of the Eltarian’s presence on Earth. The juxtaposition of the shining utopia versus the authoritarian policing of the streets certainly sets up strong potential for future storytelling.
Michael Yg is an incredible choice of artist to tackle a Power Rangers book. Yg’s artwork takes on heavy anime influence which strongly lends itself to the roots of the franchise. Beyond that, Flores’ script calls for a visually dynamic landscape which steps well beyond the small number of locations from any of the Power Rangers TV series. Yg is able to capture the scale of the Angel Grove on this Earth, including its Eltarian influence. But the emotion and the characters inhabiting the city are equally well rendered making this an engaging first issue with the turn of every page.
Verdict
Power Rangers Prime owe#1 presents a bold new direction for the franchise. Melissa Flores is throwing off the shackles of 30 years of storytelling and forging her own path. This opening chapter presents an unpredictable and enticing first look at a world of possibilities with no major hints as to the direction of travel. Side-stepping the various TV versions of the colour-coded heroes has reinvigorated the Power Rangers in ways I could not have anticipated.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
