Power Rangers Prime #16 is written by Melissa Flores and published by BOOM! Studios. Artwork is by Federico Sorressa, colours by Joana LaFuente and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art (left) is by Andrew Lee Griffith.
Power Rangers Prime #16 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
As Lauren comes to grips with the fact that her father has made a deal with the devil, the other Rangers take on the Legion Ravager, a challenge that will force them to put their differences aside and be the Rangers they truly are. Orion and Rita join forces to create their biggest magical feat yet, and we might just get a peek at Prime’s first full-fledged Zord!
Follow along to the bitter end as the Prime Rangers save Earth one last time.
Review
Today marks the end of the line for Melissa Flores’ cast of original Rangers. Sadly Power Rangers Prime is coming to an end but not before one final, epic battle for the fate of Earth. Flores is going out in style with a colourful metaphor for the timeless battle of good vs. evil and the nature of being a Power Ranger.
We could speculate at length as to why Prime is ending now, but that’s a story for another day. It certainly felt like a book which could have run for considerably longer but here we are. The opening page (seen below) feels like it could well have been added once the decision was made to bring the book to an end. It acts as a beautiful bookend which opens up a broader conversation about power, balance and connection to the Morphin Grid. That dialogue echoes throughout the final issue and helps to steer a book which was at full momentum to a satisfying end.
With that brief moment of reflection out of the way we’re right back to Angel Grove and staring down mortal danger. The Legion Ravager is moments away from arriving and it’s Ranger versus Ranger versus Trifornians. Flores has a huge task ahead to wrap up the final battle which within it has smaller conflicts between characters with Jayden, Lauren and their father equally at each other’s throats.
It’s fair to say the final issue is relentless in its pacing. No sooner has one part of the battle begun to wrap that something comes along to escalate matters further. Whether it’s the hulking Trifornian trio once they’re reunited or the monsters which herald the arrival of the Ravager. The stakes couldn’t possibly have been any higher, particularly as the battle remains hand-to-hand in the desert rather than becoming an all out mechs-versus-monster Megazord battle.
More than simply tying up loose ends Flores is giving fans a fully functioning team of Rangers. Having spent several issues apart, everyone is finally back together. They’re cooperating and working as a team like never before, cementing the Prime Rangers place as a fully-formed team in the pantheon of legendary Power Rangers history. If this is to be our final time with these characters then Flores does an awesome job of showing us them at their best. Particularly with Sorressa and LaFuente adding so much life to every panel.
When the planet-eating Ravager finally arrives on the scene Flores has inspired us enough that rather than feel like the end is nigh, it feels like a huge victory is within our grasp. Circling back to the book’s ideas of magic, self-belief and power there’s a suitably epic conclusion which allows just enough room to wrap up some key character plot lines which could easily have been left dangling with only 22 pages of story. Seeing Valentina & Orion and Jun & Mark reunited, particularly for the JunMark fans, is beautiful in bringing this chapter to an end.
For all its high stakes, huge scale action, Power Rangers Prime #16 never loses sight of what made the series captivating in the first place: its characters. The final pages are exactly what fans will have come to expect from a Power Rangers series. Rather than bringing their story to an end, Flores leaves the door wide open for more. Leaving us with a team who is ready to take on any future threats. The only plot thread left hanging is the Eltarian rule over Earth. There was no way this could be wrapped up in a single issue so we can only hope this could be dealt with in a future one-shot or miniseries.
The final page splash feels like the perfect image to leave Power Rangers Prime behind – for now – as we head into the next chapter of this franchise’s incredible life in comic books.
Verdict
Power Rangers Prime #16 is a finale that earns every one of its big moments. Flores and team go out swinging and leaving us wanting more.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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