But What About The Other PR Comics?

I’ve touched on this briefly… and I’ll continue to touch on this briefly because not much is known about either book beyond what little nuggets have been given to use from pressers. All we know is that there’s a new Power Rangers Unlimited series and a new Power Rangers Green series… because we can’t just call it The Adventures Of Jason David Frank Tommy Oliver and just straight make it clear who the star of this series is. Get over yourselves, folks. You’re not that clever in your naming conventions… or your Ranger designs… or your Megazord kitbashing… or your plot devices… or your… wait, what was I talking about?

Right now, very little is known about the new Unlimited book other than it’s an anthology of sorts spanning the different series. Considering the take that Boom has on these series, it’s all just window dressing to introduce whatever fanfic redesigns they want to introduce. Fill in the blanks like any good fanfiction would, but I guess it’s official canon until it isn’t.

As for the Green book, the JDF wet dream of TOMMY VERSUS THE UNIVERSE RAR?!! “If only he had been around to see it happen and wish he had been a part of it” would be the only response I’d have to this thing. Hell, it’s the only response I’d have to any of this, other than the eternal questioning of whatever happened to the Legend Of The White Dragon that was supposed to have come out years ago and is still apparently stuck in limbo?

Now I rag on these because I feel like it… but if they somehow make it work, then kudos. I’ve seen comics with bad idea on paper that somehow work. It’s just that given Boom’s prior output in the realm of Power Rangers – despite the critical and commercial acclaim – doesn’t inspire much confidence. Hopefully, I’m proven wrong and these turn out great. I’m more than willing to give each one a shot when it comes around.

Further Ruminations About This New MMPR Comic Book

Yes, I have more thoughts on this MMPR comic book thing that’s coming up. For those who need a refresher, I did a couple posts on this previously, which you can read here and here.

Long story short, BOOM is rebooting MMPR with older Rangers and rather than follow the template established by the Johnson/Hotson miniseries The Return, you’re getting this other thing where the Rangers are older, are fighting a new threat who’s also named Rita and looks like the old Rita, and are wearing new knock-off costumes you’d find on the packaging of those cheap, imitation action figures you’d find in cheapo shops. It just occurred to me that the people behind this new reboot are the same folks who brought you that Beyond The Grid storyline, which is apparently critically praised because it checks a few boxes in certain places, but really came across as really shitty fanfiction… which is saying something considering I used to dabble in my fair share of it. (Which will return in some form or fashion because I hate you all, apparently… just watch.) However, shitty fanfiction can be dropped and forgotten about because it doesn’t count; this thing, however, was part of Boom’s mainline MMPR series and rather than focus on those characters, we’re focused on some mishmash of stuff… and ultimately, this was the storyline that convinced me to drop off the Boom Comics train.

Though, if I’m being fair, I was already on the verge of dropping the series after the whole Shattered Grid thing, which I was never a fan of. And despite a couple attempts to jump back into it here and there, the series didn’t land for me and I just moved on to something, like replays of old episodes on Youtube once the deal with Netflix went up.

There’s a contingent of fans who are no doubt tired of the MMPR saturation of product. Let’s explore other seasons that seldom few people outside of the hardcores will care about. I think I’ve said this before, but if not, I’ll say it here. The reason MMPR often gets the spotlight is because it’s the most recognizable of the seasons. It ran longer, it had a movie under its belt, it had the most popularity, and even years after that run had concluded and we were dabbling in more narratively-complex seasons, there’s always that vocal section who want to return to that original crew, bring them back together for one last rodeo or something like that.

I’ve got no issues with them bringing back MMPR. Would I prefer they explore other seasons? Sure… preferably, I’d rather they focus on the season that’s currently on television to raise awareness for that… except we don’t have that now.

So yes, bad costumes, tired plot concept, and written by a crew that drove me off the comic years ago… I suppose everyone deserves another chance… maybe.

New/Old MMPR… Eh…

Source: https://comicbook.com/comics/news/new-mighty-morphin-power-rangers-series-confirms-major-time-jump-and-a-returning-villain/

So your new MMPR comic thing is going to be a time jump thing where the Rangers are older, doing their own thing, but have to get back together to fight off against another Rita Repulsa type thing who isn’t actually Rita Repulsa, but a knock-off Rita because… fuck.

You know, I’ve soured on the Boom stuff after the whole Shattered Grid thing. It felt like reading someone’s shitty fanfiction, except you actually had to pay money for it. And I’ve read a lot of shitty fanfiction; I’ve written a bunch of shitty fanfiction. And you know what? I actually didn’t mind that Prime series because, hey, it’s trying something different and that’s what they needed was a new take on familiar material since that’s all they really want to do is take the toybox, shuffle these things up, and mash them up in a new narrative that isn’t bound by what came before. I was fine with that. Hell, just the fact that they dragged the VR Troopers out of mothballs and actually made a compelling series out of them gave me just a little bit of hope that maybe – just maybe – Boom was going to deliver a genuine quality Power Rangers series.

And then that gets shitcanned in favor of this pseudo-future thing where they redesigned the costumes to look like shitty dollar store knock-off toys. They produce a preview for a story that doesn’t inspire much hope it’s going to be offer anything new to the table. It feels like rehash and change for the sake of it rather than… why am I even bothering?

The really sad thing is that Boom already had a viable MMPR product that could be expanded upon. It’s called The Return. There’s no reason why you couldn’t cook up a deal to have OG Pinky Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, and others get together and whip up a follow-up to that series, especially since that last issue left the door open for further adventures. And look, I’ll be frank; The Return is the best thing to come out of Boom’s Power Rangers comic output in years. It was a good, solid reunion story, the art was fantastic, the characters were fleshed out, and it felt like a fresh take that was both familiar and new. If you had decided to make a new series that continued where The Return left off, hell yeah, I’d be on board with this.

This thing, on the other hand? I’m not exactly sold on it. It feels like a rehash with liberal needless changes made for the sake of changes. Not to mention, aren’t people sick and tired of more MMPR rehashes? Granted, it’s the one with the most mainstream recognition. It’s usually the first thing anyone thinks of when the words “Power Rangers” come up, but I also hear talk about how they need to move on from this or that or whatever the case may be.

Yeah, anyone remember Samurai? Anyone remember Megafarce? Rehashes of Mighty Morphin in all but name and even the ones after that basically reuse elements of MMPR (no more unique morphing calls, some variation of Go Go Power Rangers in the theme song, etc.). Even when they’re not doing MMPR, they’re still doing MMPR. You simply cannot get away from it.

Personally, I don’t care. If they want to do MOAR MMPR, then have at it. Would be nice if they tried something else… in fact, they did try something else and it was good, but now it’s ending because… fuck knows.

Eh… whatever. Doesn’t matter. Going to bed. Bye.

COMIC REVIEW – MMPR: Zord Quest #1

Zord Quest is a story that treads on fairly familiar territory; after an incident separates the Rangers, each one goes through their own personal trial to prove their worth as heroes in order to overcome the latest monster of the day from Lord Zedd. Chances are you’ve seen some variation of this story when it was called Alien Rangers and the little kid Rangers each went on their own personal journey to recover a piece of Zeo Crystal that would set up the next incarnation of Power Rangers.

Zord Quest almost follows that same template, but doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s a one-shot story that gets resolved quickly. The trials that the individual Rangers go through serve only to reinforce their teamwork and apply their newly learned lessons to use in order to defeat the latest monster of the week. The trials themselves are resolved fairly quickly with no real substance behind it. There’s a sense that Zord Quest wants to say something, but fails to actually say anything.

On top of that, the continuity snafus are hard to ignore. The story supposedly takes place during the second season (or Year Two, as the book calls it), but they’re still using the Dinozords, which were mostly inactive and replaced with the Thunderzords. (Funny how all these MMPR Boom comics that wasn’t their main series always default to using the old Megazords and not the later ones despite timeline placement.) Lord Zedd is at least the main baddy. but his characterization is inconsistent with what was established during that time. It’s a story that neither fits with TV or comic continuity and as someone who followed this franchise since the very beginning, things like this do grate a bit.

Still, I’d be hard-pressed to call this bad. At worst, it’s a fairly ho-hum story with some questionable continuity snafus that almost harken back to the Hamilton Comics days, but on the other hand, it’s also straightforward in its storytelling that leads to the very obvious resolution and on that count alone, it’s more than fine. I do appreciate the much grittier artwork that’s at least a fair departure from the usual bland artwork that I’ve seen in some of these Mighty Morphin comics during that series run. It’s not quite perfect.

Zord Quest doesn’t offer much in terms of substance or anything that hasn’t been done before, but it makes for a quick read if you’ve got nothing better to do and can forgive the continuity gaffes. I’d call this “merely okay” and move right along.

Do You Even Want Me To Say Anything?

Yes, Boom Studios is going back to the Mighty Morphin well with their next series. I know people are tired of it about as much as I’m tired of media’s phallic obsession with mining multiverse fodder… which is also getting another series because of course it is.

Yes, those costumes look hideous. Almost like something that a bootleg toy maker would come up with for the packaging of their bootleg Super Sentai and/or Power Rangers toys. And I’ve never been a big fan of these comics’ attempts at new Ranger suits.

And yes… there is another Tommy-centric series coming up as – get this – the last Ranger in the universe. The JDF wet dream is finally coming to fruition.

You want to know the really sad thing about all this? I was actually enjoy the new Prime comic and am a bit sad that it’s coming to an end.

Evan Richards got it right. Comic books do indeed suck.

 

DTM Archives Collection – Power Rangers Time Force Game Reviews

Twenty-five years ago, the very first episode of Power Rangers Time Force aired on Fox Kids. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers’ ninth season, here’s a compilation of all three console/handheld video game reviews that I’ve done. There’s also a Windows version that’s just a collection of minigames and presumably far too costly to purchase a copy as well as presumably a pain in the ass to try and run on today’s computer systems. PC Master Race my ass.

New Power Rangers Disney Force Coming In 2027… Meh

Source: https://www.superherohype.com/news/646913-power-rangers-disney-tv-show-release-date-reboot

For those who don’t want to click a link, the largely unknown Power Rangers reboot is allegedly due to see release sometime in 2027, with shooting to start in March and a massive promotional campaign to follow. With Super Sentai coming to an end, this enables the reboot to become its own thing rather than recycle material from another franchise.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, a fresh start is probably the way to go if you’re not going to continue what came before and you really want to put your own stamp on this thing. On the other hand, though, it’s going to be a Disney+ co-production, which is a massive red flag considering how their involvement pretty much killed Doctor Who for me. Granted, there was never a point where I felt a reboot had any hope, but anything involving Disney these days is going to be the kiss of death.

I hope I’m wrong. I want to give this thing a chance… but I’ll wait until reliable word of mouth and not the usual white noise proves that this is something I’d actually want to watch. Otherwise… well, there’s plenty of old Power Rangers that I haven’t watched yet. Maybe I should give that a shot.

Super Sentai Ends In 2026

Source: https://comicbookmovie.com/sci_fi/power-rangers/toei-officially-confirms-50-year-super-sentai-saga-concludes-in-2026-a225228

The end of Super Sentai after fifty long years is nigh… and I’m not quite sure what to think. I figured that it would survive in some form or fashion without the Power Rangers partnership, but I didn’t think that it would also die off. I know that PR isn’t technically dead because Hasbro is going to milk that thing for all it’s worth, but we went from three decades of consistent product to nothing and it’s been a shithole ever since.

Yes, there are rumors of this and that, but until something substantial happens and not just some random hack writer’s fantasy sways at Screen Rant being passed off as actual news, there is no reason for me to believe that this franchise is dead and buried. Hell, Boom’s fancy new Prime series is supposedly coming to an end after sixteen issues and no word on what comes afterwards, if anything comes at all.

I wish I could be more upbeat about this, but right now, it seems like all we have to look forward to whatever Hasbro can squeeze out of those Mighty Morphin Member Berries for all their worth. Folks hoping that we’d go beyond that point had better get comfortable. You’re probably gonna get more MMPR whether you want it or not. Gone are the days when a WWE wrestler pulls down another WWE wrestler’s pants to reveal that they’re wearing Power Rangers Time Force underwear. That ain’t happening anymore. Now they’ll be wearing Ptera Ranger socks or something.

Eh… whatever. I’ve got the old shit to rewatch on Youtube… and the DVDs… I’m feeling fine right now.

Re-Ignition On Netflix

In dabbling the Netflix for my one-month stay on the service, I noticed that they still have the old MMPR episodes. For reference, this is Netflix Canada; not sure about the US, but the only things left on the service are the three seasons of MMPR, Beast Morphers, and the Dino/Cosmic Fury package… oh, and Once And Always is there too.

Curiously, they’ve replaced the 2010 reversioned MMPR run with the “new” Re-Ignition episodes. For those who don’t know, Re-Ignition is Hasbro’s latest recycling of the first season of MMPR; apparently upscaled to HD with AI hackery and with each episode having a tacked on “Mighty Morphin Minute” at the end of each episode featuring some poor voiceover dude trying so hard to be hip and cool to the younguns and failing miserably. I hope he got paid regardless. Anyway, Netflix has all sixty episodes of Season 1 under this Re-Ignition gimmick while Youtube is still at Episode 54 (the Trick Or Treat episode… one of a number of Halloween-themed episodes in MMPR was uploaded in the first week of December.)

So for those who are indifferent towards this whole rebranding thing, rejoice! There’s only six more episodes to go before this thing closes up shop and chances are we never talk about this again unless Hasbro decides to go full bore with this thing because it’s cheaper than putting out a brand-new show from scratch.

This is where I’m reduced to when talking about Power Rangers these days.

Damn, that’s depressing…

The Mandalorian Is The Reverse Turbo

In 1995, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie hit theaters; essentially a higher budget version of the Power Rangers television show with a much different tone from the usual fare. Two years later, the franchise got a second theatrical release – Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. This was more in line with the television product and not quite as high end. Minus some bits where a bit more money was spent in places, it could have aired as an extended television episode.

That’s the same feeling I got with the recently announced Mandalorian & Grogu movie that’s due next year… which feels like an extended episode of the Mandalorian show that people really liked (and I was on board with too… until they brought in out-of-shape Boba Fett and CG Luke Skywalker into the mix.) Honestly, there’s nothing about the trailer that has me genuinely excited about this thing… which, I suppose, is par for the course with a modern Disney production.

There used to be a time when a new Star Wars movie felt like an event… something that got people excited to look forward to, even if the final product ended up being less than what came before. Now it’s just a thing that happens and everyone goes “meh.”

How did we get to that point?