Power Rangers – Page 6

Bought The MMPR Archives Volume 1 Collection

For those who don’t know, Boom Studios just released the first volume of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Archives comic collection, which is supposed to collect all the previously published comics from ages ago. Volume 1 collects all the Hamilton Comics series (6 Volume 1 issues, 4 Volume 2 issues, and 3 issues of a retelling of the TV show that was unfinished due to the license running out) as well as most of the Marvel Comics output (both their MMPR comic and their secondary Ninja Rangers run.)

For what it’s worth, it’s a pretty neat compilation with the artwork mostly unaltered (covers were changed to remove publisher logos and such) and the quality of the prints being clean for the most part. I bought this digitally for roughly 20 bucks, but I wouldn’t mind coming across an actual physical book if I can find one.

Anyway, having a collection on hand is spurred the idea of trying to look at some of these comics individually and doing quick little write-ups on each issue. It’s certainly worth thinking about.

DTM Comics – Han Vs. Tommy (A Star Wars/PR Crossover)

Tommy spots Chewbacca and immediately assume it’s one of Rita’s monsters. He tries to morph, but gets shot in the head by Han Solo because he always shoots first.

Always.

Soul Of The Dragon: Kyle Higgins' Tommy Wankfest Continues

So Boom Studios recently announced another Power Rangers comic book and wouldn’t you know it; it’s yet another Tommy-centric comic book written by Kyle Higgins. Oh boy, because clearly we haven’t had enough of the Tommy Wankfest from Mr. Higgins, what with the alt-universe “Evil Tommy” bad guy that reeks of unoriginal fanficcy tripe (we’ve all done that bit, even me).

I was fine with the focus when the book started because the transitional period of the Green Ranger and the addition of a new member of the team was something that was never really touched on. And then you toss in an alternate universe ruled by an evil Ranger that everyone knew was an evil Tommy because of course it was. And then we had to find a way to keep that worthless character around and make him the central villain of a major comic event.

Look, I’m going to reserve judgment on the whole Shattered Grid thing until it reaches its eventual conclusion and I’d imagine I’m probably going back to the beginning of the series and giving some quick thoughts on each chapter. And this older Tommy comic might give me a couple chuckles here or there (though to be honest; I’ve been that road as well, so that’s not quite original territory, either.)

But I’m warning you folks; if the end of Shattered Grid isn’t Kyle Higgins inserting himself into the story and giving Jason Frank a blowjob, then all the hype would’ve have been for nothing.

A Glimpse Into Past Fanwankery

A piece of troubled teenhood, when my days in high school were spent doodling quick little comics with such silly concepts and ideas as a crossover between Street Fighter characters and Power Rangers characters. The artwork, as seen above depicting Ryu freeing a Ranger from Bison’s energy tube thing, is crude and the story is perhaps more so, but it’s not a far-fetched idea from what’s being done with the phone game now.

And then I went ahead and turned it into an absurd fanfic that was eventually posted to the world and stuff. The funny thing was that at some point, I actually did try to piece together a more “serious” story that crossed over the universes of the Street Fighter II animated movie with the first MMPR feature film in a situation that allowed for a little more leeway than trying to work within the constrains of the bloated universes the source material became, but it never really went beyond the first couple chapters and even then… not much there to go on.

Maybe someday, I might post those up here if I still have them. I doubt that I do, but hey, something extra for the blog, I suppose.

No More Saban Brands

Source article here.

TLDR (am I doing that right?): Saban Brands closes its doors July 2nd.

Well, you knew the Hasbro deal had to come to this. And given that Saban Brands existed solely for the sake of getting Power Rangers off Disney and try to make it viable in the interim years before the recent acquisition, I don’t think it was any surprise that this company would not last long beyond that. Sucks for the guys and gals getting laid off as a result and I do wish them all the best in whatever future endeavors they pursue.

That having been said, this DOES put a lot into question what happens to a lot of the older stuff they do own, such as the Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, and that Next Mutation series. Is Shell-Shocked once again going to be the only semblance of Saban’s Ninja Turtles the world is going to see come July?

I shudder to think.

There Are Them Street Fighters In Power Rangers: Legacy Wars… WTF

So, first off… I already did the Street Fighter/Power Rangers crossover ages ago. Actually, I did it TWICE. Once in a comic form and another in a prose fanfic form that mocked the whole idea.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way… um, yeah, why is this even a thing?

Look, I dig the Legacy Wars game. I didn’t think I would because of the lack of single-player experience and the chances of having to be online all the time means I won’t be playing this thing on long road trips, but it’s a fun little diversion regardless. That having been said, I don’t know why this game needed Street Fighter characters to “spice up” the roster when you still have a whole bunch of pre-existing Rangers, grunts, villains, and whatnots that still haven’t got a chance to shine.

I’m sure somewhere down the line, I might make a grab at one or two of them if they’re not that out of reach, but really, why is this even a thing?

About The Hasbro Deal…

So I suppose I should offer my five-cents on the news regarding Hasbro’s acquisition of the entire Power Rangers brand from Saban and what my thoughts are on the matter. I could offer my thoughts on the matter, but the only thought that comes to mind is… meh.

I suppose there are concerns going forward. After all, the brand has changed hands twice before and the change in leadership has somehow degraded the overall product even further down. The Disney-era stuff started off well enough despite early misgivings before falling somewhat off the rails and while I haven’t seen enough of the current “Neo-Saban” line of products to form a solid opinion, what little I have seen hasn’t given me much hope.

I guess there is something of a cautious optimism and perhaps even hope for the best in that Hasbro will bring the brand to bigger heights. I’d like to think that, given the numerous properties under their belt, they’ll treat the brand as well as they did those, for whatever that’s worth, of course. I mean, they got a new logo that looks current yet slick. They’ve got a new season based on a somewhat ancient Super Sentai series that has something of a unique look. It’s a promising start, if nothing else.

In any event, I shall wait and see where this leads. And then I either praise them to the heavens or damn them to hell.

Or, you know, I’ll just shrug my shoulders and move on with my life.

Discounted Daggers

A recent trip to a Toys R Us store where walls of Dragon Daggers are on sale for half their original price. I thought the Green Ranger was supposed to be the popular one. Surely, his merchandise should be selling out like hot cakes.