Image Comics got their hands on the Power Rangers license and only managed this; their only Zeo comic that was going to be the first chapter of a much longer story. And then… things fell apart and we didn’t get new Power Rangers comics until the Saban Powerhouse things the following year. It’s a shame, because out of all the Rangers comics up to this point, this was probably the best of the bunch.
It does the best job of giving us a primer on our main characters without going into ten pages of pointless exposition a piece, it gives us a predicament for our heroes to overcome, and then it tosses in our A-plot of the Machine Empire ravaging Master Vile’s domain because Zedd kept the Power Coin energies and now the Rangers have to claim that power back. All the while giving Billy a plot point about the faintest possibility of his powers being restored… even though he voluntarily stepped down because he wouldn’t look good in a skirt.
The real tragedy is that this was a solid first chapter of what would’ve been a compelling little story if Image played their cards right. The plotting was good, the characters are somewhat true to form, the overall artwork is quality stuff – even if Billy has his old glasses that he stopped wearing mid-Season 2 – and it didn’t feel like the usual throwaway licensed drivel. Hell, it doesn’t even look like the roughshod crap that usually came out of Image at the time. The fact that I’ve got this much to say about this one issue says volumes about how good it is.
Maybe someday, a deal can be worked out so that the Bierbaums will be able to continue this where they left… but given the state of comics afterwards – both in terms of Power Rangers and in general – my hopes aren’t high in this regard.
dtm666 