LAST TIME ON MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS - So idk if you know this but the Power Rangers have these giant battle vehicles called Zords. And the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Zords are pretty famous in particular for their arrival footage, where every time the Rangers summon them, the show replay the same footage of them driving or flying to Angel Grove from various landscapes, such as a desert, a jungle, and a volcano, to name a few. But where are those places where the Zords rest? Does anyone else know they're there? Does Kimberly cause devastating damage to the local ecosystem via volcanic explosion every time she calls upon her Pterodactyl? Let's find out!
It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Zord Quest!
= Oh Billy oh Billy I'm so so sorry what this franchise has done to you. THIS is you, not the secluded bearded breaking-the-Grid-accidentally-killing-people version
= Who was the fucking freak up in the Moon Palace who insisted on giving the axolotl lady boobs
= Alpha's not referring to them possibly not surviving hostile environments not meant for human exploration he's just referring to them having to meet with his extended family
= Kind of an odd topic to bring up but remember when I said I didn't buy Rita in Power Rangers Prime being 2016 Rita despite the nods to 2016 Rita's lore because I assumed that's just what the general lore for Rita would be from now on? Zordon being in his Guardian uniform here is basically what I mean by that. I really don't see stuff like Rita's mother being killed by Vile or Zordon being a Supreme Guardian of Eltar as indications of a story being set in 2016 canon anymore so much as just those story elements being the unanimously accepted backstories for these characters from now on, for better or for worse
= Obviously the headline lore reveal of this book: where each Zord is stationed! It's been well established that the Zords hang out around the world but this is the first time they've named specific places. Every location chosen is great and makes sense, going so far as to establish that some of these Zords made these environments in the first place, and it's that level of grounded, real-world-application to Power Rangers I missed from these books as they've gone more and more fantastical sci-fi over the years
= Another fun addition to the lore: the Beta units! Little guys that stay with the Zords and only activate under this Sanctuary Protocol to test the users' worth. This isn't the first time BOOM has made alternate Alphas but it is a surprise that it's only really happened once before this (I guess twice if you count Finster-5)
= FINSTER!!!!!! MAKE THE AXOLOTL WOMAN'S BOOBS BIGGER!!!!!!!!!!
= There were some mutterings over this book using the MMPR Zords while also featuring Zedd but personally this very clear set-up into Tommy becoming White Ranger and leader down the line is enough to justify it. Sometimes consistent character development takes precedence over the pedantics of a show that was constantly squandering with how to work with increasingly unavailable footage, guys
= This weapons program for the Dragonzord being put on a floppy disc seems to support this book being set in the 90s but at the same time I like to imagine Power Rangers being sorta like Star Wars in that their fancy sci-fi tech uses retro aesthetics even in modern day. It just feels right. Now don't make a call while in the Command Center or else everything will shut down
= I know I've been hyping up Kim dying in a volcano these past couple of weeks but maybe actually Zack nearly freezing to death in the snow was worse. Beta buddy can you fucking do something here
= take a moment to think of just.....flexibility, love, and trust.....
= That "inappropriate." panel is the funniest moment of the book and 100% deserved
= Anyway I know it looks like Kim is falling to her death but the lesson she has to learn is oh wait no I'm fucking awesome at everything I do and that's really funny to me
= Imagine being one of the Rangers risking your life to prove your worth in an active volcano or snow-covered wasteland and you hear all Billy had to do was chill in his Zord until you were done. Personally I'd be pissed as hell
= Between the 2017 movie and now this it's always Kim and Billy getting up to the most insane shit with their Zords
= The Rangers being divided into their respective trios is a cute touch, and also show-accurate Tomberly height difference is always extremely appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
= Kim and Tommy in the back getting snuggly away from everyone GOD even in the book where they don't really interact they still have to be disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS COMICS: There was like a whole thing with Lauren and Rita and making a Ranger team under Eltarian fascism but then we solved that fascism by beating up a giant worm? And the VR Troopers were there? idk. But that's all done and now our new era of Power Rangers comics has officially begun!
Now as usual for these comics, we really have no idea where this stands in terms of continuity; we SEEM to be starting fresh in a new universe, not connected to the show or 2016 canon, but you never know with these comics sometimes.
But the only way to find out is to read it for ourselves, so let's get to it! It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2026) #1!
= Rita Rabiosa is so excited to see a rainbow. Happy Pride everybody
= I was going to make fun of Kim for immediately noticing Tommy was gone but then I realized "where's Tommy????" is also my immediate question when I see OG 5-only stuff
= Between The Return and this series the MMPR girls just love to jumpscare their friends with Surprise Baby. Also Trini denying getting married is an interesting note. Trini you WILL finally be a lesbian
= Most importantly after all this time Minh and Kimberly FINALLY get to interact!!!!!!! Kim finally gets to be the aunt of her best friend's child!!!!! Why was it so hard to establish a relationship between them good GOD
= I don't know what's funnier: Billy wanting to put the baby in Alpha's head or everyone deciding that putting a baby in Alpha's head is preferable to giving her to Bulk and Skull
= Kim's the only one having any fun here
= (Interestingly their new suits aren't commented on. We do see their original suits in flashbacks and obviously their Zords are the same, so we'll have to see if Billy explains these new suits next issue or if we just have to roll with them.)
= Rita Rabiosa supports Pride, she's singlehandedly taking down Silicon Valley and AI data centers.....idk maybe we need to hear her out
= There's something really funny and interesting how Rita's clearly guilt-tripping everyone with their personal insecurities and anxieties and for Kim she's just like damn you really want to kill again huh.
= You leave this man alone for five minutes and he goes and self-exiles himself to Dinosaur Planet
LAST TIME ON MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - Splash pages! Splash pages galore!! Serpentera combined with the Technodrome! The MMPR/Usagi Yojimbo crossover is canon! Splinter is now the White Ranger! There's no way we can have even MORE reveals in the finale issue of this crossover series, can we????
ha ha.
It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #5!
= What's up girl. Unfortunately you don't really do much in here besides be sequel bait (in.....a finale issue???????) but it's still nice to have you back in the PR franchise after nearly thirty years
= It's kinda funny how a lot of this book comes off like a redo of Ryan's time on MMPR. First it was a Zedd powerup, now it's Zordon getting a legit body again. (Not in a bad way btw, Super Zedd is by FAR a better execution of the concept, for instance.) And sorry to the mainline Zordon but this Zordon actually gets to keep his body at the end! If only you were friends with mutant turtles and thus had access to their alien dimension technology
= Probably the worst thing about this particular series is while it's clearly being stuffed to the gills to give it a big hyped finale, the actual emotion and character stuff peters out until it's practically nonexistant, despite the emotional core here being better than II's. Like....the other turtles don't even get to learn Splinter, their DEAD DAD, is alive and a Ranger onscreen. This is literally the first time we see them in the issue and they're already talking about Splinter being alive like it's old news lol
= Battle of the Toxic Ex-Boyfriends
(also see what I mean by Super Zedd being a better execution of the Zedd power-up concept than it happened in the 2016 series. GOD that design rocks.)
= the Dimension X Rangers got Zords before the Prime Rangers did. that's just embarrassing
= Yeah sure we'll pretend the White Light can do that
= anyway Billy's on a dragon now
= I'm ngl while I totally get making the Usagi crossover canon to this series..............I don't really think it NEEDED to happen. It just ended up another Big Thing that happened that looked cool but filled page space that could have gone to more character work. Usagi himself doesn't even show up in this issue lol
= Guys I get that this is a big deal to you but can you MOVE so Venus can talk to other girls
= tragic: for all my hype over Kim/Tommy/Raphael Tommy's true turtle love seemed to be Leonardo in the end
= Despite everything....I teared up. the East Coast and the West Coast really CAN find love together
LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS PRIME: Happy last issue! It's been a fun uhhhh three issues? with Trey of Triforia and his giant worm friend but he's turned Mr. Shiba evil and about to destroy the world so we should probably do something about that.
It's the finale, Power Rangers Prime #16!
= What if this whole series was just Rita's Ranger self-insert fanfic while she's stuck in the Dumpster
= THE RETURN OF THE BIGASS SWORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly this whole series was worth it just to see this guy again. I Am Not Immune to Nostalgia (if it's nostalgia I personally like).
= .......sure, I guess that's a thing Trey can do. Maybe it's more Worm Power because GOD KNOWS that does not get a HINT of elaboration.
= and oop Rita that's awfully intolerant of you :/ maybe not ALL Triforians are evil :/
= oooooh Mr. Shiba you're just soooooooo scary why don't you try and get me with a magical seal that doesn't work if I'm wearing a scarf
= As I've posted before, yeah, the "Prime Rangers' first Zord" is in fact just Teezee in a new form. I won't go too far into it here since I already have in other posts, but to summarize - unfortunately I think this design is kind of ugly and uncanny (why does he have human-like proportions?? why does he have HANDS) and his previous big design in the first arc was way better. Obviously it just being Teezee in and of itself is disappointing, as that's the nail in the coffin for the possibility of a last-minute Prime Megazord or even just Prime ZORDS, but it really doesn't help that he doesn't look good lol
= lowkey Jayden was the best part of this final arc and I'm not afraid to say it. LOOK AT HIM GO WITH HIS BIGASS SWORD
= anyway Rita and Orion are able to summon a portal that sends Ravager and Trey away to who knows where because this whole plotline was essentially Fantastic Four: First Steps but the REAL evil has ACTUALLY arrived
= STAY AWAY FROM HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VALENTINA GET WITH LAUREN NOW
= thanks boys. I wasn't really invested in your romance but points for trying to distract us from the hetero nonsense
= hahahahahahaha yeah sure the COP who LOCKED UP REFUGEES has the right to tell the incarcerated boy how he should feel about the species that's oppressed him and hunted him go to HELL Ryan
= So while this issue does a decent job at wrapping up the open plot threads as best as it can, probably the biggest one left dangling is the Eltarians and their hold over Earth, as admittedly their whole thing would have been way too much to solve in an issue or two (which is why they should have just been the final antagonists for this instead of inexplicable Trey appearance, but whatever). These panels seem to imply that while the Eltarians still have control over Earth, they'll at least loosen their grip enough to work with Rangers. Which isn't.......great, but I guess it's something. We've unlocked the Not As Fascist As You Could Have Been ending, hoorday!!!!!!!
= "...so stop whining about MMPR getting focus over every other team. I don't care if you personally don't like MMPR, it sells the best!"
= So fun fact, the artist Federico Sorressa has posted on his Instagram that Samurai Red is his favorite Power Ranger. So him putting Jayden ahead of everybody like he's the main character and Rita waaaaaaay in the back is so valid
LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS PRIME: So all the Prime Rangers are just kinda hanging around doing their own thing not really a team yet even after thirteen issues. Your series got cancelled, guys! You have three issues left! Lock tf in! They've been slacking off so much that Trey of Triforia is taking it upon himself to actually move the plot along. Wait, who?
It's Power Rangers Prime #14!
= Rita/Orion is a pair that probably would be more interesting to dive into if we simply had more time (as for one thing this issue still doesn't answer why exactly Orion wants to learn magic) - that's the power of Green/Pink, baby
= Valentina she's clearly trying to ask you out on a date. She's even white and blonde! Just your type!!!!!!
= The Prime Rangers' morph call is so bad it made "Go Go Samurai" sound fresh and unique
= Also idk Valentina morphing just to stop a presumed run of the mill robber doesn't feel very "under wraps" if you know what I mean
= I'd say it's nice that ONE Prime Ranger gets to have a decent resolution to their plotline before the series ends but I still have a hard time believing Mr. Shiba dying isn't a canon event. Sorry man but we have to pretend wanting revenge against the Eltarians is bad so your odds of Redemption Via Heroic Sacrifice are pretty high
= I actually like this design for Jun over his intro arc one, tbh. like idk the buzzcut is more of a unique look than the full head of hair and I always thought his og outfit was kind of silly lmao
= would you still love me if I was a worm about to eat the Earth
= So some lore dumps about the worm, aka the "Legion Ravager." I'll give the book that they're clearly doing their best to set this thing up as a Legit Threat, and again I like that we actually have something of a goal to work towards, but. it's a worm. a worm that we've never had any hint of before. Remember the Beast Brigade? That sure was something that had huge impact on this universe but we never actually did anything with
= And as I've said before, my main worry here is that suddenly we'll reveal that the Eltarians got rid of Rangers NOT because they were threats to Eltarian power over Earth but because they were afraid their use of the Morphin Grid would attract these Ravagers. So we became fascists for A GOOD REASON, we PROMISE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want to believe that'll be the ONLY reason, especially since the end of the issue will reveal Rita messing up her summoning spell brought the Ravager here rather than the Prime Rangers existing, but idk. I don't trust this book's political commentary after the VR Troopers and how we're clearly setting up a "nooooo don't be so VIOLENT in your revenge plans noooooo" lesson with all the talk of the Shibas wanting to destroy the Eltarians
= Okay for all my apprehension over this plot Trey riding in on his little worm buddy next to the super serious EVIL HAS COME dialogue is so fucking funny and what I come to Power Rangers for
= don't call him a Drakkon clone don't call him a Drakkon clone don't call him a Drakkon cl
= But seriously uh...yeah, what can I say. He's a basic BOOM reimagining where they take a pre-existing suit and add a bunch of lines, armor, and a cloak/cape. Don't really have much to say otherwise, but I guess it should be noted that he seemed to have his original suit in Orion's flashbacks (as his gloves were white) so I guess this new look is the result of Worm Power
= Also was it intentional to bring in two Rangers that have stylized kanji-shaped visors. Let's appropriate Japanese culture together
LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS PRIME - it's the second-to-last issue of this series, so everyone's coming in to prep for the curtain call. Jayden and Mr. Shiba are here! Jun's back from Eltar! And our surprise guest Trey of Triforia is here, with his giant worm friend! Oh yeah, did we mention that Trey of Triforia worships a big planet-destroying worm now? This universe is weird.
It's Power Rangers Prime #15!
= DIRECT ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
= Geez Mr. Shiba it's great you realized you're bisexual but you didn't have to join the worm cult just because it's run by a hot guy (that can split himself into three hot guys)
= First the Eltarians are fascists, now the Triforians are warmongers - even the Sirians held gladiator fights with prisoners. What's next? Mirinoi runs a galaxy-wide drug ring??????
= And yes, confirmation that the Ravagers destroyed Andresia in this universe, not the Armada. Vekar I am so sorry this spiky FRAUD is taking your accomplishments from you
= nononono Trey you don't understand you're not helping us fight the Eltarians the RIGHT way
= I am happy at least we're not totally abandoning the concept of Eltarians being assholes to make Trey look worse, since this supports an end where they actually leave Earth. I wish this was achieved via the Rangers actually standing against them but the giant space worm works too, i guess
= Yeah Mr. Shiba this is why you're probably gonna die but Jayden won't. ngl Mr. Shiba is acting a little too complacent in the face of very obviously evil but I guess the worm is corrupting him. or something. because I guess this is a thing the worm can do
= Like here, confirmation that this form is "Ravager Power," and Rita straight-up says the Ravager gave him an "upgrade." but it'll forever be Worm Power to me
= Okay "Teezee shut down after Jun left and Mark got too wrapped up in trying to fix him that he didn't make other Zords" is a little out of nowhere (you'd think Orion would care more if Teezee has been basically in a coma for six months??? they're kind of acting like robotics are Only Mark's thing now) but at the same time makes more sense than how earlier issues just made it seem like Mark was too busy upgrading Teezee to move on to other Zords. This probably would have been better established if there were more issues. So this would imply that yes, we're only ending on Teezee, BUT......
= ....like I said in my notes, despite the book making it seem like Mark hadn't made any more Zords, there's enough wiggle room here to imply that MAYBE he STARTED making others and they'll quickly finish them for the final battle. Or not. It really could go either way
= Anyway the important thing is Teezee shut down after being deprived of gay love and now he's back via the power of gay love. moving on
= Let's commit planetary destruction with papa (also where did he get another Samuraizer)
LAST TIME ON MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III - everyone's scrambling in their own little inter-dimensional adventures after Zedd and Shredder stole the Technodrome and have been making their own evil Rangers. To try and make up for the whole accidentally-killing-your-dad thing Leo and Tommy have been taking a little bonding trip to the Temple of the White Light, but a mutagen-powered Zedd is here to ruin their good time.
It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles III #4!
= Your dad called he told me you need to stop getting your asses kicked by the superpowered meat man
= Little look at the Ranger X powers, for those who were interested. "the weapons combine into a big gun" is another quintessential Ranger Thing that Prime has missed out on, I just realized
= So we've kind of missed out on some good robot yaoi between Alpha and Metalhead so can we make up for it by allowing Professor Honeycutt and Alpha to meet
= But anyway, clearly setting up X Ranger Zords, just in time for the final issue! Certain other Ranger series can't relate okay okay sorry enough kicking Prime while it's down
= NOT HIS NAME
= Just realized now that Warbunny is a new example of a male pink. Good for him.
= As we start wrapping up this crossover, let's remember the impact it'll have on our lives: introducing Kim/Raphael as a top tier ship
= If I had a nickel for every time MMPR/TMNT III gave Zedd a powerup that was way cooler than what he got in the 2016 series, I'd have two nickels
= The moral of the story: listen to your girlfriend when she has a bad feeling about your stupid spy mission or else it'll get your friend's dad killed
= NEVER MIND DAD'S BACK
= As we've said before, Splinter is the heavily debated White Light user for this series! Not too big of a surprise considering from what I saw, the top candidates were him, Tommy, Leo, and Usagi. Sure, he died and all, but when does that stop anyone in these franchises
= See what I mean? Literally no reason for coming back to life from disintegration than "it just did lol." Just appreciate the hot rat dad in his awesome new suit. Moving on!!!!!
= He doesn't know Splinter is about the pull off the funniest prank of all time
= GOD DAMMIT HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GONNA SEE THE COMMAND CENTER BLOWN UP BEFORE YOU INSTALL A SHIELD OR WHATEVER because CLEARLY the "you can't enter without a Power Coin" thing doesn't do SHIT
