Out this week from BOOM! Studios, Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #25 continues the exciting “Necessary Evil” story arc by further integrating one of the TV show’s most beloved plot points. (Previous issues Spoilers ahead)
If you liked Power Rangers as a kid, and you haven’t been keeping up with the BOOM! Studios comic, then I don’t know what to tell you other than to change that A.S.A.P. The “Shattered Grid” story arc was an absolute roller coaster front to end, and now we’re in the series’ second big story event, and it is every bit as addictive from issue to issue as the first.
For Go Go Power Rangers, “Necessary Evil” started with issue 21, where we said goodbye to Tommy’s Green Ranger powers. Which anyone who’s seen the show knows what is inevitably coming after, and for some, it meant saying goodbye to their favorite Ranger, for others, it means saying hello to theirs instead.
We’ve already gotten a glimpse of Tommy’s White Ranger powers back in “Shattered Grid” when Lord Drakkon held both the Green Power Coin and the White Light at the same time. Even more recently on Go Go’s sibling comic, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which is also partaking in the “Necessary Evil” arc just further along the timeline, Tommy is already the White Ranger and has shown what his new powers are capable of.
Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #25 gives us our first look at writers Ryan Parrott and Sina Grace’s interpretations of the White Ranger’s, something we did not get when Tommy lost his Green Ranger powers. Instead, they had brought us in during the tail end of the Green Ranger’s last fight with an editor’s note telling us to check out the episode of the show “Green No More Part 2” which I dig because it makes the story feel more connected and interactive with the source material.
Right from the get-go, this issue gives us something the show did not, a look at how Tommy is coping with being powerless. Comic and show alike, after Tommy lost his powers, he leaves Angel Grove to take some time for himself, here we get to see what he was doing during this time.
The origin of the White Ranger is not the only tale being explored in Go Go this issue though, all who watched also remember the change in the cast that came shortly after Tommy’s return. Already well established in Mighty Morphin, which again is further down the timeline, we see that Jason, Zack, and Trini have been replaced in their roles as the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers by newcomers Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, and Aisha Campbell.
Although it’s sad to see the three leave the team, it was going to happen eventually. However, it is good to see Jason, Zack, and Trini will not be forgotten about altogether. In this issue, we are shown more on Jason’s mission granted to him by the Emissary of the Morphin Grid, which while being set up here in Go Go, is already well in motion by the time we get to Mighty Morphin. As far as floating, all knowledgeable, mysterious, ancient beings in sci-fi go, the Emissary honestly has one of the coolest designs of all of them.
The idea that it constantly shifts between Ranger designs of the same color is a neat concept and very visually pleasing. Francesco Mortarino’s illustrating for this issue is top-notch. Every panel the Emissary is in, he is drawn dramatically and bursting with both figurative and LITERAL electricity. Alongside Raùl Angulo’s colors, which give this glow and energy just radiating off of him at all times, it makes the Emissary eye-catching every time.
As a whole, this issue does more to set up than it does to progress the plot. But that’s not all that bad considering we know most of where the story is going and Go Go has been more the fun ride getting us there. The dialogue has been solid and believable for each cast member, which is amplified by Ed Dukeshire’s lettering, who is still giving us all the “Kee-yas” and “Hoo-Has” in the fight scenes, which is so reminiscent of the source material.
Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #25 is still giving us everything we love about this Boom! Studios series, and I can not wait to see what happens next. I’m excited to see what they do to tie this story in further with what is currently happening in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and see how the story progresses to what it has become there. The team has given this series so much love, and I’m thrilled to see how strong it is going still. Definitely a series worth following closely.
Like Power Rangers as much as we do? What’s your take on Tommy changing from Green to White? Let us know in the comment section below!
