Revelations Abound In Action-Packed Go Go Power Rangers #12

The Ranger Slayer is stranded in time alongside the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team, shortly after they stepped into their uniforms and zords. She’s free of Lord Drakkon’s mind control and searching for revenge. Meanwhile, Rita Repulsa is on the offensive, sending not one, but two monsters down to terrorize Angel Grove. All this, and the Rangers’ buddy, Matt gets desperate when looking for answers.

I’ve praised Go Go Power Rangers on its stellar character development throughout its entire run. I think this issue might just take the cake. It is jam-packed with stunning moments, most of which I cannot spoil for you in this review. Writer Ryan Parrott continues to deftly juggle multiple characters, stories, and interactions, not to mention tying into the mega Shattered Grid event.
Let’s start with the opening pages, which further cement the Ranger Slayer as one of the coolest aspects of Shattered Grid event. We get a glimpse into her home dimension as she fights off Red Ranger guards to take a shot at Lord Drakkon himself. Artist Dan Mora illustrates Drakkon in a menacing pose, sitting confidently atop his throne with his cold, dead eyes. He’s calm and collected as his former friend rushes to try and take his life.

When Kimberly dares to pull back on her bow, readying a few arrows to let loose at the man’s heart, he lashes out in a rage. His face transforms into snarling anger. Dark veins bulge along his neck. This is your reminder that he is a ruthless monster.
Fast forward to the present (sort of, because remember, this is set way earlier than the other Power Rangers comic) and the Ranger Slayer has a new mission. I’m not going to spoil that here, but this answers some questions I’ve had for a bit as to where some folks are while this story is taking place. More importantly, it just might give the Shattered Grid event its final way out, which would be a very cool and interesting way to close out the storyline. Time will tell on that one.

This also leads to one of the most impressive images in the entire issue. Mora can really draw anything and this book proves it time and time again. He manages to boil someone’s entire history into this gorgeous montage of memories that instantly convey the core essence of this character. It’s absolutely amazing.
Additionally, Raul Angulo’s colors make the Ranger Slayer stand out, like this dark messenger. The pink in her costume is the only real color she has in there, like the old her is just peeking out from the shadows. This really comes into play during an action sequence, where she quickly flips through the air, leaving bright pink after-images in her wake.

On the monster front, we get an epic battle as the Megazord is joined by the Ranger Slayer’s Gravezord, made up of the remnants of discarded and broken zords. Mora does an incredible job with these scenes, drawing some of the coolest action shots we’ve seen in the series to date, including an awesome transformation sequence that speaks directly to my inner child. The zords were always the coolest part of the original TV show and Mora delivers in spades.
Perhaps the most monumental part of Go Go Power Rangers #12 has to do with Matt. He was the sixth wheel to the Power Rangers, unaware that his friends were suddenly super heroes while he was kidnapped by their arch-nemesis. The poor guy has been going through some major PTSD and is looking for answers as to how he’s connected to the Rangers and why he was taken and held prisoner.

When the monsters are attacking, we see how Matt is desperately reaching out to his friends through text messages. Letterer Ed Dukeshire presents these one-sided exchanges as Matt texts every single one of the Power Rangers, each one getting more and more harrowing as he looks for any excuse not to go out the door and right into harm’s way. These are shown against shots of the Power Rangers leaping into action, which should be noble and heroic, but reframe them as people ignoring their good friend when he needs them the most.
This is just the tip of the iceberg with Matt’s story. There’s so much more in this issue, but it needs to be experienced directly. Dive headfirst into this book as you will not be disappointed. Go Go Power Rangers started as the secondary comic in the franchise and has shown that it stands just as tall and strong as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This comic is firing on all cylinders and it’s an absolute dream for any fan of the franchise.
Go Go Power Rangers #12 from Boom! Studios is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.