Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers Ties Up Loose Ends Before ‘Necessary Evil’
by James Ferguson
Alpha-1 has grown in size and prepares to take out Zordon in a vengeance-fueled attack. The Power Rangers aren’t going to let this creepy-looking robot kill their big floating head friend. How do they stop someone who knows all of their moves, powers, and abilities? They’ll have to think outside the box and come up with something Alpha-1 has never seen before.
Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers #1 is almost non-stop action. The comic opens with a brief flashback, a style that has come to define this comic, before picking up where we left off in the latest issue of Go Go Power Rangers. Alpha-1 is large and in charge with a pseudo-zord made of Ernie’s car. The Power Rangers are trapped. They’re down, but not out.
As cool as all this is, it feels rushed. The fact that this storyline, which only just got going in earnest, is wrapping up in this separate one-shot solidifies that feeling. There was a lot more nuisance at work with Alpha-1 and his mysterious nature, so it’s a little disappointing for it all to come to a head in fight that’s marginally better than what we saw week in and week out on the TV show. Between this and the abrupt end to the “Beyond the Grid” storyline in the main Power Rangers comic, it makes me wonder if there wasn’t more planned for both series before heading into “Necessary Evil” next month.
In any case, artists Eleonora Carlini & Francesco Mortarino turn in some fine work with this battle. The panel layouts are varied and impressive. They really showcase the individual zords which we rarely got to see in the TV show. It shows their separate strengths of each one instead of just using them as part of the Megazord.
The art direction adds to the excitement of the fight. My eyes were darting all over the page as each attack was thrown out and subsequently blocked or countered by Alpha-1. Letterer Ed Dukeshire amplifies this with word balloons that grow in size corresponding to the intensity of the attack. Colorist Raul Angulo fills these pages with crackling energy. There are electrifying blues and staggering reds and oranges as these two robotic titans collide. Sequences like this instantly transport me to my childhood, watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers after school. It will always be awesome to see.
Although both Carlini & Mortarino are supremely talented, it’s a little jarring switching between the two styles in the middle of the comic. Fortunately, this happens during scene breaks so it’s a natural transition, however it does take a few moments to get used to.
The Alpha-1 fight is just part of the wrap-up we get in Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers. We also see the final steps in Rita’s plan regarding the Green Power Coin. This journey has shown us a different side of the villain, taking us all the way back to her birth and introducing us to her mother. She may put on a truly evil front, but every so often we see the tiniest hesitation from her, like her mother’s words are getting through to her. Writer Ryan Parrott makes this a fascinating character study.
We learned in an earlier issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that Zack was Rita’s first choice for the Green Ranger. This is touched upon here, but without that context. If you missed that earlier issue, you’ll be super confused because Zack gets captured by Putties one moment and then is back at the Command Center the next.
Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers takes us right up to the legendary Green Ranger Saga. In many ways, this caps off the entire Go Go Power Rangers series to date, serving as a great prequel to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comics. Sure, the timeline can get a little weird with “Shattered Grid” in the middle there, but that’s besides the point. Alpha-1, Rita’s Journey, and Jason and Trini’s relationship are just some of the plot threads tied up here. With all that behind us, I’m excited to see what the creative team has in store for us as “Necessary Evil” looms in the distance.
Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers #1 from BOOM! Studios is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.
