With the Power Rangers, the changes are constant.
For over 30 years, the franchise has featured multiple teams, multiple Zords, and many threats to the planet. The change is spreading through the boom! Studios’ Power Rangers comics begin with Power Rangers Prime and VR troopers and discuss the creative work behind the comics that assembled at San Diego Comic Con.
Attended was Amy Joe Johnson, who played the original Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart and co-wrote the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Power Rangers Prime Writer Melissa Flores. VR trooper writer Mairghread Scott; newly created ranger editor Tee Hoogner. Ryan Parrott returns to Rangerverse with the powerful Morphin Power Ranger/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.
That team-up sees Rangers and Turtles have to deal with the double threat of Zed Lord and Shredder. He also said he’s looking forward to writing Ranger/Turtle team-ups that he couldn’t do with the first two MMPR/TMNT crossovers, citing Donatello and Trini as examples. Parrot also said he’s back to write Rangers. Because it was the place he really learned to write, so I cited his work at Go Go Power Rangers as an example.
Johnson also said she’s not a fan of the giant comic book, but her return with MMPR: Hotson loved the comics and wanted to take the original Ranger in a new direction, turning her eyes to the writing/director. The duo also discussed their desire to write a sequel to Return, featuring the mysterious female White Ranger.
Next was a VR trooper. Scott said she jumped into the opportunity to write a trooper, but it was surprising to her that they were antagonists of “Primierverse” (a term coined by Hotson and backed by Flores). She also discussed her approach to the series. VR trooper Ryan was essentially a “straight arrow,” so what does it take to make him break the rules? The two live near a restaurant in Mexico, so working with Flores proved relatively easy. When asked about their creative process.
Finally, Flores spoke about the origins of Power Rangers Prime. After the “Darkest Time” storyline in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic, she took the Elseworlds approach to create a new Power Ranger story. She admitted that she had made several attempts to reach her current incarnation. Part of that different approach was to explore what happened in a world where Power Rangers didn’t stop alien invasions and Eltar led to the colonization of the Earth.
When it comes to shaping a new ranger, Flores wanted to shake things up. She chose Lauren from the Power Rangers samurai, introduced them to different types of Red Rangers, and because Power Rangers Orion had the “Pink Ranger Heart” he introduced Super Mega Force. The Jun and Blue Ranger marks in Black Ranger were created to show how Eltarian Rules influenced various characters. For Valentina, Yellow Ranger, Flores wanted someone who had “privileged” but not enough. Finally, she decided to be the “absolute worst mentor” since Zordon was away, which led to a new version of Rita Repulsa.
“She has her own agenda,” Flores said. “She’s here to make chaos.” That chaos is set to intensify as Rita is the new Green Ranger. Again, longtime Rangers fans and newcomers in the franchise have a whole new story to read.
Power Rangers Prime, VR Troopers #1, and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Volume 1: Returns are available where comics are sold.
