Here’s something you should know about me – I’m a huge fan of Power Rangers. While most people my age stopped watching the series after they left primary school, either moving on to different interests altogether or to its edgier, more mature cousins Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, I kept watching, keeping tabs on the series as it developed.
When Boom! Studios announced in 2016 that the company would be working on official Power Rangers spinoff comics, I was intrigued, but never actually got around to checking it out. Now, though, with the main TV show on hiatus, and a new comic book series having just begun last November, it seemed like the perfect time to start diving in.
*Warning: Contains mild spoilers for the first four issues of Power Rangers Prime.
Power Rangers Prime takes place in a completely new timeline, different from anything the series has ever introduced before. 50 years ago, Earth was invaded by aliens – an invasion that was only stopped by another alien empire, the Eltarians, who then proceeded to colonise Earth and its neighbouring planets. In the present day, the Eltarians rule the galaxy with an iron fist, hunting down anyone that gets in their way – including the Power Rangers.
The series’ protagonist is, to use MCU terms, a variant of Lauren Shiba from Power Rangers: Samurai, on the run from Eltarian forces. A series of mishaps cause her to become entangled with the rest of the soon-to-be Rangers who form her team – Jun, an Eltarian who dreams of bigger things than becoming another authoritarian; Mark, Jun’s classmate and an Aquitarian, another alien species discriminated against by the Eltarians; Valentina, a girl who initially distrusts Lauren but eventually comes around to her side; and Orion, another variant of a main timeline character, this time from Power Rangers: Megaforce.
The most interesting aspect of the series is (spoiler alert!) how the Rangers get their powers. Instead of being chosen by a benevolent magical being or recruited by a secret organisation, the Rangers are transformed by a younger, sleeker version of Rita Repulsa, the iconic main villain from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. It’s currently unclear what she plans to do with them, but I’m definitely intrigued to find out.
There are currently only four issues out for Power Rangers Prime, which have done a good job of setting up the world and stakes at hand. I liked the decision to use Lauren and Orion as main characters – they come from some of the franchise’s least popular series (at least in terms of fan reception) and had little to do in their original shows, so it’s great to see them potentially be given more depth. This is especially true for Lauren, the franchise’s first female Red Ranger, as she only held that title for a few episodes towards the end of her series and we never got to truly see her lead a team.
The original characters developed for the series also seem interesting – Jun looks poised to have the most complex character arc, being the son of high-ranking Eltarians who nonetheless loves the Power Rangers and wishes to be more than what his parents expect of him. I expect to see some secret identity shenanigans and an inevitable dramatic reveal in his future.
There’s only one thing that really gives me pause, which is that I fear Prime will fall victim to the franchise’s longstanding problem with nostalgia-baiting. The first four issues are chock full of references to older series, particularly Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers – the characters go to Angel Grove University, the Eltarians are from the same species as Zordon, the main antagonist being Rita Repulsa, and so on. The Prime suits also feel like riffs on the MMPR designs, with their dinosaur motif and the white diamond design on their chests.
The series even features characters from VR Troopers, another 90’s TV show produced by the original creators of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. VR Troopers never reached the same heights as Power Rangers, being quietly discontinued after two seasons, but has gained something of a cult following in recent years, to the point that there are plans to launch a Prime spin-off comic book featuring the VR Troopers.
Prime is clearly trying to appeal to former 90’s kids with these references, which are fun, but I can’t help but feel like they might make the series less interesting or even straight up inaccessible to people who aren’t familiar with the franchises involved. Taking myself as an example, as someone that grew up in the 2000’s, I don’t hold much nostalgia for VR Troopers – a show that literally came out the year I was born. This robbed the reveal of the Troopers of any of the hype the series seemed to want me to have.
Still, the next issue of Power Rangers Prime comes out this March 26, and I’ll definitely be picking it up to see where things are headed. Hopefully, as the series progresses, it’ll be able to come into its own and tell a story that both new and old fans can enjoy.
