Today’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9 by writer Kyle Higgins and artist Hendry Prasetya from publisher BOOM! Studios saw the reveal of a brand new Power Ranger.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9 cover art by Jamal Campbell. (BOOM! Studios)
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9!
The current story arc sees the evil Black Dragon allying himself with Rita to take down the Power Rangers, but upon his defeat in today’s issue we learn that he is nothing more than a Zord being controlled by a being that resides on another plane of existence. That being was revealed to be a mysterious new Power Ranger. Take a look:
Art by Hendry Prasetya. (BOOM! Studios)
As you can see, this new Ranger evokes both the Green Ranger and White Ranger costumes worn by Tommy. It has the Dragon Coin emblem, power shield, and green and gold armor of the Green Ranger, and the white suit, fanged helmet, and tiger stripes on the helmet reminiscent of the White Ranger.
It looks like Tommy’s two identities fused together, which was done on purpose.
“When I’m working with existing properties and characters, I find that I really enjoy subverting the established iconography. So, the introduction of the White Ranger—in a very different way from what was done on the show—was exciting to me. Then, as I built out his backstory, it made sense to introduce elements of the Green Ranger,” Higgins told us in an email interview. “I won’t say too much more about him at this point, other than his backstory is something I spent a lot of time refining. It’s on the darker side—for Power Rangers—and a bit tragic. Or at least, I think it is.”
The connection between Tommy and the new Ranger is deeper than just design.
“[The new Ranger] looks to be an amalgamation of the Green Ranger as well as the White Ranger—both personas that Tommy has been associated with (although, in the books, he obviously hasn’t been associated with the White Ranger yet). That said, there’s also the element of the Black Dragon (as controlled by this new Ranger) taking a vested interest in killing the Green Ranger in previous issues. So, yeah. There’s definitely something there. But what that is, and why, is something I’m holding on to for now. You’ll have to read to find out!” Higgins teased.
The new Ranger was designed by series cover artist Jamal Campbell in conjunction with Higgins and Saban Entertainment.
Design by Jamal Campbell. (BOOM! Studios)
“Originally it was going to just be the White Ranger. But as I built this new Ranger out, we worked in elements of the Green Ranger. Jamal did some initial designs, I weighed in, then Saban gave us some further direction. It all comes out of this Ranger’s origin and backstory, which is something we’ll be doling out over the coming months,” Higgins said.
After the Ranger makes his debut, we see that Tommy and Billy were somehow transported to the mysterious Ranger’s realm. It’s a dreary, post-apocalyptic place with two giant statues, one of Rita and the other of the Ranger.
Art by Hendry Prasetya. (BOOM! Studios)
Given that the new Ranger is first seen sitting on a throne and his helmet is very crown-like, we’re assuming that he conquered this realm with Rita’s help and now rules it.
We've always thought Rita acted alone in creating the Green Ranger, but looking at this guy, we’re wondering if he is the original source of the dragon power. That, or he is Rita’s first evil Ranger creation predating Tommy.
While it’s fun to speculate, publisher BOOM! Studios let us know that we won’t have to wait long for answers. Issue #10 is a planned “break in the action” spotlighting Billy the Blue Ranger, Issue #11 will reveal the new Ranger’s identity, and Issue #12 will give the character’s full origin.
This comic book takes place just after Tommy broke free from Rita’s control and joined the Power Rangers team, so while we have seen dozens and dozens of new Rangers over the years, this one is noteworthy for being a brand new, original creation set in the Mighty Morphin era.
What do you think of the new Power Ranger? Let us know in the comments!
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire