So, these Chaos Putties are pretty nasty huh? Picking up where the last issue of Mighty Morphin left off we rejoin the Rangers as they're surrounded by Lord Zedd's powerful new Putties, one of which seemed to give the Rangers a run for their money. Ryan Parrott has always done really good things with the Rangers, and has expanded the mythology in some great ways, but I'd never have predicted that he'd be able to make the Putties not just scary, but a challenge for the Rangers.
This is the kind of thing that I love about the Power Rangers comics, the fact that new life is being breathed into a series that even if you love it you kind of have to admit it isn't perfect. The costumes can be silly, the effects bad, and the writing awful at times, but there's still a lot to love in the franchise, and Parrott is really showing what the series could have been back then if it was treated more seriously, and if given a huge budget.
The Chaos Putties could never have been made on screen the way they are here, and the designs really use the comics ability to do anything it wants well. They're bog, have multiple arms, are covered in glowing parts, and you really do believe that the Rangers are having a hard time taking them on. When you throw in the added wrinkle of the new Green Ranger being suseptable to the Chaos Eergy, and Adam's head being messed with the team never really stood a chance here. It's nice to see our heroes actually having to retreat for once too, as they've had some pretty big victories recently, and seeing the bad guys get a win, even if only temporary, reminds us that Zedd isn't a bad guy to be taken lightly.
The best parts of the issue, however, don't concern the action, but the character moments we get. We learn more about Zordon in the very first scene of the book than I think we do over the course of his entire time on the shows, and this new flashback shows us a young Zordon who's unsure of himself, nervous, and wanting something else with his life. The revelation that he sees his time in the military as something to be done for a short time to repay his world, and that he actually really wants to just settle down as a farmer and raise a family shows us a side of the character we've not experienced before. It would be so easy to write him as a man who always had a strong sense of justice, who always wanted to protect people and fight the forces of evil, but that wouldn't have been half as interesting as this. These flashbacks to Eltar might only be brief, but they'r revealing a lot about Zordon and his history, and it makes them incredibly enjoyable.
We also get to see more of the drama between Bulk, Skull, and Candice as the three of them run from the Chaos Putties, and Skull bravely tries to protect the woman he loves from these monsters. I got a sense that Candice manages to win some respect from Bulk in this scene, and I think it also showed that even if she's not who she really appears, she does seem to care for the two of them. I'm interested to see where her story is leading, but am worried that whatever happens is going to be a heartbreaking moment for both Bulk and Skull. People with only a vague familiarity with the franchise might find that a strange worry to have, but the two characters were proven to be incredibly kind and caring people over their years on screen, and became a real heart of the franchise, and I just really don't want to see either of them getting hurt.
One of the best parts, however, is the beginning of the unravelling of Green Ranger mystery. Not only does Aisha discover that Billy is behind the Green Ranger, and knows who's in the suit, but Zordon has also learned that Grace is involved. Ryan has done an amazing job of showing how close Billy and Zordon are over the last few issues, and that the two of them have a relationship that Zordon doesn't have with any of the others; so I just know that when everything comes out into the open it's going to make for a dramatic, and painful moment. There's a real sense that this is something that's going to hurt the team, that's going to damage trust between these characters, and will led to some rocky moments to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment