SDCC 25: BOOM! Studios celebrates a new era of Power Rangers

Change is a constant when it comes to the Power Rangers.

For over 30 years, the franchise has featured multiple teams, multiple Zords, and numerous threats to the Earth. That change is spreading to BOOM! Studios’ line of Power Rangers comics, beginning with Power Rangers Prime and VR Troopers, and the creatives behind those comics gathered at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss their work.

In attendance was Amy Jo Johnson, who played original Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart and co-wrote Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Return with her partner Matt Hotson, who served as moderator; Power Rangers Prime writer Melissa Flores; VR Troopers writer Mairghread Scott; newly minted Rangers editor Tea Fougner; and Ryan Parrott, who’s returning to the Rangerverse with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

That team-up sees the Rangers and the Turtles having to deal with the dual menace of Lord Zedd and Shredder, which Parrott teased would “go to a bad place”. He also said that he was looking forward to writing some Ranger/Turtle teamups that he didn’t get to do in the first two MMPR/TMNT crossovers, citing Donatello and Trini as an example. Parrott also said that he kept coming back to write the Rangers because it was where he truly learned to write, citing his work on Go Go Power Rangers as an example.

Johnson also said that she wasn’t a huge comic book fan, but working on MMPR: The Return with Hotson was great, as he loved comics and she turned to writing/directing, while also wanting to take the original Rangers in new directions. The duo also discussed their desire to write a sequel to The Return, which featured a mysterious female White Ranger.

Next up was VR Troopers. While Scott said that she leapt at the chance to write the Troopers, it was surprising to her that they were antagonists in the “Primeaverse” (a term coined by Hotson and backed by Flores). She also discussed her approach to the series: since VR Trooper Ryan was essentially a “straight arrow”, what would it take to get him to break the rules? Collaborating with Flores also turned out to be relatively easy, since the two live near a Mexican restaurant – leading Scott to jokingly shout “Tequila!” when asked about their creative process.

Finally, Flores talked about the Genesis of Power Rangers Prime. After the “Darkest Hour” storyline in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic, she took an Elseworlds approach to crafting a new Power Rangers story; though she admitted that she took a few tries to get to the current incarnation. Part of that different approach was exploring what happened in a world where the Power Rangers didn’t stop an alien invasion, leading to Eltar colonizing Earth.

When it came to shaping the new Rangers, Flores wanted to shake things up. She picked Lauren from Power Rangers Samurai to showcase a different type of Red Ranger, and Orion from Power Rangers Super Megaforce because he had “the heart of a Pink Ranger”. Jun, the Black Ranger, and Mark, the Blue Ranger, were created to showcase how Eltarian rule affected various characters; for Valentina, the Yellow Ranger, Flores wanted someone who had “some privilege” but not enough. Finally, she decided on the “absolute worst mentor” since Zordon was absent, which led to the new version of Rita Repulsa.

“She has her own agenda,” Flores said. “She’s here to create chaos.” That chaos is only set to intensify since Rita is the new Green Ranger, and it’s what makes Power Rangers Prime so exciting. Once again, longtime Rangers fans or newcomers to the franchise will have an entirely new story to read, and it bodes well for BOOM!’s future with Rangers comics.

Volume 1 of Power Rangers Prime, VR Troopers #1, and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Return are available wherever comics are sold, while Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 goes on sale August 13, 2025. Check out all our SDCC 2025 coverage here.