Power Rangers Prime is a series that’s been defined by how it remixes or outright departs from the usual Power Rangers staples. Power Rangers Prime #6 continues this trend, as it puts the spotlight on our new Blue Ranger Mark. The VR Troopers – more specifically, their leader Ryan – wants to know everything about the Rangers and how they tick. But what exactly drove Mark to take up the mantle of the Blue Ranger?
The answers are revealed via flashback, chronicling Mark’s early years on the planet Aquitar (another familiar location for Power Rangers fans) and leading up to the present day. Melissa Flores does not take it easy on the reader; there’s a reason why Mark has been shy and scared all his life, and it’s rooted in some lingering trauma. But it also leads to an amazing moment at the end, where he stands up and claims himself as a Power Ranger. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cheering.
I also appreciate that Flores is taking her time to flesh out the VR Troopers, particularly Ryan. He actually goes out of his way to treat Mark like a human being: pulling him out of the way of a puddle, offering him coffee, and trying to connect with him on a human level. It’s a genuine surprise from the last issue, when they were all punching each other, but it also shows that behind the hi-tech armor the Troopers are people, which makes me anxious to see more of them in future issues.
BOOM!
Power Rangers Prime #6 also boasts a new art team in the form of Jo Mi-Gyeong and Ellie Wright, and their work makes this issue stand out all the more. Mi-Geyong has a gift for drawing emotion through the eyes; whole panels feature Mark’s eyes shifting in confusion, narrowing in determination, or welling up with tears as he’s torn away from his mother. Mi-Geyong also draws an amazing morphing sequence where water literally flows onto Mark, transforming him into his Ranger suit.
Wright’s coloring brings a number of environments to life, including the alien structures of Aquitar, which look truly aquatic. But the most prominent color is blue. The rain thundering down in New York when Mark comes to Earth is blue. The raging waters that forever changed his life are a stormy blue. Even the room he’s trapped in features him locked within a circle of cold blue light. But in claiming the mantle of Prime Blue, it becomes a color less associated with chaos and more calm, since Mark has accepted that being a Power Ranger is what he’s meant to be.
Power Rangers Prime #6 delivers a standalone story that’s spririsngly emotional, touching on themes of self-acceptance. I hope more stories like these are in the future, especially if they’re done this well. It’s moments like these that make Prime a standout in the world of Power Rangers comics.
You must be logged in to post a comment.