BOOM! Studios revealed plenty of things to look forward to in the Power Ranges universe, and it all starts with a trip back to 1969.
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Well, not starts per say. As revealed at the Go Go Power Rangers panel at New York Comic Con, writer Kyle Higgins has had a major Power Rangers event in the planning since issue #1. Those threads will start to show in a major way in the storyline of 1969.
“This will come out in issue No. 20, The Story of the 1969 Power Rangers (written by Kyle and colored by Danielle Di Nicuolo) and this deep look back at when I got to create five new Rangers from all different parts of the world. Nikolai from the Soviet Union doesn’t speak English, so there are translations, communication issues, everything. They all have to work together in an unusual era,” Higgins said.
Fans already know who one of those Rangers is, but the rest of the group is going to be an interesting mix of personalities, especially when you consider the decade the story occurs in.
That’s a good thing though, especially for Higgins, who happens to quite enjoy that particular decade.
“I am a big 60s guy and my first big book was about it,” Higgins said. “That time is a fascinating capsule for our country. The late-60s, we were so divided and seeing how we came out of it by coming together after divisiveness and Vietnam and other race tensions. I think that if we can get these characters to come together and provide some optimism, it will be a big help.”
So who exactly are the Power Rangers of 1969, and why weren’t the Rangers of the current era told about them? Those are puzzling, to say the least, and while we don’t know much about Higgins plans, we have learned a few things.
Hit the next slide for more details!
How This Ties Into Promethea
In Mighty Morphinย Power Rangers #19, Higgins managed to drop a bombshell on fans when it was revealed that Grace Sterling was the original Red Ranger.
The current Rangers know Sterling as well, but not as a fellow Ranger. They know her as the head of Promethea, an organization that is as interested in the Rangers as the villains they fight.
“We have introduced a company called Promethea,” Higgins said. “It is run by Grace Sterling, the reveal happens … but this company is a cross between Space X and Apple and Billy.. well, there is a lot of interest there, because for Billy Cranston what better place to work? So we will be explaining that coming up.”
It seems Prometheaย wants to recruit Billy to their ranks, though it remains to be seen if that is to aid Zordonย or to hinder him. Her relationship with Alpha 5 seemed, well, a bit frayed, and Zordon likely kept the past Rangers hidden from the current group for a reason, so things between them aren’t probably that stellar either.
Higgins has previously said that the past Rangers were involved in a fight on the moon, though it isn’t mentioned who they were fighting. Odds are Rita is involved in some fashion, but with Lord Drakkon coming back into the picture soon, your guess is as good as ours.
Mighty Morphinย isn’t the only book in town, so hit the next slide to find out what’s happening in Go Go Power Rangers.
The Difference From Go Go Power Rangers
The Mighty Morphinย series involves the same characters as Go Go Power Rangers, but writer Ryan Parrottย was on hand to explain the major differences between the two series.
“Mighty Morphin is the action, super hero one and Go-Go is more the “Day 1″ where they have to deal with homework and girl problems and other things about their history and we can fill them out and show them develop even more,” Parrottย said.
It isn’t mandatory to read both series, but Mighty Morphinย writer Higgins is excited for fans who do, who will discover aspects of the characters that he never thought of.
“They are doing a great job of telling things that you may not have thought of… like, how did they actually become friends,” Higgins said. “There is a kid (Matt Cook) that started out dating Kimberly and he brought her into the group, but he isn’t a Ranger. So how does he go about life where his friends are now lying to him and how are those kids sneaking about and covering up with their friend.”
Amazingย Megazord artwork from Dan Mora never hurts eitherย to be fair.
The Power Rangersย universe at BOOM! Studios seems to have some serious momentum these days, and it looks like things are only going to get better from here.
Head here for a full rundown of the Go Go Power Rangers Comics panel.
