Yesterday was new comic book day, and thus we have a brand new issue of BOOM! Studios’ Go Go Power Rangers to dive into with writer Ryan Parrott!
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Now big spoiler warning here folks, so if you haven’t read Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #15 yet you’ve been warned.
As you can tell from the book’s cover, fans who have been shipping Trini and Jason are in for a nice reward, but there’s plenty of other great moments in the issue, and we’ve picked out our top 10. Writer Ryan Parrott has also joined us to break down each moment, though he isn’t giving up every secret (or song for that matter) just yet.
To get you up to speed, Trini and Jason have found themselves stranded outside of our world after following Rita Repulsa through a portal. In this new place, they find themselves with new Ranger colors, with Trini being the new Red Ranger and Jason being the new Yellow Ranger, but they also find themselves being able to hear each other’s thoughts. Not only that, but they also feel each other’s emotions, and that will lead to some big revelations down the road.
Go Go Power Rangers #15 is written by Ryan Parrott and drawn by Eleonora Carlini, inked by Simona Di Gianfelice, colored by Raul Angulo, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. You can check out the official description below.
“That cover says it all-Trini is the new Red Ranger and Jason is the new Yellow Ranger. And… there might be some other complications too.”
Without further ado, here are our top 10 favorite moments from Go Go Power Rangers #15, and make sure to let us know what yours were in the comments!
Best Friends And Outrunning Airplanes
In this week’s Go Go Power Rangers we get a look into Trini’s past, including one instance where she bonded with a new friend over the oddest of things…outrunning airplanes. It’s a window into how adventurous Trini can be, even tackling the biggest and more impossible of obstacles, and honestly, how could you not want to be friends with her?
“My stepbrother and sister grew up on a military base in Germany,” Parrott said. “And I remember them telling me how insanely boring it always was there and how they had to do come up with all kinds of things to entertain themselves. So, the idea of racing fighter planes just seemed like something Trini could and would do.”
Are You Ever Not Hungry?
Trini and Jason being able to hear each other’s thoughts and feel the other’s emotions is a premise ripe with comedy gold throughout the issue, including early on when Trini can’t understand how Jason is always hungry. Jason identifies one of Trini’s quirks too, and longtime fans will appreciate the reference.
“I mean, I was a nanny… or I guess, manny… for two teenagers who were athletes and they were ALWAYS hungry,” Parrott said. “So, when I realized I wanted Trini and Jason to, not only hear each other’s thoughts, but feel each other’s emotions — being annoyingly hungry seemed like a good place to start. And, for the eagle-eyed reader, hating the sound of Velcro is a call back to Trini’s list of dislikes from Go Go #1.”
Do What I Do…Push Them Down
That feeling of each other’s emotions leads to a discovery that fans have been waiting for, and with that discovery comes the revelation of why Trini didn’t share it with Jason beforehand, giving us a much-welcomed glimpse a previously unexplored aspect of Trini’s past and character.
“I believe it was established in MMPR that Trini was a military brat who moved around a lot,” Parrott said. “So, it made sense to me that, after feeling the pain of having to leave people you care about over and over again, Trini might start to keep those she REALLY liked at arm’s length, just out of simple emotional self-preservation. To be honest, the whole point of the “color swap” aspect of the story was to get to this moment of unexpected intimacy.”
I Love The Shape Of Your Head
Fans also get that anticipated date between Kimberly and Skull (yes that Skull) and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s one of the best parts of this week’s issue, leading off with a compliment that…well, just fits the character to a tee.
“I mean, of course someone named “Skull” would comment on your head,” Parrott said. “I love that he thinks he’s doing great… and Kim is just in a completely different headspace, no pun intended.”
Sucker Skull
While Skull is good for laughs, he clues readers in early on that there might just be more to him than what’s on the surface, picking up on cues you might not expect him to notice.
“We did a callback to Kim and Matthew’s first date because I wanted it to feel slightly… unsettling… from the start,” Parrott said. “I wanted the reader to sorta immediately realize what Kim was doing… and where she is emotionally before even she does… so that hopefully you’ll sympathize with Skull a little. It really sucks being on a date with someone you like and they just don’t feel the same. Especially when the date isn’t even over.”
More To Baboo Than You Think
Speaking of rising above expectations, the same can be said for Baboo. Baboo doesn’t just reveal he’s more on the ball than you might expect but also shows Goldar that he just might be the most cunning member of the entire team, proving the lengths he will go to in order to survive.
“Baboo was able to get Finster and Squatt on board his little mutiny fairly easily, but I wanted Goldar to be a slightly tougher sell,” Parrott said. “So, I realized Baboo would need to reveal something new and unexpected about himself to change his mind. And, since the only thing we’d really shown was Baboo’s “mistake” with the Pongie King, it made sense that was thing to subvert. I will admit, I always had this reveal in the back of my mind as a possibility. Villains are nothing if not self-serving.”
She Had That Look
It turns out to be Skull that delivers one of the most poignant moments of the entire issue, simultaneously revealing personal details about his life while also providing the rejection that Kimberly so desperately needed.
“Since I wanted Kim to be denial, I realized I needed to prove it,” Parrott said. “And it seemed like the best way was to have her do something COMPLETELY out of character, like — KISS SKULL! So, Skull’s rejection is like Kim having her head dunked in a bucket of ice water. He’s the last person you’d expect to, not only see the truth, but also call you on it. And, I thought it humanized him. I always felt like Skull really likes Kim… he just can’t escape the persona he’s created for himself. Plus, I enjoyed the fact that we’ve been able to slowly layer in small details about Skull’s past — painting a picture of why he is the way he is with tiny little brush strokes.”
Chickens In Space
There are several delightful bits of banter between Trini and Jason that stem from their sharing thoughts and emotions, and this one just really made me smile for some reason.
“I sing random songs all the time without knowing any of the words… and, for some reason, I always add the word “Chicken” to my made up lyrics,” Parrott said. “No real reason. And since this is my comic… now Trini does to. And, no, I’m not telling you what song she was singing.”
The Kiss
This is the moment many fans have wanted for some time between Jason and Trini, and it seems to be more than worth the wait. It’s a gorgeous page, and also feels like two people finally understanding who they are and how they feel about the other. In short, it’s perfect.
“Oh, man… I was nervous about this moment… but when I saw Eleonora’s art for the page, I remember thinking… FINALLY! So, I just wrote it that way,” Parrott said.
The Power Of The Dragon Coin
The Kiss was followed by another moment many Power Rangers fans have eagerly awaited, the debut of the Dragon Power Coin. This is the beginning of the march to the Green Ranger, but for those nervous that we’re rushing into that storyline, Parrot is easing your fears.
“So for those who are upset that Rita already has the coin, relax — there are more issues to come,” Parrott said. “But this scene was designed to sorta answer a few things: Why this planet and why Rita doesn’t use the coin itself. We’ve already suggested that certain coins could have different effects on the user — so it made sense to me that at Rita would be extremely apprehensive about just morphing herself. But, yeah… so this skeleton… it has a story, and we’ll get to it soon…”
Alright, that does it for us, but what did you think of the issue? Let us know in the comments!
