Another week means more comics abound! It's getting cold out there so be sure to bundle up when you head to your local comic shop. If you live in a warm part of the world, well don't bundle up.
Disclaimer: I received advance copies of all comics featured this week courtesy of their individual publishers.
Opinions are my own.
Saban's Go Go Power Rangers #26 (BOOM! Studios)
Ryan Parrott, Sina Grace, Francesco Mortarino, Raúl Angulo, Ed Dukeshire
Last issue ended with the cliffhanger that saw Zack and Trini discovering Jason's secret happenings with the Blue Emissary. Since anyone reading both books can figure out where that story is going, this issue focused on a different storyline.
Tommy. Versus. Saba.
That's right, Tommy goes on a quest to find a new power source and finds the Tower of Light, the temple of the Tigerzord Power Coin. I love this whole idea because the few glimpses we got to the White Ranger's creation in the show were like... Alpha made him in a mad scientist lab. It was weird.
Seeing Tommy go on sort of a solo Ninja Quest was great! Meeting Saba, who seems to function as the Tower's guardian, was great too. Tommy remembers meeting the Saba of Drakkon's Dimension, but this one is no friend.
Saba is also referred to as the Sword of the Light. I dig this. It feels like Saba is the other side of the Sword of Darkness Tommy wielded as Rita's evil Green Ranger. This really hits home the Higgins-era idea that Tommy carried the weight of his time with Rita long after the spell was broken. The insecurities and doubts he held, coupled with meeting Drakkon, really did a number on him.
No matter how much good Tommy did as the Green Ranger, he still carried some evil baggage. This quest to find a new power source isn't just about helping his old friends again. This is a quest for redemption. It's serendipitous that Dairanger's sixth Ranger was white. The color of light.
But also Tommy has to fight SABA to claim the Tigerzord coin! That's such a hilariously stupid idea, perfect for the cheesy world we sometimes forget Power Rangers takes place in, but it's also handled with the seriousness you expect from the comics.
I was hard on the Necessary Evil story line at first, but as we enter this second half I am excited now more than ever to see what Parrott and the team do next. Check out Go Go #26 at your local comic shop this week.
Wasted Space #11 (Vault Comics)
Michael Moreci, Hayden Sherman, Jason Wordie, Jim Campbell
Last issue, Billy and the rest of the Space WastersTM entered The Slip - a space between space - and were boarded by three mysterious figures. This issue opens with hilarious origin stories for these three that are ripped right out of an old Saturday Morning Cartoon.
I love these guys. We got Trident Zaffino, a sorta space wizard spirit trapped in a robot body, Tyran, a primitive man who stole a god's magical axe and told him to GTFO, and Syra Stone who I guess is a mix between John Carter and Allan Quatermain... but then she wakes up in the future.
These three adventurers have banded together to fight injustices they see throughout the cosmos. After attempting to rob the Space WastersTM and then realizing there was nothing to rob, the trio enlist our heroes for a mission.
Billy is against this but the others kinda realize that they don't have to do what Billy says. Molly is finally sick of everyone telling her what to do and puts her foot down. She takes Dust and Rex with her, off into the deep unknown.
Then Billy goes to a spa. There's more to it, but I don't want to give any spoilers away. This arc seems to be pulling off a "split the party" gimmick similar to the last Die arc. Characters go their separate ways to learn about themselves and each other and probably fight some monsters before ultimately leading back to each other.
This issue seems to exist mostly to set up the next few, introducing us to some new characters and pointing our heroes in a few different directions. I love the mini origin stories at the beginning and I can't wait to see more of those characters.
Wasted Space #12 hits your local comic shop this Wednesday. Click here to get caught up with the first volume.
Steven Universe #35 (BOOM! Studios)
Taylor Robin, S. M. Mara, Whitney Cogar, Mike Fiorentino
While Steven is away - putting this story during the last arc of the series - Greg enlists Bismuth to help with some mechanical work at the car wash.
This is a rare story totally devoid of Steven, which always provides some nice moments between other characters. Here, it's Greg and Bismuth. This is a nice dynamic as Greg is the most human member of the Crystal Gems while Bismuth has only recently stopped trying to kill Steven.
Greg brings Bismuth over to help fix up Fryman's food truck. He knows she's a weaponsmith but Pearl is his go-to mechanic and she's in space. Unfortunately, while Bismuth is able to pick up mechanical engineering as fast as any gem masters the basics of music, she's still a weapons gal first and foremost.
The result is a french fry food truck that is also a tank equipped with a Laser Light Cannon. Naturally, it does not go well and Bismuth needs to learn that there's more to humanity than fighting.
Like most Steven Universe comics, it's a short and sweet standalone story. Bismuth is great so it's wonderful to see more of her. Pairing her up for a story with Greg was genius and who doesn't like a Gem having to quickly solve a problem that they started themselves?
While Steven is away - putting this story during the last arc of the series - Greg enlists Bismuth to help with some mechanical work at the car wash.
This is a rare story totally devoid of Steven, which always provides some nice moments between other characters. Here, it's Greg and Bismuth. This is a nice dynamic as Greg is the most human member of the Crystal Gems while Bismuth has only recently stopped trying to kill Steven.
Greg brings Bismuth over to help fix up Fryman's food truck. He knows she's a weaponsmith but Pearl is his go-to mechanic and she's in space. Unfortunately, while Bismuth is able to pick up mechanical engineering as fast as any gem masters the basics of music, she's still a weapons gal first and foremost.
The result is a french fry food truck that is also a tank equipped with a Laser Light Cannon. Naturally, it does not go well and Bismuth needs to learn that there's more to humanity than fighting.
Like most Steven Universe comics, it's a short and sweet standalone story. Bismuth is great so it's wonderful to see more of her. Pairing her up for a story with Greg was genius and who doesn't like a Gem having to quickly solve a problem that they started themselves?
Rugrats: The Newspaper Strips (BOOM! Studios)
Nickelodeon’s beloved animated series premiered in 1991 and gave the world thirteen seasons of unforgettable baby fun and adventures. With its unique blend of humor and family values, Rugrats established itself as a pop culture phenomenon and gave way to movies, merchandise, and more, including a long run of newspaper comic strips.
This massive paperback collection includes the newspaper dailies and Sundays featuring the babies on a series stand alone adventures perfect for readers of all ages. Being newspaper strips, the comics are all short little jokes and all perfectly capture the spirit of the show.
There's strips about the babies misunderstanding things they overhear from adults, strips about the babies experiencing imagination-based play, strips about Chuckie being scared, Phil and Lil being gross, and more. The best part is how unabashedly 90s these are, even moreso than the show itself.
Click here to pre-rder your copy and splat your way back to the 90s.
Nickelodeon’s beloved animated series premiered in 1991 and gave the world thirteen seasons of unforgettable baby fun and adventures. With its unique blend of humor and family values, Rugrats established itself as a pop culture phenomenon and gave way to movies, merchandise, and more, including a long run of newspaper comic strips.
This massive paperback collection includes the newspaper dailies and Sundays featuring the babies on a series stand alone adventures perfect for readers of all ages. Being newspaper strips, the comics are all short little jokes and all perfectly capture the spirit of the show.
There's strips about the babies misunderstanding things they overhear from adults, strips about the babies experiencing imagination-based play, strips about Chuckie being scared, Phil and Lil being gross, and more. The best part is how unabashedly 90s these are, even moreso than the show itself.
Click here to pre-rder your copy and splat your way back to the 90s.
