Power Rangers #3 follows the story of The Horrid to magnificent conclusion, while simultaneously setting up a bold new adventure for issue #4.
Writer Ryan Parrott and artist Francesco Mortarino are spinning gold with the Omega Rangers in this new ongoing series. The Omega Rangers consist of original Mighty Morphin’ Angel Grove natives Trini, Zack and Jason, the original Yellow, Black and Red rangers respectively. In the first issue of the series, the space-venturing superteam revisited Angel Grove and kidnapped Lord Drakkon.
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Drakkon is an alternate-reality version of Tommy Oliver, most famously known as The Green Ranger, though he has held a variety of mantles throughout the years. Jason, the leader of the team believed that Drakkon was the only key to defeating a race of incredibly powerful and malevolent aliens known as The Empyreal.
In order to (hopefully) stop the world-destroying beings, Zack directly disobeyed Zordon and led a secret mission to break Drakkon out of Zordon’s imprisonment. In the second issue of Power Rangers, after fleeing the planet earth and traveling through the deepest, most dangerous reaches of space, our heroes were beset with a new challenge known as The Horrid.
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These demonic beings (effectively space vampires) exist only to consume life. These semi-corporeal monstrosities assault the ship, nearly overwhelming the team. In a desperate bid for survival, Drakkon promised the leader of The Horrid galaxies of life for them to consume, only to be dragged out of his cell with the promise of enslavement.
POWER RANGERS #3 SPOILERS AHEAD
Without revealing exactly how, The Horrid ultimately fall at the hands of The Omega Rangers, their pet alien quadruped, Yale, and their robotic ally and Alpha 5 standin, Xi. A certain double agent plays a pivotal role in this conflict, as does Xi, who is easily the highlight of this story.
My favorite droid from the Star Wars universe is K2SO of Rogue One, a character known for his uniquely dry, biting sense of binary humor. Xi is very reminiscent of K2 in this issue, and the Omega Rangers team play off of his untraditional sensibilities in a genuinely hilarious manner.
Tonally, Power Rangers #3 is fantastic. A big part of why I’m loving Parrott and Mortarino’s new series is how it balances the traditional Super Sentai story structure and tropes with higher stakes and truly dire straits. The Horrid felt like a genuine threat who could cause lasting damage to the team’s mission, and this intense, gripping storytelling kept me on the edge of my seat through each and every panel.
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From a visual standpoint, this comic is no less stunning than the prior two issues, though it features nary as incredible a sequence as the “prison break” scene from the first issue. Mortarino consistently delivers such an eye-popping science fiction feast for the senses that I’ve almost begun to take it for granted. Furthermore, I once again would like to state just how in love I am with the design of The Omega Rangers. If I had to pick a visual highlight from issued #3, it would have to be the Red Omegazord, which is put on display in truly spectacular fashion.
At the end of the issue, our heroes approach the ruined homeworld of the treacherous Lord Drakkon, and I cannot wait to see just what lies in wait for the Omega Rangers. As someone who hopped on board the Power Rangers comic book train at the beginning of the “Unlimited Power” era, the story of Drakkon and his origin is entirely new to me. Needless to say, I am already hooked.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys beautiful, high-quality storytelling. Power Rangers is coming together as an epic that transcends the Tokusatsu genre, and I couldn’t be more pleased with this story. Stay tuned to The Illuminerdi for our reviews of upcoming issues, and remember, We Are Always Watching.
What did you think of Power Rangers #3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media!
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