Boom Studios Really Wants Mega Man to be the New Power Rangers

In 2015, Boom Studios announced they'd picked up the license for Power Rangers. Expectations were understandably… low.  I remember meeting up with Eric Stephenson at San Diego Comic Con and mutually shaking out heads as we passed by some promotion for it. And this is from a man who used to write Youngblood spin-offs – and edit my own columns in a previous iteration. Power Rangers comics had been published by a who's who of comic publishers including Marvel, Papercutz, Acclaim, Tokyopop, and even one issue from Image Comics once, to little commercial success and even less acclaim.

Those expectations changed when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 outsold every comic Marvel published in March 2016. A couple of years later, one store famously sold 800 copies of issue #25, the kick off to Shattered Grid, in 15 minutes. That's on top of originating fan favorite characters like Lord Drakkon and Ranger Slayer, who have gone on to appear as action figures, video games, and tabletop games.  Even now, the second printing of Lord Drakkon's first appearance can fetch you $180 and the Ranger Slayer first appearance sells for $18 for a raw copy.

More recently, Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 sold out before it went on-sale, went back for a second printing, and racked up over 28,000 copies in sales. Perhaps because in that issue, Ranger Slayer assumed the mantle of Lord Drakkon. Then Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn #1, which kicked off the Lady Drakkon-led spin off limited series, launched even higher with orders of 35,457 copies, sold out the week of on-sale, and went back for a second printing. But I'd guess those numbers will pale in comparison to the Boom's planned relaunch of the franchise in November with Mighty Morphin #1 and Power Rangers #1 (aren't they clever).

This week however, Boom launched another popular license from the early 90s – Mega Man – which also has a lengthy history in comic shops. Mega Man: Fully Charged #1 was ordered in at 30,009 copies, the highest selling comic launch in the franchise's history. Now I'm hearing that the first issue has sold out the day of on-sale despite a healthy overprint. No doubt a second printing is imminent.  Is it a fluke or is this the beginning of a new Power Rangers for Boom?  It is currently under cover price on eBay – but for how long?

MEGA MAN FULLY CHARGED #1 CVR A MAIN
BOOM! STUDIOS
JUN200774
(W) AJ Marchisello, Marcus Rineheart (A) Stefano Simeone (CA) Toni Infante
It's a new beginning for the worldwide culture phenomenon featuring heroes like Mega Man, Rush and Dr. Light trying to save Silicon City from the villainous forces of the Robot Masters, set in the world of the Mega Man: Fully Charged TV series. After Mega Man's father Dr. Light is kidnapped, a shocking truth rocks Mega Man's world as it seems the Robot Masters know more about his secret history than he does. When Mega Man's forgotten memories of the brutal human/robot war are triggered, our hero is left to question just who he is and if he can trust anything or anyone-including the man he calls father. Don't miss a perfect jumping on point for long time fans and new readers as A.J. Marchisello & Marcus Rinehart, with artist Stefano Simeone examine the cost of being a hero, and what it truly means to be human. In Shops: Aug 26, 2020 SRP: $4.99