Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: boom, boom studios, Comics, HRL, Jason David Frank, power rangers

Go Go Power Rangers: The War Is Coming

Derek Trum reports from NYCC:

It was Thursday at New York Comic Con when BOOM! Studios hosted its panel for the its ongoing Power Rangers series. The panel was great for both new and existing fans. Mixing up the panelists with both comic creators and cast members from the original series really helped draw in a solid audience.

Guests included Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Bryce Carlson (BOOM Studios editor), Edgar Pastan (manager of product development for Saban), David Yost (Billy the Blue Ranger) and Walter Jones (Zack the Black Ranger).  David and Walter are not involved themselves in the creative process of the books but it was great to have them in the mix for the panel.

The panel started off with everyone talking about what Power Rangers meant to them. Kyle talked about how he was campaigning hard for this project when he first found out about it. He was hoping to land a gig doing backup stories, but instead was given the keys to the kingdom with the first ongoing series Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Kyle's goal with the series was to bring back those feelings he had as a child watching the show. He didn't want to spend a lot of time going over the origin of the team — instead, he wanted to focus on the arrival of Tommy Oliver (the Green Ranger) and how that would affect the team's dynamic.

David and Walter spent a lot of time talking about the their experience with the fans they meet. Both shared multiple stories about fans telling them how important the show was to them as kids and how it shaped their lives growing up. David started to get choked up a little when talking about some of the interactions he's had. It was clear that both actors really appreciate their fan base and those fan interactions that are made possible by conventions.

The conversation shifted to the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and what could be expected in some of the upcoming issues. Issue #20 will feature a Power Rangers line-up from 1969. Kyle talked about how the members of this team were from all different backgrounds and nationalities. Given the era that the story is taking place in, this would give a unique dynamic to the team. It was also teased by and Kyle that the moon landing would play a big part in the story. Interiors were shown off for the first time, and they also showed us that the team would be led by a female Red Ranger.

Future issues will continue to follow the development of Billy since the events of Lord Drakkon. Kyle spoke about how Billy is more confident in himself after that story arc and will continue to develop as the book heads towards issue #25. When pressed for details about how may be in store for Zack, Kyle had to stay quiet. "Anything I say about what's coming up for Zack would just be too much of a spoiler."  

The 25th anniversary of Power Rangers is going to coincide with the 25th issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This is where things got really interesting. It was announced that issue #25 would be an over sized issue shipped in a black poly bag. This issue would launch a major event in the Power Rangers universe. Details about what would happen in that issue were very vague — until Jason David Frank showed up.

Frank (the Green Ranger), showed up to crash the panel to a large round of applause. It was great that he did because it was his question that started leading us to details about the big Power Ranger event.

It appears that Lord Drakkon will be the main antagonist for event. Kyle said that Lord Drakkon will escape his prison and set his eyes on a conquest that is larger than just conquering the world. Kyle encouraged readers to go back and read the series because everything he's done has been leading to this event.

During the Q&A, a fan asked when we would see some of the other versions of the team — for example, the TimeForce. Kyle's poker face was not strong when he replied: "That would be cool if we saw that soon. It's a good idea. Can't wait for issue 25 to come out."

The hype for issue #25 was very strong as they ended the show with a slide that read "The War is coming…"

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