Ranger Academy #3 Review

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Now that Sage has had her first few weeks at school and met other first years, she has to play catch-up and, of course, figure out how her dad was a student in the past!

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Sage is trying her best to comb through the archives. Finding any evidence as to why her father was a student at Ranger Academy in the past but now chooses to live like a hermit on a farm on a distant moon. After hours of frustration, Mathis takes Sage to their special place to blow off steam: the gym. I reminded Sage that they must be mentally and physically ready for their trial.

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She is still concerned with her dad’s origin story. Sage brazen but sheepishly walks into the teacher’s lounge, looking for the librarian and interrupting morning coffee! After a canine side-eye and guttural grumble from two ranger alums, Sage and the Librarian step away and have a heart-to-heart. He won’t go into detail about the past because it’s not his story. But tries to reassure her that her father would be proud of her.

Ranger Academy #3 Courtesy of BOOM! Studios — Ranger Academy #3: Credit BOOM! Studios

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While Sage is still so distracted, it’s evident even to the floating head in class, Professor Cranston!! In perfect Billy style, she reminds the cadet to “study more responsibly.” So they do just that! She relies on her fellow first years, Theo and Lindy, to cram before the first trial. If you don’t pass, you must wait a whole year to try again!

The pressure leads to restless nights and another heart-to-heart with Lindy. As knowledgeable as she is, she too feels like she doesn’t belong at the academy because she is the last survivor of her planet. Lindy has nothing except her chance to be a Ranger. Sage assures her that this is where she belongs.

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Sage gives Lindy some time to breathe and strolls off to study. But she finds straight-laced Tula “breaking out” or “breaking in” to what seems to be ANOTHER CAMPUS! A campus that’s not on the map?! So, while sneaking around, she comes upon a tube much like Zordon. But she sees HER FACE!

The night before the trial, the cadets go and do a small rite of passage and write their names on the ceiling. She finds her dad’s name from decades before and inscribes her mark next to his!

Thoughts from THE GRID

For the 3rd issue, Maria Mora, has packed quite a bit in, and I think it’s a brilliant idea. Too often in comics, you get a slow burn, so to pace but not overwhelm only three issues shows a great aptitude for storytelling. I seriously haven’t had this much info downloaded in my brain, and do not feel as if I was rushed from the first to the last page.

The whole mystery is why Tula was sneaking out to this other closed campus. It is going to be a neat C storyline to come back to. I will theorize that Sage only saw her reflection in the tube. I don’t think there was any being in there.

Ranger Cameos

Billy Cranston: Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger
Jen Scotts: Time Force Pink
Anubis “Doggie” Cruger: SPD Shadow Ranger
Yale of Saard: Blue Omega Ranger II

I don’t believe this series has a solid time frame yet. So I’ll bank on the fact that Billy was in college in the 30th Anniversary issue when he got a call for guidance. Add to that Professor Cranston’s design in the holotube, which would suggest that he’s a bit older. So, aging Billy up means that Yale also has aged. I’m spitballing here, but maybe by the time we have a ranger academy, we can figure out how to communicate with Yale?!

What’s all this canceling away missions from Doggie? Is he even part of the school, or is the Commander of SPD on a mission?

Again, there is so much going on here, but not too much that you can’t keep up; I can’t wait for the next issue.