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After the big reveal in the last Issue, Sage now has MORE baggage on her plate. Is her secret going to get out? Is she going to get kicked out? Why is she green? What is Parents Weekend? Some Parents of Ranger Alumni? AND How do you dance?
Ranger Academy #4 by Maria Ingrande Mora, artist Jo Mi-Gyeong, colorist Joana Lafuente, and letterer Ed Dukeshire
The Writing
Wow, this was a fun one! Not only do we get to see our “teenagers with attitude at school” go through some actual teenage things. But the fact is that also, in the last issue, a few spandex breadcrumbs were laid for cameos. I was FLOORED who actually showed up! I mean, it’s total Sins of the Future full-circle stuff! Speaking of the parents, apparently, they have caught wind of some security concerns around the campus that the students aren’t aware of. But the show must go on, so WE DANCE!
The Art
This issue truly shines! We get the usual stuff, but kudos to the entire art team for having to design everyone’s dance attire! Even just six issues in, and to be able to take a quick break from the same school uniform, every issue had to be a welcome treat! Still, with the fact that I can’t figure out WHEN Ranger Academy is, they took such great artistic license to make, not only out of time but out of space, everyone’s fancy attire seems like “the right fit.”
Thoughts from THE GRID
The fact that Nadira made a big cameo in this book was so out of left field that it was perfect! The playfulness of her skipping through time with her kids has a very Doctor Who vibe, and I’m all for it. With the security issues going on alluding to Dark Spector, it makes me wonder if this and the mainline story from Missy Flores are connected. Finally, revealing that Tula’s sister was a Green Ranger finally pays off as to why she was on Sage’s case. We still see the big head in the tube in the Green campus, so I’ll assume it’s Sage and, like Zordon, just displaced in time.
Ranger Academy #6 gets 7.5 out of 10 Power Coins
I know I said the last issue focused more on the teen drama, and that is still the underlying tone. But now that we are building on it with more Ranger lore, the idea of using Nadira was smart; it wasn’t an easy layup like Sky or Nick because of their inherited family legacies. This will be a sleeper until it’s not, and when all these moving parts come together, I hope we get a Megazord-sized story.
So what are your theories? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and please consider following me personally at OFF THE CUFF TOM on social media. Don’t forget to support your LCS and swing back to the Nerd Initiative for all your Ranger Reviews!
