Sage has arrived at Ranger Academy, but she’s got a lot of catching up to do if she wants to keep up with her fellow cadets. Your Major Spoilers review of Ranger Academy #2 from BOOM! Studios awaits!
RANGER ACADEMY #2
Writer: Maria Ingrande Mora
Artist: Jo Mi-Gyeong
Colorist: Fabiana Mascolo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Dafna Pleban
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 1, 2023
Previously in Ranger Academy: Freshman year starts for Sage on her first day at Ranger Academy! But it’s hard for a girl so used to isolation to make friends amongst the Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and Pink campuses, even with her new year mate Lindy. But given that this is no ordinary academy, Sage will have her fair share of secrets to uncover… and what connection does her paranoid father have to the mysteries of the school?
THE FIRST DAY IN A NEW SCHOOL
After being picked up by two lost students of the Ranger Academy, Sage is ready for a new challenge, one very different from her previous life on a remote asteroid. Her new friends have helped her create a false identity, hacked records into the system of the Academy, and sent her off on her first day of school (EVER) with all the tools she needs… but none of the requisite knowledge. She meets the school’s Headmaster (a literal floating head ala Zordon), makes some new friends, and encounters a few faces familiar to the reader, but the most important meeting is with Nika, Ranger Academy’s librarian. With a few hours of study, she’s found several important bits of information about her new school, but also discovered a mystery involving her dad.
The real shocker comes as Sage leaves the library, finally giving Nika the chance to call and check in on her old friend: Sage’s dad!
SOMEONE’S LYING (OTHER THAN SAGE)
The last issue hinted at a connection between Sage’s father and the Power Rangers, so the reveal that he was once one of the students is interesting, but not a big surprise. As for Ranger Academy itself, it follows many of the rules of the “strange boarding school” stories of yore, including the fact that nobody is particularly friendly to the new girl. Sage gets pranked by two fellow students, only for them to be surprised when she fulfills their proverbial snipe hunt, forging new friendships. Tula and Mathis, on the other hand, almost immediately return to their duties and ignore her, which feels both awkward and (in Tula’s case) overtly hostile to her. The art is good as well, stylish and a little bit cartoony, appealing to the young readers that this feels aimed at, but there I find it tough to tell one character from another in certain scenes, and it’s nigh-impossible to tell who the “guest professors” are supposed to be. I’m pretty sure one is Doggie Kruger and another is Jen Scotts, the Pink Time Force Ranger, but I can’t be sure, and the dialogue doesn’t give us any clues.
BOTTOM LINE: INTERESTING STUFF
I can’t figure out how the five-color houses work and a lot of the details don’t seem to make sense, but Ranger Academy #2 keeps me engaged and entertained for the duration of the issue, with most of the questions that stick in my craw only coming up after reading, leading to 3 out of 5 stars overall. I’m reserving judgment until there are a few more issues under the title’s belt, but so far, it’s an interesting take on a Hogwarts-style narrative, albeit one that could stand to slow down and focus on some of the details more.
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RANGER ACADEMY #2
Sage's first day gets very complicated, very quickly, as she (and the readers) are shown the first glimpses of the school's inner workings. It's all very interesting, but also VERY fast-paced.
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Writing6
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Art6
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Coloring6
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