Three issues in, we’re finally about to meet Ranger Prime! Your Major Spoilers review of Power Rangers Prime #3 from BOOM! Studios awaits!

POWER RANGERS PRIME #3

Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Michael Yg
Colorist: Fabi Marques
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Allyson Gronowitz
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 22, 2025

Previously in Power Rangers Prime: Our heroes enter a museum filled with Rangers artifacts when they suddenly encounter Rita herself. An epic face-off ensues that literally brings relics from the past to life! But when the governor of Angel Grove calls in her elite team of Troopers, things get heavy.

Will a fateful choice from Rita will change the Prime universe forever?

IN THE SHADOW OF THE DUMPSTER

In an alternate reality where Zordon’s Eltarian people colonized Earth in the distant past, Power Ranger Lauren Shiba has gone to ground, hiding out with a refugee named Jun and his friends. It’s a difficult position for Jun, as harboring a Power Ranger is a punishable offense, as his friend Valentina repeatedly reminds him. Fortunately, his friend Marko and his roommate Orion (himself a Power Ranger in the original reality) are more amenable, agreeing to help her. At the same time, Rita Repulsa seeks out the Power Center, trying to track down the energies of the Morphin Grid, only to find that it’s a meditation retreat. (Another alt-reality Ranger, RJ the Wild Force Wolf Ranger, is the manager for those keeping count.) Stymied in her quest for power, Rita seeks out the Angel Grove Natural History Museum, where Jun, Valentina, Orion, Marko, and Lauren have come, looking to find Lauren’s lost Morpher.

Aaaand, then the unexpected happens.

I DIDN’T SEE THAT ENDING COMING

This issue falls into a pattern that I find in a lot of modern comics: Issue One creates a mystery, Issue Two reveals more clues, while Issue Three gets caught in a weird lull between the setup and the second half of the story. The antagonism between our cast is still ongoing, but the first signs of lessening come during the break-in to the museum, thankfully. It’s honestly exhausting to watch Valentina snark at Lauren, especially given what the solicitations imply is going to be their new status quo. The script makes good use of 30 years of Ranger history, with Jun being a member of Zordon’s race, Marko being a refugee from Aquitar, the home of the Alien Rangers, and both Lauren and Orion being Rangers themselves. The art is the real standout here, though, giving us a young, platinum-blonde Rita, an exciting universe filled with futuristic architecture and technology, and a very portentous final page moment. Even the VR Troopers look cool here, even though they’ve gotten the full fascism upgrade to their armor. The coloring is a bit more saturated than I like, with all the white tones overwhelmingly blue-green, which is something I find fault with in a lot of modern comics.

BOTTOM LINE: THE OL’ THIRD-ISSUE-SYNDROME

Even if it feels like it’s stalling for time a little bit, Power Rangers Prime #3 is a better-than-average issue that advances a couple of important plot threads, assembling the cast of characters and putting everyone that we know in unfamiliar roles, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. As a fan of Flores’ work, I’m looking forward to seeing where the Prime Rangers end up going, but I’m going on record as saying that RJ would make a great Sixth Prime.

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