Ranger Academy #8 picks up the pace with heightened action and plenty of character interaction to push the story forward, while secrets of the Academy are finally laid bare! The latest issue from BOOM! Studios offers a welcome return to form.
Good day Ranger fans! We’re finally here with another review of BOOM! Studios’ latest series “Ranger Academy”. Issue #7 began to pick up the pace but felt too little too late with very poor pacing to boot! Will issue #8 carry the momentum at a more regulated rate? Only one way to find out!
Ranger Academy #8 is the latest in the BOOM! Studios Rangerverse. Written by Maria Ingrande Mora with illustrations by Jo Mi-Gyeong and colouring by Joana Lafuente. Their skills combined together to bring a much larger world to the ever expanding comic Rangerverse. Today, I will be giving you my personal pros and cons of the latest issue.
RELATED: Review: Tensions Rise as the Truth Remains Hidden in Ranger Academy #7
WARNING: Potential story spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!
The Pros
Ranger Academy #8, like the previous issue carries the momentum built by continuing exactly where the previous issue left off. We get Sage, morphed in her Green Ranger form, battling a previously revealed foe and is eventually joined by a morphed Tula as the action finally ramps up; it’s so great to get some ‘real’ Ranger action going on amidst the usual teen melodrama and mystery within Ranger Academy. While it’s a great way to kick off issue #8, it’s not the highlight of the issue. The real highlight comes in the form of Ranger Academy’s Headmaster revealing the events that were being kept hush hush around the academic establishment. It’s here to essentially contextualise the motivations of the Academy along with showing how the transpiring events all connect to Sage and it couldn’t have came at a better time! With the future of BOOM! Studios license to Power Rangers in question, fans could have been left without many answers. I applaud the teams effort to not only play their metaphoric cards on the table, but to play it well; it doesn’t feel like a rushed plot thread nor an afterthought. Issue #8 of Ranger Academy is a vast improvement over the last few issues we’ve had.
The Cons
While the action and context provided in this issue are absolute highlights, one major con I had against this particular issue was another plot thread the last few issues were building up to: Sage’s ability to morph. More specifically, the possible fallout between Sage and Lindy once it’s revealed Sage can morph. Well, we finally get to the culmination of that thread and it’s a bit of a nothing ending. Lindy is obviously and rightly hurt that Sage would lie to her and questions her during the quiet moment of this issue. Everything is resolved and back to normal in a few comic panels; a sort of ‘family is stronger than everything’ or ‘friendship is magic’ conclusion to an initially interesting thread or well earned melodrama reduced to what felt like an afterthought. It’s a shame; had the interesting tidbit of the Academy’s past not been revealed, I think I’d have come out more sour on this issue. Other than this, I had no real major issues with this addition to the Ranger Academy storyline. I’m still not the biggest fan of Ranger Academy’s art style or the Ranger costumes and BOOM! Studios’ generally uninspired original Ranger designs. Those are simply just subjective nitpicks though.
Conclusion
After its all said and done, I can happily say issue #8 is a major improvement over the last few issue. Whether its just a good place in the overall arching narrative course set ahead for this storyline or the series has been pivoted to be less filler and more killer as the end of BOOM! Studios’ hold on the Power Rangers license loosens is anyone’s guess, but I hope it continues! Issue #7 had what I defined as ‘real drama’ and likewise, issue #8 has what I define as ‘real action’; if the series can find away to successfully combine the both in future, I think we’ll have a winning 10/10 issue. With no confirmed end in sight yet, it’s hard to say when Ranger Academy will end but, if the future continues the momentum of issue #8 while wrapping everything in a neat bow, I think this series will be able to go out as a memorable addition to the Rangerverse, despite some boring filler sections.
For this issue, I’d give Ranger Academy #8 an 8 out of 10! A serious kick up the backside to get in gear is what Ranger Academy needed and it shows; a steady pace that balances action and drama with story exposition and motivational context into it’s world and characters. The issue ends on a respectable cliffhanger that feels like the ending of one act and the beginning of another; I mentioned in my last review “It’ll be interesting to see if Ranger Academy #8 invigorates my interest in this series”. I think its fair to say it has done just that!
Ranger Academy #8 was released June 5th, 2024 at your local comic book store. This and more Power Rangers BOOM! Studios series are also available as a digital copy from content providers like iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
What did you think of Issue #8? Looking forward to more? Any predictions on upcoming issues? Let us knows in the comments below! We look forward to seeing them. Stay tuned for more reviews of Ranger Academy and other awesome Power Ranger news and reviews here at The Toku Source!
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