Ranger Academy #9 seeks to uncover the truth by any means necessary, while proving that green is not obscene! The latest issue from BOOM! Studios sets the stage for the final act of Ranger Academy!
Good day Ranger fans! We’re finally here with another review of BOOM! Studios’ latest series “Ranger Academy”. Issue #8 picked up the pace after a series of uninteresting slogs with a more earned cliffhanger. How does issue #9 carry on from there? Read on to find out!
Ranger Academy #9 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: Action and Drama Await as All is Revealed in Ranger Academy #8
WARNING: Potential story spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!
The Pros
Issue #9 carries off from the cliffhanger from the previous issue: the expulsion of Tula. More so, the initial pages deal with Sage’s emotions over the situation before giving our protagonist a dose of newfound courage in seeking the answers still clouded around Ranger Academy. With some help, she seeks to find out if green is really a cursed colour at the Academy and why her dad killed that previous Green Ranger.
We see the beginning of a plan forming as it’s haphazardly put in motion. Yet, it’s that lack of organisation that feels so very ‘Sage’. Whatever answers need to be found, our protagonist is gonna get to the bottom of it with her trademark plucky naivety! A highlight of issue #9 is that every page is constantly in motion, leading to the next page, the next location and the next set of dialogue; it doesn’t stop for any extended breathers or slowdowns nor does it feel like there’s too much going on at once. Issue #9 feels like we’re leading into an exciting beginning of a story’s ‘third act’. A few issues still lie ahead with some shrouded mysteries that could lead to an interesting and/or unique destination. That’s what serialised comic books should aim for; an enjoyable digestible story that gets you excited for the next one and I feel issue #9 of Ranger Academy has done that well!
The Cons
To start off with a purely subjective complaint, that “trademark plucky naivety” I mentioned in regards to Sage is for me, so tired at this point. Make no mistake, it’s a fitting character trait for Power Rangers story in the ‘teen’ category, which I feel Ranger Academy is aiming to appeal to, but it’s also tiring when we’re nine issues in with barely any real character development for our protagonist. The character’s over the top emotional self blaming isn’t helping much either. Characters grow the most when they suffer, but someone needs to tell the writer(s) that you can’t force character growth through melodramatic self suffering. I suppose when a story like Ranger Academy has little to no ‘real’ stakes on show, it’s all you can do; it’s hardly a good excuse though.
There also seems to be a flip flopping of emotions between a few characters here; one second they’re extremely sad at transpired events then suddenly happy as if nothing had happened. I know teenagers (with attitude) are supposed to be emotional and puberty is no joke, but this just feels what someone long passed their teenage years assumes teenagers to act like, emotionally speaking. I’m no teenager myself but it feels a bit far from the mark and makes the pacing of dialogue exchanges a bit awkward.
Lastly, on the subject of pacing, there’s a small moment that states “a week later” as if in the world of Ranger Academy, nothing at all happened for a whole week when from start to present, there has been nothing but secrets and melodrama with barely a time skip. Why? It doesn’t really serve the story or this issue any purpose other than beginning a new scene. For all it matters, the scene could have just as well taken place a day later and nothing would be affected. Perhaps you’ll see my point in time, but these complaints overall don’t distract too much from story being told.
Conclusion
With everything said and done, issue #9 of Ranger Academy is a solid entry that feels like it’s setting the stage for the final act of it’s story. Whether that story will be one to remember is still hard to tell at this point, as it could go either way. I’ll easily be able to forgive a lot of Ranger Academy’s shortcomings if it can stick a solid landing. With some emotional baggage from issue #8 and Sage’s newfound desire for answers from those above her, we may finally get to unravel some mysteries and interesting tidbits of lore in the next few and final upcoming issues. Do it well and Ranger Academy may very well become a memorable addition to the Morphin’ Grid!
For this issue, I’d give Ranger Academy #9 an 8 out of 10! A solid story from start to finish, plenty of emotion and drama to kick off the next act in the story, setting the stage for answers and mysteries to unravel. Despite a totally random time skip and weird transitional emotional states, the story still stands out and all the main characters get a moment to shine. Issue #8 invigorated my interest in Ranger Academy while issue #9 did a good job of keeping my interest despite the two months between issues. Here’s hoping issue #10 continues that flow!
Ranger Academy #9 was released August 7th, 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 #9? 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!
