Ranger Academy #10 uncovers the truth about Sage via her father’s past. The latest issue from BOOM! Studios reveals all 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 #9 definitely impressed me the last time but how did issue #10 fare in comparison? Read on to find out!
Ranger Academy #10 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: Plans Set in Motion While Dealing With Emotions in Ranger Academy #9
WARNING: Potential story spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!
The Pros
Issue #10 sees our protagonists continue their journey to Sage’s home planet. Times are dark and answers are being sought with a couple of surprises appearing along the way. Sage, Mathis and Lindy seek Rhianth and we get some insight to everything: why Ranger Academy tried to keep the past hushed, why Tula’s sister died, why Sage is so special.
Like issue #9, issue #10 keeps the momentum going with the characters still racing towards Sage’s home planet. After our protagonists arrive at their destination does the pacing slow down ever so slightly, but it’s exactly enough to still keep up interest in the ongoing story. While issue #9 made itself clear as the beginning of a ‘third act’, issue #10 lets you know you’re here; you’re right in the third act and it’s a point of no return. Once the characters get a brief moment to settle down, we learn what happened in the years prior at Ranger Academy through a memory told by Rhianth. The backstory reveals what exactly happened to Tula’s sister, why Ranger Academy tried to bury it’s past and it’s green campus as well as revealing Sage’s part in all of it. It’s a reveal I didn’t expect but you’d be forgiven for not realising, as there was no hint or mention in any previous issues, likely to avoid guessing too early in the establishing issues. It’s a good reveal though, one that gives reason for Sage’s self doubts and anxieties and one that explains why she was chosen for the green ranger.
Dark Specter was always a formidable foe during his tenure on Power Rangers: In Space but the show could only go so dark and despicable with the character. In Ranger Academy, we see how truly evil such a character can be. I especially love the way the page background has this blackened style during the backstory that ‘corrupts’ slightly with Dark Spectre’s influence towards the end of it. Speaking of conquering pasts, I’ve shown my disdain for the art style in issues before, but I feel I’m coming around on it now. Whether that’s just from reading ten whole issues with a mostly consistent art style or finally accepting it was never bad in the first place is beyond me. It’s also not necessarily a ‘pro’ but an observation on my part; either way it visually channels exactly what it needs to without being overly expressive.
The Cons
Fortunately, there isn’t much to rag upon in this issue for me, personally. Where issue #9 had issues of emotional flip flopping and lacking real character development, issue #10 carries it all more naturally. Also there’s no random “One Week Later” time skip to cause any jarring effect. Despite the bombshell reveal about Sage’s origin amid her fathers past at Ranger Academy, she didn’t spend too much time wallowing in self pity. Perhaps a sign of growing into her Green Ranger role? We’ll have to see what happens next issue as there has been some backpedalling on her character growth through the last nine issues.
A weird issue I have is why Tula is there? As our protagonists arrive at Sage’s home planet, they come across Tula, who seemed to be somewhat expecting them and somehow got there first; And the kicker? It’s not explained at all! She’s just there. It’s likely to be around for the reveal of how her sister died during Rhianth’s backstory but it wouldn’t have been hard to just have her stowaway on the ship. In fact, it would have been a nice callback seeing as Sage was a stowaway on their way to Ranger Academy in issue #1. Rant aside, it’s my only real complaint about this issue, which is a nice change of pace!
Conclusion
With everything said and done, issue #10 like the previous issue, is another solid entry that continues its migration into Ranger Academy’s ‘final act’ with grace and decorum. While the initial issue #1 wasn’t very impressive, the following issues varied between exciting and boring, but the final issues of Ranger Academy look to be shaping up to be the best of the bunch. Should this continue, I’ll forgive the shortcomings of previous issues and personally recommend Ranger Academy as finished story.
For this issue, I’d give Ranger Academy #10 a 9 out of 10! Solid entry from start to finish with a lot of questions seeing answered to and certain decisions contextualised. Despite Tula appearing from nowhere with no explanation in an issue all about explaining the unexplained, it doesn’t hinder the overall reading experience of issue #10 which continues to keep my interest and then some for the time being. Here’s to the next one!
Ranger Academy #10 was released September 4th, 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 #10? Looking forward to more? Any predictions on how the series will end? 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!
