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Slow-Mo On The Go Go Power Rangers

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by Vince Brusio

Originally, you’d watch Power Rangers on television so that you could digest a story in one sitting. Time constraints have now been eliminated, commercials are gone, and plenty of character development is on tap for BOOM! Studios Go Go Power Rangers #1 (MAY171212) written by Ryan Parrott. Now with cosmic stop watch in hand, Ryan explains that all details will be revealed in full technicolor given this ongoing series which hits comic shops this July 26!

Go Go Power Rangers #1 (MAY171212) is in comic shops July 26.

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Vince Brusio: There is a world that’s so much bigger than the Power Rangers on television. That seems to be a message that’s attached to Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #1 (MAY171212). This series appears to be the kill shot. Is it safe to say that this series is a pause in the universe that allows everyone to get the full story of what happened to Jason, Kim, Trini, Zack, and Billy after they acquired their powers?

Ryan Parrott: I'd say it's less of a PAUSE and more SUPER SLOW MO. In the original series, every episode stuck to a pretty strict formula of martial arts, monsters, and Zords. With Go Go Power Rangers, the intent is to investigate those introspective, in-between moments. Our first issue picks up the day after the pilot episode and we dig into not only how the world and the city react to the confirmation of both aliens and superheroes, but how the teens deal with their life being flipped upside down. Do they accept their new roles instantly? Do they reject it? These are high school kids who have a lot of responsibility heaved onto their shoulders all at once. So, that's a long way of saying, yes, this series is all about examining the reality of the Ranger teens’ situation and what acquiring their powers means to each of them.

Vince Brusio: What prep work went into you taking things back to ground zero for the Power Rangers? The property has a long history. How did you get in front of all of it, and stop that speeding bullet train?

Ryan Parrott: Thankfully, I got to include my childhood as early prep work—even if I didn't know it at the time. To be honest, I don't think I was entirely aware of just how epic the Power Rangers legacy was when I started working on this series. I'd completely forgotten about the Radbug. But luckily Go Go, although canon, takes place both before and during the first season of Mighty Morphin, so I'm not completely confined by the sheer enormity of Power Ranger lore. There's some freedom to play around.

Vince Brusio: Ok, so the Power Rangers are shown back in their high school days. So, let’s put some scenery and lawn furniture in the picture. Can’t have a party without a good backdrop. What’s the youth culture like? What year is it? What music’s playing in the background? Power Rangers can be traced back to the 90s, so is the crew listening to CDs, or is everything being streamed on Pandora and YouTube?

Ryan Parrott: As much as I'd love to have overall shorts and hypercolor shirts on every page, we decided it was probably best to update the series to take place in modern day. They have smart phones and the Internet at their disposal. Oddly enough, it actually wasn't that hard to modernize it—the communicators are basically just smart watches anyway. Or, are the smart watches just Power Ranger communicators? Apple is Zordon. You heard it here first.

Vince Brusio: The tag line for the book’s listing is that “fighting evil is hard, but surviving high school may be even harder.” Is this an attempt to make Angel Grove more accessible? Are there supporting characters on the horizon?

Ryan Parrott: Well I know that I found fighting evil in high school much easier than my Algebra II Trig homework. But Angel Grove has always been sorta "Anytown, USA" to me — so with this series, we're going to try and lock it down and populate it with an ensemble. Their teachers, parents, and other high school students will reoccur and become three dimensional characters—with the biggest addition being Kimberly's first boyfriend, Matthew. He was around before they were Rangers and was actually friends with all the Ranger teens before Kimberly. He brought her into the group. So, he plays a pretty prominent part in the Rangers’ story.

Vince Brusio: What’s been the most challenging aspect of working on this project for you alongside artist Dan Mora?

Ryan Parrott: For me, the most difficult part has been finding a balance between the small intimate stories — the reality of what it’s like to be a Ranger — and tackling the epic action and big ideas that come with the Ranger franchise. I have a lot of concepts I want to explore — as well as give Dan to draw — but you want to make sure you spend quality time digging into the characters, too. So, for me, it's just finding the right balance and pacing of those two elements. 

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.

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