Ranger Academy #9 Review

 

Writer: Maria Ingrande Mora

Artist: Jo Mi-Gyeong

Colorist: Joana Lafuente

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Kenzie Rzonca, Allyson Gronowitz, Bryce Carlson & Matt Gagnon

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong & Sara Antonellini

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 7, 2024

 

Tula idolized her sister. But Tashi died as a Green Cadet, and Tula had to know why. Now, Tula is gone. The Headmaster expelled her for breaking into the Green Campus and letting Dark Specter infect the Battle Matrix. Yet Sage is the evil person! She's to blame for all this! Can the Junior Green Ranger get her friend reinstated? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #9, and see!

 

Story

Lindy finds Sage in the Loading Bay. Where did the shuttle transport Tula, and why did Sage's friend insist on shouldering the blame? Lindy assures Sage that she belongs at Ranger Academy. That was why Tula protected her from the Headmaster's disciplinary actions. Still, if Sage needs help getting Tula reinstated, count her in!

 

Sage broke down in the Infirmary and explained why she had deceived Lindy. That evening, when her friends overhear their discussion, they want in on the secret. So, much as Harry or Hermoine might huddle in the Gryffindor Common Room, Sage shows them she can morph green in Ranger Academy #9. As Ranger Academy closed Green Campus ten years ago, Sage doesn’t want to risk infecting them with Dark Specter’s corruption. But Lindy isn’t alone in assuring her that friends stick together. Even Kartyr and Maev, initially reluctant to accept the midyear entrant, prove eager to help Sage.

 

After hiding her secret for so long, it feels good to stop hiding and reveal who she is. Baring her soul and her friends' acceptance calms Sage’s fears. Sage is still mad at Head Archivist Nika for hiding what he knew about her father’s actions and Tashi’s death. Still, she recognizes Nika felt like he was protecting her, just as Sage tried to protect Lindy by keeping secrets from her.

 

Although Sage doesn't want to leave, the road to clearing Tula's name leads back to her father. Nor does Sage want to return to her rain-soaked home where she only has animals for company. At least now she understands why Rhianth was so against the Power Rangers. In Maria Ingrande Mora's story, Sage risks everything to prove her friend's innocence. But like her father's and Nika's friend, might Sage unintentionally spread Dark Specter's corruption beyond the monitored precincts of Ranger Academy? Or is Tula already endangering other worlds?

 

Art

Meteors float beyond the protective dome in Ranger Academy #9. Surrounded by shuttles, Sage stares at the Loading Bay floor. Her eyes bulge when Lindy runs in, but she jerks away from her friend’s touch. Lindy extends a palm and gazes into Sage's tear-stained face. This time, when Lindy slowly approaches and tentatively touches her, Sage lets Lindy embrace her.

 

As Sage and Lindy chat in the First Year Dormitory, the dim green light enhances Sage's green power coin. When her friends sit or kneel before her in the brown First Year Dormitory lounge, Sage can barely keep from dancing. Cosmic green light surrounds her Morpher as a black, gold, and green uniform covers her. Sage’s brown and sage-colored hair evokes ruffled plumage as her friends swallow her in a group hug.

 

Amid Jo Mi-Gyeong's expressive characters and futuristic interiors and Joana Lafuente’s soft hues and gently textured surfaces, Ed Dukeshire fills the pages of Ranger Academy #9 with black uppercase letters in white and colored dialogue balloons and shares Sage's thoughts in green narrative boxes. In Maria Ingrande Mora’s story, sound effects enhance small actions, while inventive dialogue symbols remind us how frustrating it can be when friends refuse our assistance. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While Sage, her friends, and the staff sought protection in lies, those lies endanger Ranger Academy, prompting Sage to organize a rescue mission that may spread Dark Specter’s infection beyond the school in Ranger Academy #9.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.