VR Troopers #1 Review

 

Writer: Mairghread Scott

Illustrator: Sebastián Piriz

Colorist: JP Jordan

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke, Goñi Montes, Jorge Corona with Sarah Stern, Karen S Darboe, James Stokoe, Christian Ward, Dan Panosian, Sebastián Piriz, Ivan Tao & Marcelo Matere

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 25, 2025

 

Imprisoned on the moon, Rita Repulsa pondered the relationship between evil and progress. The Eltarians brought technological riches to Earth. They imported alien refugees to increase societal diversity. Then, the Eltarians created heroes the indigenous Humans could identify with to help them maintain order.

 

Along with Kaitlyn Star and JB Reese, Ryan Steele protects Earth from dangerous mutants, Human (and Alien) traffickers, off-world weapons, and illegal drugs. But like Bulk, who abandoned the Eltarian Security forces to serve Rita, Ryan also wonders about his allegiance. The Eltarians have given Ryan everything. So, why does he question his commitment to the protectors of the known universe? Let’s grab our Virtualizers, leap into VR Troopers #1, and see!

 

Story

Ryan loves Valentina. But since she tried to help Lauren, and Rita made her a Power Ranger, their relationship has grown complicated. Ryan keeps urging Jun to join the VR Rangers, but Admiral Janessa's son seems enthralled by the Power Rangers. As his relationships with his girlfriend and his Eltarian friend fracture, Ryan tries to convince them to behave responsibly. So why does he lie in bed at night, unable to sleep?

 

Instead of following Rita Repulsa's exploits with Orion and Lauren and Ryan’s attempts to get Valentina and Jun to betray them, VR Troopers #1 takes us inside Ryan's world. Like Orion's roommate Mark, who Ryan has imprisoned in a holding cell, Ryan has a dog. Ryan shares Orion's good looks and blond hair. But unlike Mark and Orion, Ryan is a native of Earth.

 

Lacking Human parents, the Eltarians gave Ryan status as a VR Trooper. He befriended Kaitlyn Star and JB Reese, the other members of his squad. Ryan enthusiastically supports the Eltarian government. Yet his superiors dispense information sparingly.

 

Mairghread Scott’s story follows a day in the life of Ryan Steele. It’s an extraordinary day that sheds light on Ryan’s past and suggests the possible means by which Earth became the Eltarian Empire’s 205^th colony. The events in VR Troopers #1 will test Ryan’s loyalty to the Eltarians. Their team's discoveries will tempt Kaitlyn and JB to keep secrets from him. Perhaps Ryan would sleep better at night if he was not apprehending "mutants" for public relations and endorsing Crashcrunch protein bars as a VR Trooper.

 

Art

Ryan lies clothed atop the covers with his brown lab nestled beside him. After rising from bed, Ryan dons a hoodie. Then, he jogs past the elaborate dome wherein Jun and Mark once answered Professor Barall’s question about their new lives on Earth. Standing before an arched cutaway in a chicken wire fence, Ryan gazes at the sign above a building. Electricity crackles around his body as his clothes make way for armor in VR Troopers #1.

 

Ryan makes a striking impression, half silhouette, half covered in colorful circuitry, as he enters the building. Dark turquoise fills the night as others wearing yellow masks emit a yellow glow. When one runs away, a yellow blast beckons. Ryan finds someone cloaked in green, producing a shower of yellow sparks. As Sebastián Piriz lays out panels against black or white space, the structure (and JP Jordan’s coloring) of Ryan's armor evokes the Cubist movement.

 

Taylor Esposito’s white or yellow letters against darker colors reveal thoughts and off-camera dialogue in narrative boxes. Black uppercase letters in white balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for volume, change color with action, and rarely shrink. Sound effects enhance gunfire, explosions, and bodies crashing through a multi-light window that evokes the Shoji screens of Lauren’s Samurai Ranger heritage. Thanks to Boom! Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Ryan Steele may work for a corrupt regime, but it's the only one he knows. VR Troopers #1 reveals why the Eltarian Empire made Power Rangers into fugitives and transformed Ryan and his colleagues into pop culture heroes.

 

Rating 9.5/10