Ranger Academy #12 Review

 

Writer: Maria Ingrande Mora

Artist: Jo Mi-Gyeong

Colorist: Joana Lafuente

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Kenzie Rzonca, Allyson Gronowitz & Matt Gagnon

Special Thanks: Dafna Pleban, Tayla Reo, Linda Lee & Ed Lane

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong & Naomi Franq

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 6, 2024

 

Like Zordon, the Headmaster of Ranger Academy inhabits a tower of light. But he has let fear drive his actions. Dark Specter stoked his fears until it corrupted him. Now, the Headmaster taunts adults and students, provoking them to morph so it can infect them with its insidious power. One of these corrupted Rangers attacked Tula, forcing Mathis to morph to protect her. Now, Dark Specter drives Mathis' actions. Can Sage and her friends get Zilan's machine working and free Mathis, the Headmaster, and everyone at Ranger Academy from Dark Specter's influence? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #12, and see!

 

Story

Rhianth and Nika attended Ranger Academy with Zilan. Their Green Junior Power Ranger friend built a device to cleanse people of Dark Specter’s influence but died while freeing his younger sister Sage. The Headmaster closed off Green Campus and cloaked the incident beneath a veil of secrecy. Traumatized by Zilan’s death and the resultant coverup, Rhianth took young Sage to Vaela. Nika gave up being a Power Ranger but remained to help students as the Head Archivist. Sage grew up without knowing about her parents, tending animals on a tiny, isolated moon with her adoptive father.

 

In Ranger Academy #12, Tula must fight Mathis to reclaim part of Zilan’s machine. Tula hurt Mathis by keeping secrets from them. Incapacitating her friend feels like compounding the injury. Tula also hurt Sage by using her to gain entrance to her sister Tashi's former campus. But when they need to escape Dark Specter's influence, the Green Campus offers them time to regroup. The Headmaster closed off the campus because that’s where Dark Specter gained entry. But now, being severed from the Morphin Grid gives them time.

 

Entering the Green Campus reminds Tula of her late sister. It reminds Rhianth and Nika of Zilan. Lindy uses the part Mathis stole to get Zilan's machine working again. But they can't hide in the Green Campus forever. They must return to the Morphin Grid to prevent Dark Specter from spreading beyond the school. Sage and her young friends must find a way to combat Dark Specter without letting their fears drive them. Lindy, in many ways the heart and soul of the Junior Cadets, must push through her reliance on her knowledge and ingenuity and believe in herself in Ranger Academy #12.

 

Art

The central room where teachers and students once gathered in Maria Ingrande Mora’s story has become a mockery of its former self. Jo Mi-Gyeong conveys the horror of this overturned world as the disembodied Headmaster gazes down on Rhianth, Sage, and Lindy in triumph. Energy and debris swirl through the Opalescent Dome, forcing Nika to raise a table on its side to protect Maev, Kartyr, and Theo from injury. Rhianth ushers Sage and Lindy behind the table. Yet he stands before it, braving the malignant force he once fled from, as he watches Tula and Mathis battle amid the hurricane-like storm.

 

After Rhianth, Sage, and their friends abandon the pink and lavender Opalescent Dome, Joana Lafuente tinges the air green inside Tashi and Zilan’s former home. The company converges around magenta-haired Lindy. As she explains her plan, pink, red, yellow, green, blue, and gray circuits race down a black field behind her. Sage kneels before the green and blue device while Rhianth, clad in his brown coat, gazes down at his adoptive daughter. Then, white energy fills the room, overexposing characters as Dark Specter invades their sanctuary.

 

Ed Dukeshire fills Ranger Academy #12 with uppercase letters in white and colored dialogue balloons and green narrative boxes. Dark Specter’s voice appears as red letters inside cloudlike balloons, while shouts enlarge letters and deform balloon shapes. Giant colored letters break balloon boundaries in a decisive moment. But banging fills the Green Campus, reminding the friends that the doors cannot protect them indefinitely from the corrupted Power Rangers outside. Thanks to Boom!Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Fear and pain separated Rhianth from his friend Nika and consigned him to an isolated existence on a tiny moon. Now, his daughter leads a team of young heroes to banish Dark Specter from their school. Ranger Academy #12 hums with the importance of hope, confidence, and the power of togetherness.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Ranger Academy #11 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

Special Thanks: Dafna Pleban, Tayla Reo, Linda Lee & Ed Lane

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong & Yoshi Yoshitani

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 2, 2024

 

Evil has a name, and that name is Dark Specter. Billy Cranston shattered the Morphin Grid to banish the rampant infection. But when the Blue Ranger reassembled it, Dark Specter slunk back inside. When memories of its malevolence waned, Dark Specter emerged from the shadows and used a toddler to kill Junior Rangers and her parents. Sage’s brother Zilan died while using a device he built to cure her. Can Sage and her friends return from Vaela before more tragedies rock Ranger Academy? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #11, and see!

 

Story

As Mathis, Tula, Lindy, and Sage prepare to depart, Rhianth arrives. Sage’s father doesn't want to return to the Academy where Zilan died. But he feels he should. Rhianth once frightened Mathis, but they snap at him to decide quickly. Mathis is receiving worrying signals from Ranger Academy. What has Dark Specter done in their absence?

 

While Maria Ingrande Mora often points the spotlight on Sage, Rhianth gets a chance to shine in Ranger Academy #11. He lost Sage when she stowed away with Mathis and Tula. Now, her adoptive father catches up on what he missed out on. Returning to the Academy also lets him reunite with his friend Nika. Still, Rhianth fled Ranger Academy after Zilan’s death. Can his return bring hope to his alma mater?

 

Mathis and Tula must also reforge their relationship. Tula hid things from Mathis and dragged them into her web of deceit. But like Lindy, Theo, Kartyr, and Maev, Mathis and Tula have become Sage’s family. They must accept each other’s faults and concentrate on what binds them together.

 

Like Zordon, the school’s Headmaster inhabits a tower of light. That glowing face brought hope to the Junior Rangers who studied and trained to become Power Rangers. But it also expelled the infected, closed the Green Campus after Zilan’s death, and forbade any search for a cure. In Power Rangers #11, Dark Specter has corrupted the Headmaster. The school’s ultimate authority taunts students and teachers. Using its connection to the Morphin Grid, the Headmaster spreads fear throughout Ranger Academy.

 

Art

Mathis, Tula, and Sage look wary as they study Zilan’s machine. But Lindy's face glows as she regards the device. Dressed in his long brown coat, Rhianth evokes Captain Malcolm Reynolds as he stands outside the shuttle. Little, goatlike Nugget is a reminder of Rhianth’s responsibilities and the way Captain Mal often transported livestock to struggling farmers on isolated worlds. As Sage regales Rhianth with her adventures at Ranger Academy, he peers out of the corner of his eyes, where an echo of his childhood lurks behind his shoulder. Up front, Mathis and Tula look small as they stare out the cockpit viewscreen at the domes built on an asteroid. Rhianth, Sage, and Lindy fade to shadows as Mathis and Tula seek to rebuild their shattered trust in Ranger Academy #11.

 

A red storm swirls around the school’s Opalescent Dome as Joana Lafuente’s purple shuttle descends toward an asteroid mottled with a black blight. Palms and plants look dark and gray as the Headmaster’s pink face swells above Rhianth and the students. Black, brown, and red shadows reach toward them like grasping hands. Yet, in a school dominated by red and gray, Sage and her friends find hope in a luminous place that sparkles and glows with gently colored light.

 

In addition to Jo Mi-Gyeong's evocative characters and dramatic settings and Joana Lafuente’s restrained and textured palette, Ed Dukeshire fills Ranger Academy #11 with black and red uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and shares Sage's thoughts in green narrative boxes. While the Head Archivist’s off-camera dialogue fills a white narrative box, a yellow border reminds us which campus Nika attended as a Junior Ranger. Giant red letters herald an act of bravery, while yellow sound effects trumpet a new danger threatening Sage's family and school. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Sage, her adoptive father, and her friends return to their infected school, the hope of curing the corrupted students and faculty lies with Lindy, the first-year student who cannot morph, in Ranger Academy #11.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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

Ranger Academy #10 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

Special Thanks: Dafna Pleban, Tayla Reo, Linda Lee & Ed Lane

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong & Audrey Mok

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

The Headmaster told Sage that her father had killed another junior ranger. Head Archivist Nika was friends with her father and Zilan. Nika knows Rhianth pursued Zilan into the Green Dormitory but doesn’t know how Zilan died. Perhaps Rhianth won't tell his friend what happened, but Sage wants to learn the truth behind the shuttle accident that killed Tula's sister and closed the Green Dorm. Can Sage pierce this conspiracy of silence, get Tula reinstated, and prove that it's okay to be a Green Power Ranger? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #10, and see!

 

Story

The Ranger Academy teaches the value of high ethical standards. Yet, it abounds with well-intentioned saboteurs. Sage’s fellow First Years organize a diversion at the Training Grounds. Mathis uses her digital mischief to deactivate the Loading Bay sensors, and Head Archivist Nika leaves the shuttle keys on his desk. Even Lindy breaks school regulations and stows away on Mathis and Sage’s shuttle. Now they’re heading to Vaela, where Sage must apologize to her dad for abandoning him without leaving a note.

 

Mathis is frightened of Sage's dad, but they have more important things to worry about in Ranger Academy #10. The last time Mathis and Tula traveled here, they crashed in the rainy planetoid's low gravity. Worse, Mathis only gets radio silence from Ranger Academy. At least after they land the shuttle, Mathis reunites with Tula. Their friend visited Sage's scary dad instead of returning home. Rhianth is expecting them. And boy, does he have a story to tell!

 

Rhianth explains the mystery surrounding the shuttle accident that killed Tula’s sister and why Ranger Academy closed the Green Dormitory. Her father's tale gives Shay much to process. Tula finds Sage in her treehouse. Mathis isn't far behind. They're concerned about Sage. But Mathis also worries about what may happen at Ranger Academy in their absence.

 

Maria Ingrande Mora's story resounds with the benefits of acceptance and mutual support. Ranger Academy #10 also reminds us how fear isolates and paralyzes us. Sage and her friends must convince the school administrators to forsake fear to defeat Dark Specter. Ironically, Lindy is the first to act. The First Year Cadet is as sensitive as an empath and the only member of her class who can't morph. But she won't let that stop her from taking risks and doing what she believes is right.

 

Art

As the shuttle descends through Vaela’s thick cloud layer, Lindy molds herself against Sage’s side. Sage’s muscles are tense as she cringes while strapped to her chair. Despite Mathis' determined expression, the shuttle clips the trees before it slides to a stop in the mud. As Mathis, Sage, and Lindy emerge, Lindy presses her hands to her face. Her arms drop, and she smiles when a golden bird with long tail feathers flies overhead. Then she interposes herself between Mathis, Sage, and the approaching shadows. Tula appears in a rain jacket, her hands on her hips, as a flock of goatlike animals rush in, and little Nugget leaps up to embrace Sage.

 

Joana Lafuente paints the ground maroon, and the distant trees merge with the blue sky. When sunlight pierces the clouds, Jo Mi-Gyeong's eggshell rock formations turn from gray to brown, and the land beneath them from blue to yellow. An orange and brown structure rises in the epicenter of one such crater that suggests the planet's crust formed bubbles as it cooled. Rhianth waits before his chapel-like home. As he presses Sage against his orange-red shirt, her reddish-brown mop appears brown in the cloud cover, the tousled ends show more blue-green than ever, and the green pack Sage wears declares her choices.

 

Ed Dukeshire fills the pages of Ranger Academy #10 with large black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons, shares Sage's thoughts in green narrative boxes, and Rhianth’s story in white narrative boxes. Sound effects enhance a rough shuttle landing, Mathis respecting Sage and Tula’s need for privacy, and an explosion that isn’t thunder. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Sage cast fear aside when she stowed away aboard Mathis and Tula’s shuttle. Yet she insulated herself from friends and shied away from her destiny at Ranger Academy. In a take-charge endeavor, Sage returns home to learn the truth about herself. What her father reveals has repercussions for Sage and could pave the way forward for her school’s fearful administration in Ranger Academy #10.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

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

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.

Ranger Academy #8 Review

 

Writer: Maria Ingrande Mora

Artist: Jo Mi-Gyeong

Colorist: Joana Lafuente

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong & Crystal Kung

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 5, 2024

 

Sage is a fortunate first-year cadet at Ranger Academy. She passed her trial on Chromia. Her spectracite crystal helped her morph. Yet Sage hid her ability because her friend Lindy couldn't morph, and everyone associates Green Rangers with evil. Sage also feels responsible for the death of Tula's sister, Tashi, and the evil that swirls within the closed Green Dormitory, even though Sage didn't attend Ranger Academy when those events occurred. Can Sage fight the evil inside her and protect her friends when Dark Specter invades the Academy? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #8, and see!

 

Story

Sage wants answers, so she interrupts Tula during a battlefield simulation. The nearby trees in the dark forest decide to reach out and touch someone, but they’re not offering a relaxing massage. Then Lindy wanders inside the room, and Sage can't hide her abilities anymore. She morphs into the Green Ranger alongside Tula’s Red Ranger and battles the angry trees.

 

With Lindy's help, Sage and Tula fight off the trees and end the program. But victory brings fallout. Lindy wants to know why Sage hid her abilities. The teachers want to know what caused the Battle Matrix to simulate Mirkwood and the Whomping Willow.

 

In Ranger Academy #8, Lindy knows more about being a Power Ranger than her fellow first-year cadets. Yet Lindy couldn’t morph. Lindy is a gentle soul that Sage and her fellow first-year cadets have tried to protect. But now Lindy feels betrayed by Sage’s deception.

 

Sage has had her doubts about third-year cadet Tula. Along with Mathis, Tula is responsible for bringing her to Ranger Academy. But in Maria Ingrande Mora’s story, Tula used Sage to gain entry to the closed Green dormitory. Tula was desperate to learn the mystery behind her sister's hushed-up shuttle accident and why the Academy closed the Green dormitory after Tashi’s death. Was Sage ever Tula's friend, or just a tool to get what Tula wanted?

 

Sage must mend fences in Ranger Academy #8. The headmaster orders her to control her violent emotions. Sage must also find a way to heal the rift between her and Lindy before her betrayal leaves delicate Lindy scarred and their friendship in ruins. And amid the fallout from Dark Specter’s attack, someone must pay for the damage to the Battle Matrix and breaking the seal on the Green Dormitory.

 

 

Art

Jo Mi-Gyeong enhances the frantic fighting as Tula rips Lindy from a limb's embrace. Green Ranger wields a double-bladed staff at the pummeling branches. Lindy hugs Green Ranger before returning to Tula. But when a branch gets too friendly with Sage, Tula transforms into Red Ranger and matches her sword against the crazed cellulose.

 

Energy swirls around the door controls. When Lindy requests aid, Red Ranger’s triangular sword slashes through the controls. Lindy smiles as she peers into the opening and grabs the wires. Red Ranger grips Green’s shoulder while fighting at her side. When Red leaps into a desperate lunge, Green crouches while Lindy hugs her from behind.

 

Joana Lafuente paints the ferocious forest blue and green. Sage's staff sweeps a light green arc through the Battle Matrix, while Tula's sword leaves a red trail. Lindy's maroon hair shines in the dark as she frowns at Sage and suggests they attack the glowing white swirls in Ranger Academy #8. Yet nothing shines as brightly as the Infirmary, where Sage and Lindy sit together without regarding each other. Their tan and brown uniforms stand out from the glowing pink and yellow walls as Sage drinks from a juice box the same shade as her green-tinted hair. Then, the room darkens as the red-haired headmaster appears in a pillar of light.

 

Ed Dukeshire supercharges Ranger Academy #8 with black uppercase letters in white and colored dialogue balloons and shares Sage's thoughts in green narrative boxes. Energetic sound effects convey the breathtaking battle. The Rangers' colored grunts and cries burst free of their entrapping balloons. And white block letters, followed by an ellipsis, hint at the tragedy or triumph to come.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Evil refuses to die, infections to the Morphin Grid linger, and Sage learns why her father turned his back on the Power Rangers in Ranger Academy #8.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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

Ranger Academy #7 Review

 

Writer: Maria Ingrande Mora

Artist: Jo Mi-Gyeong

Colorist: Joana Lafuente

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Miguel Mercado, Jo Mi-Gyeong, G.B. Borea

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 1, 2024

 

When Tula pulls Sage away from her fellow First Year Cadets at the Parent Weekend Dance, Sage worries people will wonder why they snuck off. The Third Year Cadet callously dismisses her concerns. After the girls sneak into the closed Green Campus through an air vent, Tula, a Red Ranger Cadet, uses Sage's handprint to open the Green Campus dormitory. Sage grows uneasy, somehow sensing the spirits of the departed cadets. She fears this place and her connection with it. Why won't Tula let her return to her friends and the dance? Let's grab our Power Coins, leap into Ranger Academy #7, and see!

 

Story

Tula’s shuttle crashed on Sage’s moon, Vaela, nine light years from her supposed destination. Tula lied to get Sage into Ranger Academy. Then Tula wouldn’t let Sage come clean with the Headmaster about her Spectracite crystal turning green during her Morphin Trial. Now Tula searches a former cadet’s belongings on the closed Green Campus. She holds up a Power Coin. It glows green. “This belonged to my sister, Tashi,” she tells Sage.

 

Tashi was Tula’s idol. After Tashi died in a shuttle explosion, no one talked about the accident. Then, Ranger Academy closed the Green Campus. During Sage’s Morphin Trial on Chromia, her friend Theo suggested that Green was a cursed color. Her friend Lindy dismissed Green Power Rangers as an urban myth. But if there were Green Power Rangers, and they were evil, does that mean Sage is evil?

 

In Maria Ingrande Mora’s story, Sage snuck aboard Tula and Mathis' shuttle because she wanted to do something noble and exciting. After arriving midyear, she's worked hard to get up to speed with her fellow First Year Cadets. Yet Sage has suffered from nightmares since she arrived. Some nightmares concerned her father and a shuttle accident. She told her friends her spectracite crystal didn't glow in Prism Peak, the Bandorian Monks' Temple, because she believed she was cursed.

 

In Ranger Academy #7, Sage learns that Tula programmed her shuttle for Vaela to question her father. What made her father leave Ranger Academy? Why did the Headmaster hush up Tashi’s death? And why aren't there any more Green Rangers?

 

Art

Jo Mi-Gyeong’s organic design gives the Ranger Academy a futuristic appeal. As in 2001: A Space Odyssey, rounded corridors lead to circular rooms and grand domes. Round skylights allow the forgotten plants to survive in the Green Campus dormitory filled with scattered clothes and disorganized shelves. Vines climb over arches and historic architectural styles. A carved symbol rises above grand entrance doors, making Tula and Sage look tiny by comparison. But unlike the Doors Of Durin, these require a friend's handprint to open.

 

Jo Mi-Gyeong enlivens Tula’s tale by showing her and Tashi talking in the foreground. When Tula speaks of her sister's death, Sage remembers standing before the memorial and reading the names of Cadets who died. Yet Mi-Gyeong also shows Sage's progress in Ranger Academy #7. Her friends gather around her when Sage returns to the dance. Kartyr, who once belittled her, rests his hand on her shoulder. Yet when Sage freaks out the next day, Lindy walks away, head bowed, while Theo rests a hand on her shoulder, and Maev offers Lindy a gesture of support.

 

Sage dislikes dresses, so she wears a green suit to the dance. A green tinge fills the air in the abandoned dormitory. A brown wooden box sends out green energy waves. They surround Sage, much like those that enveloped the shuttle in Sage’s nightmare. Joana Lafuente fills Ranger Academy #7 with bright and appealing colors, enhancing the luminous appeal of a school where little is green, apart from the plants and Kartyr and Sage’s hair.

 

Ed Dukeshire expresses the characters' dialogue with black uppercase letters in white balloons and shares Sage's thoughts in green narrative boxes. Amid this tale of friendship and destiny, few sounds intrude until the final pages of Ranger Academy #7. Then, immense letters arise as objects break and crash. And a red cry bursts from a white dialogue balloon like a newborn xenomorph.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Plagued by worries and angered by Tula's betrayal, Sage realizes she can no longer hide from the truth in Ranger Academy #7. Her lies may cost her the respect of her friends. Her forbidden color may cost her a place at the school. But Sage leaps to protect her friends when danger threatens, regardless of the consequences.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

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