I’m starting with the man in the mirror…”
VR Troopers #3
(I don’t know if the cover was put on backwards on my copy or if this was a regular thing, but when in Angel Grove…)
Marvel (February, 1996)
“The Space Gods Must Be Crazy” WRITER: Frank Strom PENCILER: Tod Smith INKERS: Ken Branch & Jim AMash COLORIST: Joe Caponsacco LETTERER: Mike Higgins EDITOR: Mariano Nicieza
Pretty sure the VR Troopers can’t fly. Unless they met Tinkerbell at some point.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Rangers #3
Marvel (February, 1996)
“Dark Thunder” WRITERS: Frank & Vincent Lovace PENCILER: Newbaum Turk INKERS: Jim Saunders III & Loretta Krol COLORIST: Mike Rockwitz LETTERER: Janice Chiang EDITOR: Mariano Nicieza
The VR Troopers story introduces Ryan’s season two armor, but still refers to Kaitlyn Star with the last name Scott. You’d think by now they would have been corrected. A being called Ultra-Darius (and yes, he is a stand-in for the Ultramen right down to being from the M-hunter nebula) crashes to Earth while battling his nemesis, Brawltan. He ends up on the other side of the reality barrier so the Troopers have to go to virtual reality to rescue the injured giant from Grimlord’s forces. This is a story that really needed to be longer. There are three guards so each Trooper fights a monster-of-the-week, plus it would have been cool to see Ultra-Darius and the Troopers teaming up to bring Brawltan down. It’s a shame the story is cut so short by Marvel’s insistence on having the comic feature two stories.
It also hurts the Power Ranger tale, although the dialog doesn’t help. Zedd manages to take the Power Rangers original pre-ninja powers and creates new Dark Rangers, this time getting them from around the world. (Guess he watched Captain Planet.) He is even able to bring back the ThunderZords, but before the battle begins the TigerZord arrives and carries the ThunderZord away. And they don’t know who White Ranger’s stand-in is. Again, this could use a longer story and the writer seems to be attempting to make a story to return to, although they never will. At least until Image’s Power Rangers Zeo comic where Zedd has the old Morphin powers.
I want to recommend this one because the story ideas are good, even if evil Ranger clones had already been done every season on the show by this point. But the stories are way too short and you’re left thinking about what could have been. Give this one a pass.
BW Media Spotlight 
[…] to these shores. Marvel even had “Ultra Darius”, who popped up in an issue of their short-lived VR Troopers comic, which they wouldn’t have bothered with if the champions of the Land Of Light weren’t […]
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