Our story opens with a young boy’s birthday. His father gives him the hottest new monster toy as a gift. He can hardly believe it! Everyone wants one and he now has one! But it turns out, this monster is not a toy., it is a real monster! It is small, but powerful, and quickly starts causing havoc. Luckily, the Gold Power Ranger is nearby to help. But that monster is just the first of dozens that have invaded earth. The “toys” are everywhere and so small they are escaping the detection of the Power Rangers. Even after the Power Rangers figure out how to detect and track the small creatures, they turn out to have a new trick — they can coalesce into one large monster. Only by combining their might and brains by becoming Super Samurai Ranger, can the Power Rangers defeat this foe.
The book opens with a nice introduction, with actual photographs, a description of who each power ranger is and what his/her powers are, as well as a description of which bad guys you will be meeting in this issue. The comic part is straightforward comic art. Clean lines and bold colors prevail. Nothing too innovative here.
Given that the audience for Power Rangers is young kids, the stories aren’t that violent. The fighting is without blood or much tension beyond what a kid could handle. The focus is on teamwork and overcoming personal flaws to become a better person. I actually kind of love how simple these stories are and how dumb the enemies are in this series. The Power Rangers are predictable in a comforting way. When you read them, there are no surprises. The Power Rangers always prevail.
Power Rangers: Super Samurai, vol. 2 – Terrible Toys
by Stefan Petrucha
Art by Paulo Henrique
ISBN: 9781597073394
Papercutz, 2012
Publisher Age Rating: 6 – 11 years old
