RCPH Bolt Bites – September 2024

Welcome to Ranger Command Power Hour’s new BOLT BITES article series! BOLT BITES is a semi-monthly to monthly summary of all the news happening for Power Rangers merchandise, fan works, entertainment and other news. Depending on the news cycle for a given week or month, you may see this series grow to weekly.

Have something Ranger news related that you found? Are you an artist looking to promote your work? Do you make Power Rangers content on YouTube or Twitch? Drop us a line at rangercommandpowerhour@gmail.com or on our social media channels.

And now onto September 2024’s BOLT BITES.

JDF WATCH

  • A KickStarter from Tammie Frank, wife of Jason David Frank, is asking $200,000 to fund a documentary called “Jason David Frank: An Intimate Look into Your Hero”. The documentary “explores his life and legacy while promoting suicide awareness and mental health.” With only 11 days to go and only 8 backers, it seems like Ranger Nation is tired of funding Power Rangers actor-related projects.


OFFICIAL MERCH

  • SuperX has some new Power Rangers Workout Gear including:
    • Green Ranger Pullover Gen. 2
    • Green Ranger Performance Short Sleeve Gen. 2
    • Pink Ranger Unisex Shorts
    • Red Ranger Shorts
@aykroydandsons

POWER RANGERS X PRIMARK Run dont walk to get your Power Ranger Onesies!!! Our team have been so excited to see our onesies land in store. Available in store at Primark stores. Our team are the perfect Power Rangers, dont you agree?! #powerrangers #hasbro #primark #primarkhaul #primarkfinds #primarkuk #primarknewin #primark

♬ Go Go Power Rangers Theme – Power Rangers & Ron Wasserman

  • ThreeZero and Hasbro are releasing a 1/6 scale FigZero figure of Matt Cook as Mighty Morphin Green! Based on the comic books from BOOM! Studios the figure features 34 points of articulation, comes with accessories and is limited to 1,000 pieces. Pre-orders are available at Big Bad Toy Store.

  • Originally revealed exclusively by IGN, Diamond Select has opened preorders for a Power Rangers Gallery Death Ranger Deluxe Statue. The 10-inch tall statue is made of high-quality plastic and features detailed sculpting and paint applications. It comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Joe Allard and sculpted by Salvador Gomes. This is available through Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth and Diamond Select Toys.
  • If you missed the Omega Rangers Lightning Collection figures on Hasbro Pulse… and all of the discounted sales, then you’re in luck? You can preorder the figure set on Big Bad Toy Store (Substandard Grade only).


COMICS

  • Out Now: IDW’s final issue of Godzilla vs. MMPR IIThis is it! The final battle between Godzilla, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and the terrifying combined forces of Rita and Astronema! And the fate of the multiverse hangs in the balance! But can the Teenagers with Attitude and the King of the Monsters stand a chance against the Kaiju Psycho Rangers now that they’ve absorbed the powers of Destoroyah, Megalon, King Ghidorah, SpaceGodzilla, and Gigan?
  • Out Now: Released this past Wednesday, September 25th – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers / Usagi Yojimbo #1! This special one-shot by veteran Power Rangers scribe Ryan Parrott, illustrated by Shawn Daley (Ogre), colored by James Fenner (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Shapeshifters), and lettered by Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future), the crossover between the Ronin Rabbit and everyone’s favorite teenagers with attitude.

  • Next Week: Next Wednesday, October 2nd, Ranger Academy Issue 11. In the pulse-pounding penultimate issue of Ranger Academy, Sage and company head back to the Academy, with the only thing that can rid someone of Dark Specter’s influence. But they return to a rough sight, worrying they may be too late, especially with the most powerful person on campus having fallen to the enemy. Will Sage and her friends do what’s necessary to save their school, even when the cost is unthinkable?

    Below are the full covers and preview pages:

  • Upcoming: BOOM! Studios December solicits are out and includes covers for Power Rangers Prime issue #2 and an advanced look for February’s The Eltarian War softcover collection.


GAMES

  • Friend of the show Joshua Moore recently did a Q&A with James O’Connor, the writer of “Power Rangers Mighty Force”. Check out the interview at Joshua’s Ranger Reader Substack.


CANCELLED PROJECTS

  • Mock-up posters for the cancelled Power Rangers: Origins animated movie turned up on eBay this past weekend. Apparently these are from a former Saban BrandS employee looking to clean house. For those who haven’t seen it, you can view the concept trailer on YouTube.

BEHIND THE SCENES

  • A year after the release of Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, Simon Bennett was interviewed by Blue Screen Reveals. In the interview, Simon talked about ideas for a 31st season that will never happen and that the fandom was totally normal about online:

“I came up with a pitch for a possible Season 31, which never went anywhere. It was a fully fledged kind of bible document, and within it were types of Rangers that I would like to see in the future. I would have liked to have seen a plus-size Power Ranger. I would have liked to have seen a Power Ranger in a wheelchair that could transform into some kind of very cool fighting tool when that Ranger morphed. I would have liked to have seen a non-binary Power Ranger. That was actually something that we were kind of setting up … It was going to be [J.J. Oliver], Tommy Oliver’s teenage child who was established in canon in [Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel Episode 10] Dimensions in Danger. We saw potentially Minh from Once & Always and the non-binary character putting together a team of misfits. It was an idea that never actually went anywhere.”


CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS 

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RCPH Bolt Bites – Power Rangers Day 2024 Edition

HAPPY POWER RANGERS DAY! 31 years ago today, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered on August 28th, 1993. And surprisingly, we have some news!

OFFICIAL MERCH

  • On Hasbro Pulse, you can pre-order the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Deluxe Action Figures by Super7! Inspired by the vintage Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toy line from the ‘90s, these figures are 7” scale with 19 points of articulation, and features intricate sculpt and premium metallic-and-gloss paint detailing. The packaging is reminiscent of the original triangle boxes and include the Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink, Black, Green, and White Rangers.
  • Super7 announced a new entry into their line of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ULTIMATES!, Lord Drakkon! The 7” scale, highly articulated Lord Drakkon Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ULTIMATES! figure is inspired by the BOOM! Studios comic books and depicts the arrogant ruler ready to conquer the Power Rangers wherever and whenever they’re hiding. Featuring intricate sculpt and premium paint detailing, this figure also comes with multiple interchangeable heads and hands, and an assortment of accessories including a damaged Red Ranger helmet, Dragon Dagger, Broken Saba, and more!

  • It’s time for a Sentai version of Zord-Builder?? From Bandai Japan comes the new DX ROBO UNIVERSE line, a new way for DX Zords from previous years to make a return and be compatible to swap parts for all new combinations! The first wave includes Engine-Oh from Engine Sentai Go-Onger, GokaiOh from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and ToQOh from Ressha Sentai ToQGer.


COMICS / BOOKS

  • OUT NOW: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Recharged Vol. 5 SC, which collects Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #115-118. Below is the full preview gallery (and essentially all of MMPR issue #115)
  • Humble Bundle has a new Power Rangers Mega Bundle that contain 30 volumes of the comics from the past 8 years of BOOM! Studios comics. Protip: You can customize your donation to give more to charity. There are three sliders for your donation, BOOM! Studios, Humble, and the Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

  • Amulet Books (known for their Avatar: The Last Airbender series of books) revealed a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers novel, called “Force of Chaos”, coming in 2025. Written by Diana Ma, it’s focused on Trini and it’s made for a Young Adult audience. You can pre-order the book on Amazon (This affiliate link helps support RCPH).


GAMES

  • Digital Eclipse announced that the Green Ranger is an unlockable character in Rita’s Rewind. They state that Tommy’s origin story is part of the game’s narrative, and once you complete the campaign, you’ll be able to select the Green Ranger from the character selection screen. The game is also now available to wishlist on Playstation.


FAN PROJECTS


BEHIND THE SCENES


CON CRUD

  • If you were at the Power Morphicon convention this past weekend, you may wanted to get tested for COVID-19. Several attendees have reported positive results as they return home from the convention this week. COVID is still a serious concern, with cases rising this summer and more expected in the winter as new strains of the virus emerge.

Thanks to Angel Silvio for alerting us to some of the news items in this edition of Bolt Bites! Have something Ranger news related that you found? Are you an artist looking to promote your work? Do you make Power Rangers content on YouTube or Twitch? Drop us a line at rangercommandpowerhour@gmail.com or on our social media channels.

RCPH Bolt Bites – August 2024

Welcome to Ranger Command Power Hour’s new BOLT BITES article series! BOLT BITES is a semi-monthly to monthly summary of all the news happening for Power Rangers merchandise, fan works, entertainment and other news. Depending on the news cycle for a given week or month, you may see this series grow to weekly.

Have something Ranger news related that you found? Are you an artist looking to promote your work? Do you make Power Rangers content on YouTube or Twitch? Drop us a line at rangercommandpowerhour@gmail.com or on our social media channels.

And now onto August 2024’s BOLT BITES.

OFFICIAL MERCH

  • Last month, Licensing International reported news from San Diego Comic Con that Playmates’ Power Rangers line will launch at retail in 2025 and “will be available in children’s and collector versions and feature ‘well-constructed figures at a better price than other collectible companies, including Hasbro,’ said Jeff Trojan, VP of Marketing at Playmates.” Read more.

  • Morph into action with the new REWIND RED RANGER (MMPR) from Funko! Part of Funko’s REWIND line, this new collectible comes in a VHS-inspired package with matching character card! There’s a 1 in 6 chance you may find the chase of the Red Ranger wearing his helmet.

UNOFFICIAL MERCH

  • Originally posted by Twitter user Whenaiyy, third party 1/6th figure manufacturer SooSooToys is releasing 5 more Red Warriors. Will this continue Forever? Check out Whenaiyy’s thread for more images of these gorgeous replicas. And someone tell SooSooToys to make a Shadow Ranger…

MUSIC

COMICS

  • NEXT WEEK: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Recharged Vol. 5 SC, which collects Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #115-118. Below is the full preview gallery (and essentially all of MMPR issue #115)
  • Upcoming: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #1 second printing will release on September 4th.

GAMES

  • Power Rangers: Mighty Force is a new mobile game out NOW on iOS App Store and Google Play that released on August 7th. The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are back and joined by Rangers from the future! From developers East Side Games, Mighty Kingdom and Hasbro. Download now.

  • During Gamescon 2024 (August 21-25), Digital Eclipse is promoting their new Power Rangers game, Rita’s Rewind, to press. They stressed in comments to their tweet that they are not working on a Power Rangers game collection and that Rita’s Rewind is a new game.

  • Renegade Game Studios recently released an expansion for Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid, Allies Pack #4 featuring Blue Senturion, Hunter and Blake Bradley, Levi Weston and Orion. Also available is the new It’s Morphin Time expansion for the Power Rangers Deck-Building Game which features Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat and introduces Matt Cook from the BOOM! Studios comics.

FAN PROJECTS

  • The Morphin Museum announced a Power Rangers Preservation Project challenge for Power Month. If their Morphin Museum Patreon hits 100 paid subscribers by the end of August, they will release the full pitch of DinoRangers, the original pitch for what would become MMPR. More details here.

BEHIND THE SCENES

  • Last month, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers VFX Artist Rick Shick launched a new behind the scenes video series on YouTube called “Behind the Power”. The series has examined morph effects, filming miniatures and interviews. View the full playlist here.

FANDOM WTF?

  • Who knew the term “Japanese Power Rangers” was so controversial? Twitter user @mask_bastard’s viral tweet depicting a clip from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (Power Rangers: Dino Charge), with the comment “Japanese power rangers goes so hard” created quite the discourse the week of August 12th.