Power Rangers Prime #1

History

Boom! Studios announced the series in August 2024 at San Diego Comic-Con, just months after the conclusion of the long-running Mighty Morphin Power Rangers title, which had closed out with the 'Darkest Hour' crossover event. Writer Melissa Flores — who had already helmed the 'Recharged' and 'Darkest Hour' arcs — was retained to spearhead the relaunch, joined by Beijing-based artist Michael Yg, whose previous American comics work included Iron Fist for Marvel. Character designs and covers for the series were handled by veteran Power Rangers artist Dan Mora, giving the visual language of the new universe a recognizable artistic pedigree even as the story broke entirely from the prior continuity. Editor Allyson Gronowitz described the project internally as 'the most ambitious, ongoing Power Rangers story yet,' a mandate that shaped the decision to fold the VR Troopers — whose rights had passed to Hasbro in 2018 — into the Prime universe from the very first issue.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published by Boom! Studios in collaboration with Hasbro; released November 13, 2024, written by Melissa Flores with interior art by Michael Yg and colors by Fabi Marques.
• First issue of a full continuity reboot, set in a world entirely separate from the 2016–2024 Boom! Studios Power Rangers universe that ran for over 120 issues across multiple titles.
• First appearance of Lauren Shiba (Prime continuity) — a reimagined version of the franchise's first female Red Ranger, now the last surviving Samurai Ranger on an Earth occupied by the Eltarian Empire.
• First appearance of Markon Zhao (Mark), Orion (Prime), Jun, and Valentina in the Prime continuity — the core group of Angel Grove University students who will become the new Prime Ranger team.
• Issue establishes the Prime universe's core alternate-history premise: Earth was 'saved' from the Beast Brigade in 1954 by the Eltarians and subsequently colonized by them, with Power Rangers outlawed and the VR Troopers serving as the empire's enforcers.
• The VR Troopers appear in the issue's closing pages — their first appearance in a Power Rangers comic book — connecting the Saban-era TV franchise (1994–1996) to the Rangers mythology for the first time in comics; the inclusion surprised readers and was not pre-announced in solicitations.
• Rita Repulsa's arrival on Earth (via a space dumpster crashing near Angel Grove) also occurs in this issue, setting up her role as an unlikely ally to Lauren and the nascent Prime team.
• Main cover by Dan Mora; variant covers by Doaly, Juni Ba, InHyuk Lee, Bon Bernardo, Joëlle Jones with Jordie Bellaire, Rafael Albuquerque, and Jae Lee — an unusually large variant lineup signaling the issue's flagship status.