 This article is about a/an comic book issue in the Power Rangers comic sub-franchise by Boom! Studios.
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Ranger Academy #4 is the fourth issue of the Boom! Studios comic book series, Ranger Academy.
Synopsis[]
This is it. The big test. Sage will need to successfully perform her First Morph, but don't worry-it will only take all of her skills, while surviving on a hostile planet known only as CHROMIA!
It will take more than just her skills though, with teamwork being essential to reach the peak and acquire the means of Morphin time. But when the class bully runs into some trouble on the way, will Sage risk her test results to save him, or leave him behind?
In this game-changing issue, fans are not going to want to miss out on the exclusive spoiler variant cover by Goñi Montes, featuring a surprise so big that we can't show you the art![1][2]
Plot[]
The trio of cadets along with Kartyr and Maev are aboard the school Astro Shuttle to Chromia with Professor Katie Walker piloting and giving her students a pop quiz/review of their mission before landing as the shuttle begins to approach Chromia’s atmosphere. Kartyr teases Sage about her anxiety for the mission ahead while Maev naps only to be awoken by the shuttle rattling and creaking as it pushes through entry. Lindy responds to Kartyr’s comment about Sage looking “green in the gills” by stating that is an idiom about an old term for human ears. Kartyr believes Lindy called Sage an “idiot”, mishearing her only for Lindy to try to explain what an idiom is by using an example.
Maev responds that at least Lindy is not acting like a baby who has not flown before, referring to Sage. Sage says this is actually the second time she has flown, bewildering Kartyr and Maev who ask where she is from, she responds that she is from a very small moon colony.
Professor Walker announces to the kids that they should brace for landing as they begin to descend down to the ground. Kartyr sarcastically remarks that with Sage’s experience, her team are so lucky to have her tagging along. Maev tells Kartyr to knock it off, but Sage is riled up despite Lindy insisting that she ignores him because he’s actually scared of going outside and Theo agrees as it isn’t worth the effort to argue with him. Professor Walker lands the shuttle and lets the kids exit, the humid air of Chromia blows in as they pass through the bay door.
Upon seeing their destination, Prism Peak, Sage thinks that the mountain is small but Lindy says that is because the mountain is further away in the distance. Maev is uncertain about being dropped off so far from the mountain, since the traversal will eat up their time and they may not make it. Kartyr says they have to make it or else the Zeo Chamber door will close for another year if they fail. Theo wonders if the Monks get lonely inside their cave, with Lindy saying that he can ask them when they get there. The surface of Chromia suddenly starts to shake, startling the cadets, Theo wasn’t prepared for moonquakes and Lindy asks if he read the data profile on the moon before arriving. Kartyr and Maev ditch the three to try to beat them to Prism Peak, despite Theo insisting that it isn’t a race.
Sage mentally prepares herself, clearing her mind of thoughts about her father or the strange empty campus, she needs to focus on the present and her own priorities. She draws up a map on the ground from what she memorized at school and the team forms a plan to get to the mountain. Going through the Pitted Plains is a seemingly faster route, but is full of dangerous hazards that would take too long to navigate around. Lindy suggests that they travel through the Lunar Maze, since it has less obstacles to navigate around and if they keep a steady pace, they should arrive at Prism Peak in time without making unnecessary risks. Sage points out that they will all be bouldering the entire way and that could slow them down. Theo also is concerned about moving slower until Lindy brings up the deadly fanged lizards and falling into pits if they go to the Pitted Plains, which freaks him out, insisting she not mention the giant killer lizards. Lindy believes that they will be fine if they move at a good pace and avoid the lunar thunderstorms, which Sage says she can keep an eye out for since she is experienced at “avoiding storms that can kill you”.
As the kids trek across the Lunar Maze, climbing and carefully moving across ledges, they discuss the possibility of morphing for the first time. Lindy wonders what color Theo wants to be and he says that he has a feeling he will be Pink. Sage is more curious what Morphing feels like, to which Lindy isn’t sure about and almost forgot her standing on the ledge as Sage is too scared to move and snaps at her.
Lindy helps her get across and later the trio find a small cave, Sage apologizes for yelling and Theo decides that they should make camp and rest for a while inside. Lindy says it’s okay and understands that Sage is nervous, to which she says that she just wants to do this right. Lindy hugs Sage, reassuring her that no matter what happens she is not doing this journey alone.
As night falls, the cadets eat their snack rations around the campfire. Theo is super excited to be doing “camping things” for the first time, Sage is curious about exactly what that means and he says it is the perfect setting to tell scary stories, offering to start the first one. He begins to tell a spooky tale about Dark Specter and how it is said he once infiltrated the Academy long ago, but the mood is ruined by Sage being unaware of who that is (forgetting the lesson about him during the cram session yesterday) and Lindy’s logical mind ruining the set up of the story by stating the school is perfectly safe. Sage is still a little scared of Dark Specter being mentioned, saying that maybe it’s a good thing she doesn’t know about him.
Theo decides to try again with a story about a rumor that the Academy has a hidden haunted dungeon, only for Lindy to interrupt again by pointing out how ridiculous that sounds, asking who would be haunting the school. A flustered Theo says that maybe ”spooky Rangers” live down there or something, which makes Sage nervous asking if there are evil Rangers out there. Theo says that it was just a fake story and Lindy insists that maybe they just give it a rest and go to sleep. Sage is too worried to go to sleep, thinking about her strange dreams and not wanting “to be part of a scary story”.
She finally manages to get a little sleep just before the sun rises and is awoken by Lindy who insists that they need to get moving. Sage looks up at the sky and notices the formation of storm clouds coming. Her friends wonder how she could tell as they look like normal clouds and Sage says that as a shepherd she was trained to pay attention to changes in the weather and listen to avoid being killed. A heavy downpour starts as the three try to climb up a cliff, struggling as mudslides hinder their ability to keep their footing steady, Sage uses a grappling line to latch onto a firm branch so everyone can continue climbing safely. As the rain lets up, the three reach the top of the cliff, closer than ever to the Zeo Chamber. Lindy looks at the time and says they really have to move to get to Prism Peak before the Zeo Chamber closes.
Sage has anxiety about Morphing, asking if it hurts, to which Lindy says if it did, they would have already heard someone screaming by now. She then asks her friend what if they do it incorrectly, Lindy believes that there is no wrong way to morph. Sage lastly asks what if she becomes the wrong color, to which Theo takes as an opportunity to tell a “daytime scary story” by stating that there are certain colors that the teachers never talk about and that the Academy never uses those colors because they are cursed. Lindy tells him to knock it off as he is scaring Sage, with Theo saying that he didn’t make up that story, he had heard it from his cousin. Lindy believes that even though people said that Rangers of other colors existed long ago, like green or orange, it doesn’t mean it is true. Sage sulks, knowing that it is true, but cannot tell her friends. Lindy continues, saying that even if the legends were true, the Academy is focused on their future and moving forward, not the past. Sage stops for a moment thinking about the hidden campus, only for her friends to snap her out of it by being worried for her. Sage claims that she thought she heard something and presses onward, only for that sound to become reality as she hears Maev shouting for help. Sage listens carefully for Maev’s cries and believes she is in the Pitted Plains. Not wanting to abandon a classmate, the trio give up their chance to go to the Zeo Chamber to start a rescue mission.
Once they arrive, Sage tries not to think about the cursed colors story and finds that Kartyr has fallen into a pit with Maev nearby. Sage remembers the pulley rope trick that Tula taught her and lowers herself down to bring him up. Kartyr had broken his ankle, so Sage instructs him to brace his other foot and lean against the wall so he can be pulled up and signals the others to start pulling. Kartyr oddly doesn’t seem happy to be rescued while Sage starts to feel a bit nervous waiting for her friends to bring the rope back down after a while, only to be relieved when it finally arrives. Kartyr not only has a broken ankle, but also a concussion, Maev pulls a compact stretcher out from her medical supplies as he winces in pain. Sage suggests that her team uses one of their emergency signal flares to contact Professor Walker for an emergency extraction. Kartyr refuses as he would fail the Trial automatically by leaving the moon, but Maev insists that he needs medical attention as she bandages him. Sage offers to stay behind to signal the ship, which her friends protest as Kartyr is a jerk and she might miss her chance to get her powers. Sage hears none of it as the rest of them waited a long time for the chance to become Rangers, she promises to try and catch up later when Kartyr is rescued. Lindy cries as she doesn’t want to leave anyone behind, but Theo gets the impression that if they don’t accept her request, Sage will chase them away with a sharp stick, to which she says that she totally will. Maev tearfully hugs Sage, thanking her for saving her friend and for risking her chance to be a Ranger to do so, owing her a debt of gratitude and will not forget it. The three leave as they race to Prism Peak, leaving Sage and Kartyr as she fires off the flare.
Two hours later, Sage is giving Kartyr her water canteen and the bully thinks she stayed behind because she is scared of the Bandorian Monks. Sage says she isn’t afraid: He is, asking if he jumped into the pit and hurt himself. Kartyr seems surprised she figured that out, only for her to say she was joking and hopes he was not seriously considering harming himself. Kartyr says it would be better if he had an “accident” and got injured instead of failing because he wasn’t good enough. Sage says that is kind of the whole point of this Trial, to prove one’s worth by showing what they can do. He says that the Monks are the most powerful sages in all the universe and they probably could sense how scared he is. Sage tries to console him, saying that maybe he can get a do-over. Kartyr says that there are none, both of them will be held back a year until the Zeo Chamber opens again while the others move up to the ranks of Junior Rangers, in other words, they are losers who will get left behind. Sage confesses that her father thought she was not good enough to even be at the Academy and maybe he was right, which annoys Kartyr as he believes that she has every right to be at the Academy, at least she didn’t try to jump into a hole. He even sort of compliments her at almost being the first late starter to arrive at the Zeo Chamber if it wasn’t for him. He then tries to correct himself by stating that he thinks Sage is still a loser and doesn’t like her.
Sage is a bit annoyed by that remark but asks him what color he wants to be. Kartyr says that he is from a family of Rangers, with his sisters all being Pink Rangers who are exceptional pilots, but he would just be content knowing if the Morphin Grid saw anything worthwhile in him. Sage asks if the Grid chooses their colors based on who they are as people, if the Grid judges their character. Kartyr throws a pebble at her and says no and asks if she does any homework at the Academy. Sage confesses that she has been distracted, to which Kartyr advises she needs to stop being distracted because he sees potential in her because she is brave and she actually has a chance, so she needs to stop screwing up.
Professor Walker arrives to airlift Kartyr to safety, while Sage is surprised to see her friends have come back for her to escort her to the Zeo Chamber. Theo says that they could not just leave Sage behind and they can still make it if they run. The three evade the steam geysers and jump across the shifting ground, running with all their might. Sage thinks to herself that she cannot fail, not after all her friends did for her today. They arrive at the entrance to the Zeo Chamber on Prism Peak, exhausted but with twenty minutes remaining and Theo sees Maev emerge, overjoyed that she morphed and is now a Yellow Ranger, showing off her Power Coin’s yellow lightning bolt. Maev then hugs Sage and thanks her again, it is all thanks to her that she still got her chance to become a Ranger. Sage asks if it was scary inside, to which Maev says no and that if they hurry, there is Spectracite for all three of them. Lindy insists that Theo goes next, as she is still trying to catch her breath from all that running while Sage jokingly asks if barfing on a monk gets them disqualified from the trial because she is a little queasy from running and being nervous.
Theo seems to take a while inside the chamber, with the others wondering if it takes this long. Maev doesn’t know and says that the Zeo Chamber is a weird place where time seemingly is non-existent based on her experience inside. Sage asks her about the Monks having tentacle beards, which Maev says wasn’t really an important part of the experience. Theo finally comes out, happily showing off his Power Coin as he morphed into a Black Ranger, recalling the experience as awesome and that he feels all tingly from morphing.
Lindy goes in before Sage, who still has butterflies in her stomach. Sage asks Theo about the Spectracite, if it chooses your color or not. Theo believes that whichever one you chose doesn’t determine the color but what matters is your connection to the Morphin Grid, then comments how ice cold her hand feels when she holds his. Lindy emerges from the chamber, sad and depressed as she could not morph, crying a little but fighting to stay positive by saying its fine because she has her Spectracite, she will just be held back a year for failing the trial.
Sage is next, with her friends encouraging her as she enters. Sage then finds herself inside the Sanctuary of the Monks and a Bandorian high priest gives her a Spectracite crystal in the shape of a lightning bolt and a white morpher to place her Power Coin in. Sage politely thanks him and asks him about her father and if he ever met him, with the monk simply saying Rhianth’s color: Red.
Sage morphs for the first time and panics upon seeing her color
Sage nervously holds up her morpher and pleads to the Grid to make her a Ranger, only to stop morphing before her helmet materializes as she panics and sees that she is Green, dropping her morpher and powering down. She apologizes to the Monk, thinking she did something wrong to get a color that isn’t part of the Academy set of colors. The Monk simply says what she is: Green. Feeling she somehow failed the Trial and not wanting to hurt Lindy’s feelings by leaving her all alone in the next school year, she lies to her friends and says she could not morph and she will keep Lindy company as a repeat First-Year. Lindy is sorry to hear that she can’t morph but finds her Spectracite to be really beautiful. Theo hugs her and says that at least they all finished the Trial. Sage reassures everyone that they will figure it out somehow.
As the Astro Shuttle descends to pick up the Cadets to return to the Academy, Sage thinks to herself that she will make everything right somehow and until then..nobody must know she is a Green Ranger. She hides her Power Coin in her bag, with its green lightning bolt shining in the sliver of light as she looks down on it, ashamed of herself and lacking confidence about her achievement.
To Be Continued..…
Appearing[]
Students:
| Green Junior Ranger | Sage |
| Black Junior Ranger | Theo |
| Yellow Junior Ranger | Maev |
Faculty:
Locations:
- Chromia
- Prism Peak
Covers[]
Reprints[]
- Ranger Academy Volume One
Errors[]
- To be added
Notes[]
- After this issue, the series would go on hiatus for a month, due to the staff at Boom! Studios working hard on the Darkest Hour comic event and producing the trade edition of the first four Ranger Academy issues.
- The comic’s unknown time period has new lore: that all colors that are not Red, Blue, Black, Yellow or Pink for Rangers have not been seen in a very long time and have faded into rumors and legends, This means that Sixth Rangers, which are commonly Gold or Silver, have not existed on a Ranger team for a while.
- Additionally, Lindy mentions that Orange Rangers don’t exist. This is not the case as there have been Orange Rangers, but the color is an exceptionally rare one in both Super Sentai and Power Rangers amongst the various colors.
References[]
Footnotes[]
