C’mon girls, as IF this image doesn’t immediately transport you back to the 1990s when your ultimate fantasy was being the Pink Power Ranger during the height of the hysteria surrounding the very first ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ TV series!
There have been multiple versions of the original series, merchandising a movie, and graphic novels which have allowed this group or ordinary men and women, who transformed into alien robot-fighting warriors to save the planet, to become cult hits over multiple decades.
In January this year Boom Studios and Saban (the entertainment brand which created the Power Rangers) released the first of a new Power Ranger comic book series titled ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0’ which will soon be followed by the #1 comic in March. Now they have announced the first of their single character comics called ‘Might Morphin Power Rangers: Pink’ which, as the name suggests, is focused around the Pink Ranger, who was famously played by actress Amy Jo Johnson in the original TV series.
This comic, centered around Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart, has a few female creators in the mix which is what we like to see . The story will be written by both Kelly Thompson (‘Jem and the Holograms’ and ‘Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps’) and Brenden Fletcher (‘Batgirl’ and the forthcoming ‘A-Force’, the female Avengers team).
Illustrations will be done by artist Daniele Di Nicuolo, and the cover will be created by Elsa Charretier. There is also an alternate incentive cover by Marguerite Sauvage portraying an unmasked Kimberly Hart which was released by Boom Studios.
There are no other major details about the story or this particular comic, but according to the LA Times, with sales of the #0 Power Rangers comic books already in it’s third printing, and pre-ordered copies for the #1 comic reaching over 100,000, we have no doubt ‘Pink’ will be a huge hit.
The choice to focus on one of the female characters in the first of its singular titles is cause for celebration and acknowledgement that there is a distinct shift happening in the comic book world. With the most recognizable comic book brands Marvel and DC Comics paying attention to the demand for more female protagonists and female-driven properties (both in comics and in the movies) it seems they are part of a growing movement to cater to an increasingly diverse readership, specifically women.
We spoke to Maytal Gilboa, the founder of Emet Comics which is a female-driven comic book brand featuring female writers, illustrators and female-centered stories, who believes it only makes economic sense to pay attention to the female market.
“The statistics say that women are 50% of the audience. While comic book store sales are only growing by 4-5% each year, there has been a huge increase in digital downloads and a 16% increase in book markets…Diversity, women, and kids are driving these trends,” she said.
She also added that when you give visibility and representation to the women and girls who read these comics, it has a major impact.
“Powerful role models change how we think about ourselves and our abilities…women and girls need to see themselves as Supergirl. My hope is that as more women break out in these fields, more women will want to work in them, and as a result there will be more interesting content and more role models behind and in front of the scenes,” she said.
Elsewhere in the comic book world, the undeniable success of the new ethnic reboot of Ms. Marvel, the female reboot of Thor, and the female reboot of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, this medium has become a great testing ground for female-driven stories as to whether they will strike the right chord.
It is a smart move on behalf of Boom Studios and Saban, especially with the new ‘Power Rangers’ movie set to hit screens next year, according to Nerdist. There is a lot of buzz around other comic books that have been turned into on-screen properties, such as ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017) and the ‘Supergirl’ series on CBS which debuted to a huge ratings win, and despite dropping off a little, has managed to maintain a steady viewership.
‘Wonder Woman’ will hopefully be different given that she will first be introduced in the forthcoming ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ epic extravaganza in March.
Getting back to our gal Kimberly, the ‘Might Morphin Power Rangers: Pink’ comic will be released in May, and there’s a good chance other members of the crew will get their own spin-off in months to come. Not sure about you guys, but we’re excited to dust off our pink costume and yell “It’s Morphin Time!”.
