An original graphic novel set in the world of Saban's Power Rangers.
Created by Karone when she was still the evil Astronema, the Psycho Rangers were programmed with overwhelming hate for all things Power Rangers. They were defeated at great personal cost by the Galaxy Rangers, but now someone has brought them back and they are more murderous than ever before.
Who brought them back, and why? And can Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger Karone and her brother Red In Space Ranger Andros stop them before they bring the universe to its knees?
From writer Paul Allor (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Clue) and the fan-favorite artist of Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon)!
Revived by their errant brother Psycho Green, the Psycho Rangers are back again! With their sights set on Karone, they'll stop at nothing to return to their wicked ways and get revenge on their so-called creator. But Karone's brother, Red In Space Ranger Andros, is hot on their tail - so why doesn't Karone seem pleased to see him? Has Astronema reared her ugly head once again?
In Space is easily one of the strongest Power Rangers seasons, and revisiting the Karone/Andros relationship is always going to be a good choice. The Psycho Rangers were also a great part of both In Space and Lost Galaxy, so this is really just a recipe for success. The idea that the Psycho Rangers could be redeemed is an interesting one, and the contrasting viewpoints from Karone, Andros, and Psycho Green come across really well (even if Andros is a bit angrier than he usually is).
The other In Space Rangers all show up in some capacity, and there's plenty of fighting to go along with the philosophising. While the ultimate ending is probably predictable from the beginning, the conclusion to Andros and Karone's argument is a surprise - I doubt we'll get to see anything further from it, but the idea that everything isn't just a wrapped up happy ending is kind of neat actually.
Giuseppe Cafaro's artwork here is still as consistently inconsistent as his other Power Rangers OGNs. There are great panels full of action and heart, and then others where it looks like someone's face is going to melt off. Your mileage may vary, but it's definitely more good than bad, thankfully.
I hope the success of Psycho Path and Sins Of The Future has Boom! invest in some other Power Rangers series outside of the usual Mighty Morphin' era - they just go to show that there's plenty of story to be told.
Since Boom! Studios have been working on Power Rangers the quality of the franchise within comics has shot up exponentially. In the past Power Rangers comics were forgettable at best, and downright awful a lot of the time. Nowadays, however, fans get treated to well written, and well constructed stories that have gone on to become some of the best stories in the entire franchise.
The latest stand alone graphic novel focuses on characters that aren't related to the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and really benefits because of that. Instead, the narrative shifts to focus on characters introduced during Power Rangers in Space.
Picking up after the events of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, we focus on Karone, the sister of the Red Space Ranger Andros, who has at this point been a villain, reformed, and even been a Ranger herself on the Lost Galaxy team. When the villainous Psycho Rangers return, including the new Green Psycho Ranger, they target Karone as she created the team when she was the villain Astronema. Taken by the Psychos', she is forced to confront the destructive actions of her past once again.
Power Rangers: The Psycho Path really focuses on what it means to be a good person, not only in Karone's continued quest to try and atone for her past actions, but in seeing how the Psycho Rangers begin to grow into real, rounded individuals.
That's one of the most interesting aspects on the book. In the past the Psycho Rangers have been one of the best evil Ranger teams, but haven't been anything but one dimensional. Here they're presented as much more real. We begin to learn that they actually have personalities, and that if given the chance they can care for more than just fighting Power Rangers.
This focus came as something of a surprise, as I thought that this was going to be a more standard Power Rangers story, with the Psycho's hunting down our heroes. But they don't really spend all that much time as antagonists, and after a relatively short time you come to not only care about them as people, but want them to actually go on to survive the events of the story. Paul Allor really gives over more time to character development than any Power Rangers story deserves, and by the end of the book I found myself feeling like I cared for the Psycho Rangers more than I do some Power Ranger teams.
By the end of the book the Psycho Rangers, and the way I view them, have changed. They're no longer just faceless bad guys, but people. I want them to keep on growing the way they have here, and I want them to come back again in the future as the heroes that they're learning they could become. I can't really think of a Power Rangers story that has ever really done this with a villain before other than Karone, which makes her inclusion in this story that much more important, as it's not just someone dealing with the actions of their past, but one reformed villain helping five others.
The book also includes the Supersonic Rangers story that reveals the origins of the the mysterious Green Psycho Ranger, a short story that was previously only included in the deluxe edition of the main series graphic novels. The story not only sheds light onto the origin of the villain for those who couldn't get the deluxe addition, but also stands out for its inclusion of the Fiveman Super Sentain team.
A great book that not only adds more to the Power Rangers universe, but sets the stage for more potential stories involving the iconic villains.
Pretty interesting follow up to one of the best seasons of Power Rangers, and I do think it’s a nice story of redemption, but a selfish part of me enjoys the psycho rangers as irredeemable monsters like they were in the series. Overall a fun quick read.
Sheesh, Power Rangers in Space does one episode about morality in monsters, and whoever decided to make this comic ran wild with it.
If you were expecting to see the Space Rangers, you'll be disappointed. There's a whopping one panel for Carlos, Cassie, and TJ, with a couple more for Ashley and Zane. Unmorphed, anyway. They show up again halfway through the story to get their asses beat around by the Psycho Rangers, and that's about it.
No, this is about Karone and the Psycho Rangers. Psycho Green, who was made years ago by Dark Specter, yet somehow looks exactly like the Psycho Rangers that Astronema made. This story is only accomplished by retcons. 1) The datacards containing the Psycho Rangers apparently always carry their data, allowing them to be resurrected repeatedly. 2) The Psycho Rangers were humans that Astromena brainwashed. Both of these are ridiculous. If the datacard thing is correct, the Space Rangers, along with everyone in the secret city, can constantly be remade. The show established that the Psycho Rangers had monster forms, meaning they were monsters Astronema created, not brainwashed humans. So, if you're a stickler for the lore like I am, this will most likely piss you off.
The Psycho Rangers find Karone, and Pyscho Green wants to turn her back into Astronema. Karone says she is Astronema, and the two are not separate people. She's apparently been meditating on KO-35 to make peace with that, or whatever. And then her hair turns purple and she can blast energy beams from her hands. That would have been handy in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. The bulk of the story is Karone trying to instil morals in the Psycho Rangers and have them be good, I guess. Give them morality. It's ridiculous.
We see Andros, although it's mostly him searching for Karone until he finds her. He's not shown in the best light, prone to screaming at Karone and even breaks the locket he wore during the entire season that has their pictures inside. I mean, I get it. The whole "Make the Psycho Rangers have morals and family values" is stupid, but Andros has never become so angry that he screams at people, especially his long-lost sister. Dude is more composed than that.
The Psycho Rangers defeat the Space Rangers, leave them alive, and Karone lets the Psycho Rangers go after destroying their datacards. She had initially reprogrammed them with morality, but decided that Psycho Green could just undo that, so she destroyed the cards instead. Maybe she could have, I don't know, made new copies with her specifications and then destroyed the cards? She tells Andros this, and of course he's all pissed and they part on bad terms.
Overall, this is a huge retcon to show Astronema had made some kind of found family (well, that's a nice huge fuck you to Ecliptor), and Karone wanted them to be good and have emotions and stuff. It's lame. If you like Power Rangers in Space, don't read this.
This is the first of the BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comics that doesn't focus on at least one of the rangers from the original Mighty Morphin series. Karone/Astromena is the protagonist. The Psycho Rangers first appeared in In Space and returned in Lost Galaxy. The Green Psycho Ranger was previously introduced in the main comic series. Keeping all that in mind, this graphic novel may seem like it has the most barriers to entry than any other of the current comics but I think there's enough given context and a self contained story that you don't have to be too familiar with all the characters. You just need to know the basics of Power Rangers or be willing to do some RangerWiki searches.
I absolutely loved this book. You're dropped into the middle of the action with little exposition. The necessary information is given in a natural way. I'm hoping for more books like this that follow more obscure characters to come in the future. I'd even be up for a follow-up to this book.
Karone/Astronema is the star of this book. The moral grayness is a welcome change for Power Rangers. Boom! Studios is taking the stories from a campy, fun children's show and giving it more depth. The depth is there in the show, but it isn't delved into like these comics. This book is about finding your own identity. Your own community. Your own family. Names are also a big part of this story. The idea that contradictions create personalities. My favorite quote that really sums up the story is "Learning about other people's stories helps us take control of our own."
This is a modern story about empathy, identity and moral complexity. I would love to see a continuation of this story, whether in a direct sequel or having these characters appear in one of the main series comics.
At the end of the book is a short comic story featuring the Supersonic Power Rangers and the origin of the Green Psycho Ranger. I was so happy to finally read this story. It was originally printed in the Year Two Deluxe Edition collection.
I give this book a 5/5. This is what Boom! Studios is doing so well with the Power Rangers franchise. Adding interesting stories that give a different perspective while adding to and inhancing the expansive Ranger mythology.
I really really enjoyed this. Boom Studios has been doing such a great job with the Power Rangers comic series. Much more mature and the storylines are engaging. In Space was particularly one of my most favorite seasons so to see any expansion on the storylines from that era is always delightful. Astronema was one of my favorite villains and the Psycho Rangers were some of the most formidable villains so to have some backstory as well as an inkling as to what might have happened to them after their televised stories were done was great! I always wondered whether Karone retained her Astronema powers...
When I first read this, I was completely lost, but going back through it again made more sense. After the main story there is a short story of the Psycho Green origin and it might have been better to read that first. Prior to being Psycho Green, he was a Green Ranger in a team which seemed to have some kind of psychic abilities, but Green was a bit of an outcast so betrays his entire team. That's where the prequel story ends. In between that prequel and the main story, the Psycho Rangers are a group led by Psycho Green, and the other members were created by a rogue Pink Ranger (Karone [good] aka Astronema [evil]) from another Power Ranger team when she was turned evil. In this story, Psycho Green kidnaps Karone, seemingly with the aim of turning her back into Astronema. I think it's always cliché when comic book stories go for "evil clones" trope, and the story is initially confusing; so I wasn't a big fan of this.
A delightful continuation of the Power Rangers In Space saga, where Karone strives to correct the mistakes of her past. Paul Allor and Giuseppe Cafaro deliver a thrilling blend of nostalgia and drama, making this installment both engaging and emotionally resonant.
Overall, this is a well-crafted story with stunning illustrations, but the story can occasionally feel a bit drawn-out. Even with that, this comic offers a satisfying experience for longtime fans of the franchise nad continuation of lore.
What is better- to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?
Okay, maybe it's the wrong franchise to quote but what I admired the most about the heart of this storyline was the Psycho Rangers getting to decide who they are, more or less, for themselves. Imagine being destroyed as a person, your entire identity being washed away, and repacked onto a data card. Then the person who started all of this comes back around and kicks off this crisis with their brother over who gets the data cards and who gets reprogrammed... enough to drive you mad, wouldn't you say? I loved the unpredictability that Trek added to the squabbles and struggles between family and team throughout the novel but now that the Psycho Rangers get to decide their own fates... I really want to know what happens to Trek next.
This was very, very cool to see. As a fan of Power Rangers In Space, I definitely like how the Psycho Rangers were made to be more relatable as well as how Karone's past life of Astronoma still effects her till this day. Even with the introduction of Psycho Green (who is a member of the Xybrian race; Trip for Time Force) was interesting. Although a part of me didn't want to see the Psycho Rangers fleshed out (mainly because they are psycho, and part of what makes them such an interesting villain is how unrelatable they can be in being psychotic) it didn't bother me that they did. It was awesome to re-live In Space once again.
We are many years after the events in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy and we find out that the Psycho Rangers and Psycho Green have returned. They, the original psychos, are looking for their mother, their creator, Karone.
While her brother, Andros, wants to terminate the Phantoms. Karone wants to try and reform them into a force of good.
Now, aside from that. I'ts really amazing to see how this team was created in the first place. How Karone, back when she was Astronema, used her dark magic just like Dark Specter did many years ago with Trek, Psycho Green.
He desperdiciado mi tiempo con este libro. Comprendí la idea detrás de este pero en ejecución fue mediocre. Diálogos excesivos, dibujos confusos y secuencias para nada fluidas. Ninguno de los personajes actúan como recuerdo y sólo uno de los Power Rangers no fue más que un elemento de fondo sin personalidad. El villano principal, para ser uno que acabó con un grupo completo de Power Rangers, se deja vencer fácilmente de un par. Tuvo sus momentos pero en su mayoría son referencias a trabajos mejor hechos.
A great story about probably one of the best Power Rangers villains as we see Karone forced to deal with her creations ,the Psycho Rangers. This also connects with the some of the past Boom Stuido's Power Ranger stories as we see a return of Psycho Green and I really like some of the ideas. As Karone tries to make up for creating these monsters by trying to rehabilitate them which is a interesting idea. We also get more on Karone and her relationship to her evil side of Astronema.
Some of my new favourite content to come from the comics in recent years. Kinda sad it took me so long to read it. Pacing was a little strange at parts, but I loved the designs and the dialogue, it was all just lovely lore-building on my favourite power rangers villains.
The last standalone graphic novel--Soul of the Dragon--was overburdened. One tpb was barely enough to resolve the sprawling arc of Tommy Oliver, much less pay tribute to his powers and his past. It was good reading. It was also very rushed. I can't blame the author, though; Tommy means so much to so many fans...how can any one title live up to him?
Power Rangers In Space, while being a fan-favorite season, doesn't have Tommy's sense of importance. So, 'The Psycho Path' is free to be 'Power Rangers In Space: The Movie' and do some really bold decisions. Because it doesn't have to pay tribute to 20 years of character growth like 'Soul of the Dragon' did, 'The Psycho Path' does things like include the comics events, and references to Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, without fear that some casual, nostalgic reader will be lost.
The tpb edition includes the prequel story that introduces Psycho Green. Readers will have to go into the MMPR comic to see the events of Psycho Green's initial defeat, but that bit isn't nearly as crucial.
I hate to ask for more standalone graphic novels based on specific seasons. I wasn't a fan of the recent annuals, because they focused on seasons I didn't care for (Ninja Steel, Samurai, and Mystic Force in particular). I wouldn't go anywhere near a Power Rangers Samurai graphic novel. I'm willing to bet that either Samurai or Time Force will get the graphic novel treatment next: both played heavily into Shattered Grid, and as far as franchise importance, Samurai revived the brand, and Time Force is another fan-favorite series.
...And yet, I want the Power Rangers comics to continue being bold and trying new things. It's working well, so far.
This is great! Gives Karone a complexity I always knew she had and the show merely hinted at. One quibble though: she's in trouble and only the Space Rangers (her brother's team) are looking for her? Where are the Lost Galaxy Rangers? Her own teammates?
SENTAI FANS! FIVEMAN IS CANON! But that's not really relevant to the main story so on with my thoughts. There's something to be said about people who have been given a 2nd chance and so love to give 2nd chances to even the most irredeemable of monsters. Case in point, the former baddy Astronema and her most effective weapons against the Power Rangers, the Psycho Rangers. Due to shenanigans in another comic (Seriously Boom, how are we supposed to keep track of it all?), Psycho Green exists and he brought back those bat-motif doppelgangers from "Power Rangers in Space" (roughly 4 seasons after the heyday of the Mighty Morphin phenomenon), and in a weird attempt at luring Karone back to the dark side, bring her in to train with them and cause chaos & destruction. What they didn't know was that after having been a force for good for so long, she starts twisting THEM to a better way of thinking. Like Frodo & Smeagol, you wonder why even give these literal monsters a chance at redemption? The short answer is: hey it worked before with her! The long answer involves the concepts of good and evil not being so clear cut as the show, and that just because they are "Bad Guy" doesn't mean they are bad guy.
They are really creating great comics in the Power Ranger Universe these days. First the Soul of the Dragon which explored Tommy in the future. Now this wonderful piece of work. Basically get ready to have your vision of the Psycho Rangers completely changed. There are a lot of twists and turns in this tale, and the ending ends on a big cliffhanger no one saw coming. It was also great to see some great character development for Karone and Andros, and to see the Space Rangers again. I really hope this will eventually spawn either a Psycho Rangers comic spin off series or will lead to more standalone TPB which will explore other teams of Rangers throughout the years. A big thumbs up for me!
Karone's going evil. (Sort of + redemption arc. Also sort of.) How many times? How. Many. Freaking. Times? The whole story can be called "Nihil novi", everything we have here is a repeat of something. From the show or the comics. Even the worst, complete character assassination of Andros has already also been (unfortunately) in the comics, admittedly not as horribly as here.