Shatter the Universe
By Diana Ma
316 pages/Abrams Amulet/$19.99
The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers has always been a mystery to me. I understand the concept, but found the initial series, when imported to the USA by Saban, cheap with bad storytelling. But those colorful costumes and theme of unity and power proved irresistible in the 1980s.
The franchise has endured, going through periods of high volume and attention, constantly reimagined and rebooted.
Here we have a series of novels that focus on the various Rangers, giving them the spotlight in ways the shows never could. This one follows Force of Chaos, which explored the Rangers’ origins from Yellow Ranger Trini Kwan’s point of view. For continuity buffs, this hews closely to the established stories in the BOOM! Studios comics.
Following the defeat of Rita Repulsa, Trini and Black Ranger Zack Taylor are dating in peaceful Angel Grove. However, alternate reality Rangers arrive to break them up, as their romance in this universe threatens to destroy the Morphin Grid.
Trini must decide between saving her relationship and protecting the universe, while fighting against her evil alternate self, Lady Lunara. Unlike any other version of the property, the prose books allow the characters to actually have, you know, character. Diana Ma provides just this in a light, fun manner.
The book leans heavily into the relationship between Trini and Zack, a multiracial dynamic that is not typically explored in mainstream television. Their romance is constantly interrupted by the alternate-reality Rangers doppelgängers, here with a singular goal: to break up Trini and Zack because their relationship threatens the Morphin Grid.
It’s interesting to learn that the Trini/Zack relationship is a rarity across the multiverse, which makes this coupling unique enough to give meaning to the threat.
Trini’s internal narrative is well-developed, with Ma expertly weaving in iconic elements like the Zeo Crystal and classic villains like Rita Repulsa and Goldar. That said, as a teacher, Trini sounds way younger than the 16-year-olds in my classroom.
English (US) · 