The story of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by BOOM! Studios continues in Issue 23 as the team learns just how far the original 1969 team is willing to go to defeat Rita Repulsa. Check out all the beautiful covers to this issue by clicking the title of the story. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Issue 23 releases in January 2018. Credit to CBR.com for the first look.
Archives for October 2017
Go Go Power Rangers Issue 6 Covers and Synopsis
The covers for Go Go Power Rangers Issue 6 have been released via CBR.com. The story continues as Rita Repulsa‘s attempts to manipulate the Power Rangers against Zordon continues – and begins to work!
Go Go Power Rangers Issue 6 releases in January 2018.
Introducing Power Rangers HyperForce- A Twitch RPG Adventure!
Today marks the beginning of a very unique new entry in the Power Rangers franchise!
Twitch TV has officially announced their new RPG series- Power Rangers HyperForce! This series will be a live-stream table-top role-playing game, the first of its kind! 25 episodes are currently planned to air weekly in celebration of the Power Rangers’ 25th anniversary.
A very interesting story outline has been provided for this new series:
Power Rangers Hyperforce is set in the year 3016 at Time Force Academy. A team of Time Force Ranger cadets must band together to defeat an ancient evil who is set on unraveling the very fabric of the universe. Under the leadership of their mentor, Jen Scott, and with the show’s Game Master, Malika Lim, the newly minted Rangers will cross both time and space to complete their mission while running into many familiar eras (and faces) along the way.
The stakes have never been higher as the players learn what it means to be a Ranger in a live, tabletop RPG environment where anything can happen.
Hyper RPG has developed a Twitch Extension that will allow viewers to select a Ranger that is permanently tied to the user’s unique ID. Viewers will be able to send their Ranger out on daily missions, boss battles, and raids, as well as trade cool loot with other players.
And a special cast has been put together for the HyperForce adventures! Announced game players include:
*Peter Sudarso (Ninja Steel Blue Ranger)
*Paul “Bulk” Schrier
*Andre The Black Nerd
*Social Media personalities Meghan Camarena and Christina Vee
At least one guest star has also been confirmed: Erin Cahill (the Pink Time Force Ranger) will be on hand for the premiere episode.
Power Rangers HyperForce is currently scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 24 2017 and air from 6PM-9PM EST! Be sure to tune in to the Twitch TV RPG Channel for this amazing new series!
Bandai to Decrease Number of Girl Action Figures in Power Rangers
Over the last couple of years the idea of “boys toys” and “girls toys” has been part of a topic of conversation, especially when it comes to gender identity. Major retailers like Target have chosen to remove the idea of a “boys” and a “girls” section of kids’ clothing in favor of simply a “kids” section. Now, we attempt to stay out of politics here at TokuNation because we like to see ourselves as a way for people to allow themselves a distraction from something you’re likely seeing or hearing about in the 24/7 news cycle however we felt it necessary to bring this portion of conversation to light.
A few years ago we wrote an article regarding a quote from a Hypable story where it was stated that there was pressure in Power Rangers to NOT feature or release girl action figures because Power Rangers is a boys action figure line. That story, for us at least, went viral on social media, reaching nearly 50,000 people on Facebook alone. Bandai America reacted quickly in the convention circuit and announced that girl action figures (and girl Ranger Keys at the time) were coming and that they were not going to cut the girls out of the line.
Boy, how times change.
At this year’s New York Comic Con, Bandai America openly stated to numerous fans in attendance that in the future they would be decreasing the number of girl action figures available in the various Power Rangers toy lines due to the fact that they’re not selling. And, in all honesty, they’re right – shelves are full of Power Rangers Ninja Steel White and Pink Rangers (and Yellow, because Yellow has traditionally been female) and the 6.5″ Legacy line of figures are swamped with Ninja Storm Blue, Mighty Morphin Pink, Mighty Morphin Yellow, and In Space Yellow figures.
Recently, our friends at Power Rangers NOW revealed the press photos of the upcoming figures in the first assortment of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel. Missing from the line up are any female action figures. Our site sponsor BigBadToyStore.com put up a pre-order for Wave 4 of the 6.5″ Legacy Power Rangers figures. The case assortment does not contain the two Mighty Morphin female Power Rangers (Pink and Yellow) and instead opts to double up all the male figures.
Bandai America has stated themselves and used the YouTube channel MMPRToys to tell fans and collectors that if they want to see the new figures they need to buy the female figures. The quote from Bandai America at New York Comic Con is that the Psycho Rangers, a fan-demanded line of figures from Power Rangers In Space due out (originally) in late 2018, are ready to ship but won’t because female figures are clogging the shelves. This is correct though horribly stated. In order for new toys to ship out to stores, the old toys have to sell first. In this instance, the female figures are the leftovers from the older waves, and would need to sell first before the new wave releases. Hence, “buy the girl toys or the new toys won’t come out”.
In a world where Wonder Woman can be a dominating box office presence and an inspiration for young girls everywhere, we challenge both Bandai America and Saban Brands to do more to empower the female characters in Power Rangers to make them more desirable to all fans, young and old, boy and girl. Instead of being side characters to fill out a roster, do more to flesh them out so everyone will want a representation of that character in their collections. Power Rangers has always been progressive, featuring strong lead roles for so many different ethnicities in times where white skin males made up the majority of superheroes. In a world where discrimination against women continues to rock headlines, Power Rangers once again can be a pioneer in equality if it chooses to be.
However, with Uchu Sentai Kyuranger looking more and more likely to be the next adaptation of Super Sentai, a team that features 12 total heroes with only 2 of them being female, we may have to wait 3 years or more for that to happen.
On the plus side, the official comic book Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, published by BOOM! Studios, has revealed that there was an original team of Rangers before the teens we knew – and they featured a female Red Ranger (along with a Pink male Ranger to boot). So while the collectible side of things seems to be highly male-skewed, we have to give credit where credit is due to both Kyle Higgins, writer of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Saban Brands for approving these stories and adding more depth and diversity in to the history of the Power Rangers.
But what does the future hold for the Power Rangers toy lines? Are girls really diminishing from the toy line? And is that a bad thing for a brand geared towards boys? And can we blame Bandai for decreasing the number of toys that don’t sell (that just happen to be female)? Or do we blame Bandai and Saban Brands for not marketing their female characters in a more appealing way for kids and collectors alike? Join in our discussion.
Credit @heroheroherotoys on Instagram for the story title image and @willyjcoe on Twitter for the additional image.
UPDATE! (10/17/17) ComicBook.com reached out to Bandai America and they responded. Here is the official response:
“Bandai America is and has been fully committed to bringing ALL RANGERS to fans with our action figure lines. From the very first episode of Mighty Morphin, female Rangers have been equal and important members of Power Ranger teams and our product line will continue to reflect that. As with most brands, we continue to evaluate what characters and figures resonate with audiences and adjust the line based on fan demand and overall business objectives. Fans can rest assured that all Female Rangers will continue to be produced and included in Bandai America’s Action Figure and Legacy Figure lines.”
As of the time of this update we have had zero response from Bandai America or Saban Brands regarding this article. We welcome the opportunity if they’re interested.
First 8 Episodes Of Power Rangers Ninja Steel Now Available On Netflix!
Good news for fans of Power Rangers Ninja Steel– the first 8 episodes of this season are now available on NETFLIX!
The instant streaming lineup consists of the following episodes:
*Return Of The Prism
*Forged In Steel
*Live And Learn
*Presto Change-O
*Drive To Survive
*My Friend Redbot
*Hack Attack
*Gold Rush
This is an excellent opportunity to catch up on the adventures of this unique new Power Rangers team!
S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Dark Drive Type Next Gallery
“Start our mission.”
When the future was in danger, Eiji Tomari was meant to travel back in time to find his father Kamen Rider Drive, and warn him of the dangers to come. However, Shinnosuke would soon find out that his son lost his fight as the Drive of the future, and a Roidmude posing as Eiji has engineered the destruction of Mr Belt! Seeking to unite with his past self & form the ultimate Paradox Roidmude, can what’s left of Drive stop this monster? This is S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Dark Drive!
Kamen Rider Dark Drive is the first new outing for the Type Speed body mold since Kamen Rider Zero Drive, and this release is easily one of the best. Representing one of the best villains the Drive franchise has to offer, this is actually the design of hero. Even so there’s something so sinister about Dark Drive’s design that it’s appropriate his powers were stolen by a villain. Armed with his unique Blade Gunner weapon and a new set of Next Shift Cars, it’s no wonder it took the power of two generations of Tomari’s to defeat him. This is yet another excellent addition to the already fantastic line up from Drive, and next month Drive Type Special will be released to go with him!
We’ve attached the full 70+ image gallery to this post, but you can also read my full review of Dark Drive by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post! Next time we return to the Game World with a brand new pair of galleries from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid!
Kenelephant Eiji Tsuburaya & Ultraman 1/12 Statue Release Info
Kenelephant Brands just unveiled a unique statue for fans of Ultraman. Cast in polystone, this 1/12 Ultraman statue is referencing an old photo of Eiji Tsuburaya himself on set during the production of the original Ultraman. For those of you that own August Ragone’s book: Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters you’ll instantly recognize this piece as the cover for said book.
But, this awesome piece comes with a catch: the Kenelephant Eiji Tsuburaya & Ultraman 1/12 Statue will set you back about 32,400 yen. It’ll be released in February 2018 but it seems like only 300 or so of these will be made.
Power Rangers Ninja Steel Episode 17- “MONKEY BUSINESS” Preview Online!
A short clip from the next episode of Power Rangers Ninja Steel has been posted online!
Monkey Business-
Calvin and Hayley decide to run for office, but are thrown into discord by a monster capable of recording their voices.
This episode of Power Rangers Ninja Steel is currently scheduled to air Saturday, October 14 2017 on Nickelodeon! Be sure to join our Official Discussion Thread to share your thoughts on this ninja adventure!
S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Kickhopper Gallery
“Won’t you go to hell with me?”
Once, he was Kamen Rider TheBee, before a series of encounters with Souji Tendou would ultimately derail the life that Sou Yaguruma had carefully planned for himself. After a brief disappearance from Kamen Rider Kabuto, Yaguruma would eventually re-emerge as a shade of his former self with a new lookout on life as Kamen Rider Kickhopper! Now Yaguruma is the latest addition to the premium renewal S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line!
Seihou Kickhopper is yet another loving apology from Tamashii Nations for the abysmal quality of the original figure, released over 9 years ago. In every conceivable way this new Seihou release outclasses the original and realizes the potential of this renewal line of figures. From a removable and properly reversible Hopper Zecter right down to the Anchor Unit rider kick weapon, Kickhopper has been faithfully recreated at last.
We’ve attached the full gallery of over 70 images to this post, you can also check out a full review of this figure in our gallery thread by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. Next up on my gallery schedule is Kamen Rider Dark Drive!
Coming Soon to You – Power Rangers Live
We heard that the Power Rangers would be doing some live shows over the 25th anniversary, and now we have some details to share! Thanks to Morgan Lamia from Rangerboard.com for finding it – PowerRangersLive.com is now live, although there is no information currently available.
It looks as if the first live event was taken down, but it was scheduled for February 20th 2018 at the Eccels Theater in downtown Salt Lake City. All the information you need is listed below!
– Power Rangers Live
– Official Facebook for Power Rangers Live (has since been removed)
– Eccels Ticket Office (has since been removed)
You wanna go? Stay tuned for more details!