Tales from the $3.99 Bin! - Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers #10

Next up for the month is a quick look at the Boom Comics' version of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Who knew this series would catch fire the way it did? If someone told me that there would have been a pretty good Power Rangers comic series out there, I would have looked at them a little weird, and then go check it out. Right now, the series (and its spinoff) are doing their own thing after their major crossover, “Shattered Grid.” Which reminds me… How does “Comic Crossover Central” sound? It might be the name for my new blog.

Anyway, I’m not talking about a new blog today. I decided to look at the run and find something to talk about. Since the series is mostly full of story-arcs, I’ll be talking about Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers #10, a standalone issue. Kyle Higgins wrote the issue. Johnathan Lam handles the pencils and inks. There is a 2-page mini story at the end that’s done written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Corin Howell. All I can really say about it is that it was pretty funny. It’s just a mini that has Bulk and Skull get tempted by Rita in being heroes. With all that said, how does one of my favorite Power Rangers deal actually deal with being a Ranger?

Favorites – 12 Favorite Black Characters in Comic Books

You know, I really haven’t done much for Black History Month here. I tend not to do much in February anyway. Heck, I’d rather talk about us any other time. Why regulate blackness to one month anyway? Maybe I shouldn’t complain since a lot of history could and does get swept under the rug. It’s also possible that I’m just filling up space with this paragraph. After all, I’m usually a dude with few words.

Since it’s Black History Month and Black Panther is finally coming to theaters, it’s time to get to this post. I’ve wanted to do this for a while but never knew when to do it. While there aren’t many, there are some cool black characters in comics. While some of them aren’t necessarily my favorites, there are some I really like. I especially like when they’re actually well-written. I’d probably say that Marvel uses them better but DC has good ones too. So, here are some of my favorite Black characters from comic books. It’s also not in any order either. First, I have some honorable mentions:

• Bishop (Marvel) – Lucas Bishop’s up here mostly because he may be the second black superhero I ever ran across. For those who don’t know, he’s another X-Man from the future. I first saw him on the 90’s X-Men cartoon. I thought his power set (he can absorb energy and use that energy) was pretty cool. There’s also the fact that was one of the only X-Men who had sense to carry weapons. That being said, I was not a fan of what the writers did with the character around the late 2000’s. How can you turn one of the only black dudes on the X-Men into a villain? At least he’s not like that now.
• Falcon (Marvel) – Sam Wilson isn’t really one of my favorites. Guys who fly and can communicate with birds aren’t my thing. I also haven’t read much of anything with him in it. Still, I did like his turn as Captain America when he was written by Nick Spencer. Yeah, it’s the guy who made Steve Rogers into a fascist. We can’t all be perfect. Also, Anthony Mackie has been killing it in the MCU. Maybe he gets to wield a shield in a later movie?
• Black Lightning (DC) – Then, there’s DC’s first black superhero. As you can tell by the name, Black Lightning has power over electricity. I really didn’t see any of Jefferson Pierce until Infinite Crisis. He was pretty cool in Brad Meltzer’s run on JLA. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen much from him since then. I haven’t even gotten to watch the CW show yet. I’ve heard that it’s good, so here’s hoping I can get some more Lightning goodness there.
• Bronze Tiger (DC) – Ben Turner, aka Bronze Tiger, is pretty much in the antihero side of things. While he has been a villain (especially on CW’s Arrow), he’s sometimes a good guy. I talked about him last month. While I haven’t read a lot on him, I like what I’ve read so far. He’s just a dude who’s awesome at martial arts. That’s cool to me. If you saw what I was posting last month, you’d see that.

Favorites - 11 Villainous Characters Gone Good

“Everyone loves a good redemption story.”

I don’t know who said the quote, but it's a true one. While we sometimes like seeing folk be bad, we also like seeing them go good. You can look everywhere for this common trope as well. This list was actually what started the whole thing. I didn’t have to think hard about which heroic figures have gone evil, though. I did have to put a little more thought into this one. While some names popped into my head easily, others took a minute. These aren't necessarily my favorite characters and it’s not in any order, so let’s start off with someone really random.

1. Sami Brady (Days of Our Lives)

I know you’re looking at me weird, so let me explain. When I was younger, my grandmother was an avid watcher of Days of Our Lives. Guess what we more or less had to watch at about 2pm? We didn’t have another TV, so I had to do something with that time! If you’re wondering, no, I’m not a DOOL fan. I haven’t watched the show in years. I do glance at it at the YMCA if it's showing, though. Even though I’m not a fan, I can say I got fond memories of it. Sami wasn’t necessarily one of them.

To put it nicely, she was one… witch. She was usually scheming to get some dude. I think one of them was named Austin. Even when she got the dude, she’d screw it up somehow. She was pretty much the jealous sister of the show. After some time, I do remember her becoming less of a witch and turning into a somewhat nice person. I guess the writers or actress got tired of that constant role of villainess. I don’t know if she stayed that way since soap operas are a lot like comic books. I can say that Alison Sweeney did a good job with that role. The fact that I remember her says something. 

2. Vegeta (Dragonball Z)

I think it’s time to swerve away from the odd and look at “The Prince of all Saiyans!” When Vegeta came onto the scene, he was a straight-up bad guy. No one can doubt that. I don’t think anyone can forget what happened to poor Nappa, aka “Mr. Clean with a ‘Stache.” Even after his time on Namek where he allied with the heroes, he wasn’t a good dude. Vegeta was obsessed with being better than Goku and he even did some really stupid things because of his Sayian pride. When you let the evil android get stronger instead of taking him out earlier, you’re not exactly good, are you?

Even when Goku returned for the World Tournament years later, he was still a douche. He let himself be taken over by Babadi (some green thing?) and went on a rampage. It wasn’t until his own son was in danger that he actually began to look heroic. He sacrificed himself to take out Majin Buu and even though that Pepto Bismal-looking thing didn’t die, it was a noble sacrifice. Like all characters in the DBZ universe, he did come back but he came back different. He even put an end to his rivalry with Goku.

Favorites - Top Ten Power Ranger Team-ups

The Snowocalypse of 2016 is officially over. I think everyone in the state can say, “About time!” It may have been fun for the kids, but for an adult it kind of sucks. Since there was nothing to do (other than eating, sleeping, texting, trying to exercise, and Internet surfing), I hit up Netflix to see some more of that butt-kicking action. One stop was today’s subject: Power Ranger Team-Ups. I’ve had this idea in my head for months and it was finally time to see what team-ups were the best. Besides, I might as well talk about the Rangers in the month where butt-kicking is the theme.

For those who don’t know or are in the “cool” crowd, the Rangers would usually team up with past Rangers usually once a season. They have teamed up with other heroes though with the most notable and infamous team-up being with the Ninja Turtles. Yes, that happened and it wasn’t that good. It was kind of a yearly thing with the show but some seasons skipped the team-up episode. They tend to vary in quality. You have the good, the bad, and the down-right ugly episodes. So, here are my top Ten Power Ranger team-ups. Before I get to those, I do have a couple I need to mention. Whether they are honorable mentions is a big matter for debate.

• A Friend In Need (Mighty Morphin’) – This was really the first team-up with another hero for the show. In this case, it was the Masked Rider. If you don’t know who that is, then you’re not the only one who says that. All I know about the character is that was another hero Saban wanted to make a show around and it only lasted a season on FOX. The Rangers end up traveling to the world of Edenoi on the behalf of Alpha 5. They find the planet enslaved by Lord Dregon and they team up with the Masked Rider to beat some baddies. We even got some Rita/Zedd action as well. It was an okay arc but I didn’t like it all that much. The Masked Rider was kind of lame which is probably why his show only lasted a season.
• Shell Shocked (In Space) – This weird crossover happened when the Rangers teamed up with the Ninja Turtles. Astronoma hypnotized the reptiles into being against the Rangers but you know how those things work out. This wasn’t one of the good ones. At this time, Saban was making Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. I don’t remember much of that show but I don’t remember it being good. Fortunately, this one episode was just a hiccup in a pretty good season for the show.
• Legendary Battle (Megaforce/Super Megaforce) – “Well, that was a letdown,” a lot of Ranger fans said. This finale for Power Rangers Super Megaforce (seriously?) was the famed battle that teamed up every Ranger from the franchise and took about five minutes to happen. The finale had the main villains try to attack Earth with everything with the Megaforce Rangers throwing everything including the kitchen sink at them. I didn’t watch Megaforce, so I can’t really comment on that show. I haven’t heard good things about it though. It wasn’t a bad finale but the team-up was really a letdown for me. It felt tacked on at the end. I will say it was cool seeing some of those old faces though.

 With those out of the way, here’s the list.

Random Pics of the Month - Green is the Word

Top of the morning to ya... or evening. Is that saying even Irish? Anyway, since it is St. Patrick's Day, here are some pics of heroes and villains who are fascinated with the color green.

Rogue

The Green Lantern Corps

Many Green Rangers.

Random Thoughts #35 - Ice, Ice, Baby

Well, it’s cold, wet, and everything in between. The weather’s been weird this year, hasn’t it? Since I haven’t done this in a while, it’s time for another installment of Random Thoughts.

The Weather

Man, this weather’s annoying. One day, it’s sleeting. Another day, it’s raining. Then, you get the occasional snow day. I bet some bozo and his kids prayed really hard to get stuff to come here. They might have even done some dancing. Whatever the reason, just know that it’s been a challenge. I did have one mishap during the time with the ice a couple of weeks ago. I was already driving slow one night, but I skidded down a hill where a red light was. Thankfully, there were no other cars around and I found a nicely placed ice mound to stop in. It looks like I’ll have to start praying and dancing to get this weather to leave. I know God would at least be amused at my moves.

Uber-Gritty Power Rangers? Eh…”Meh”

So, there is this short film out called Power/Rangers and it’s basically a really grim and gritty version of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. If you’re gonna watch it, wait till you get home. It’s got some noticeable actors in it like Katee Sachoff and James Van Der Beek. Some folk like it and others don’t. Even Jason David Frank (the Green/White/Red/Black Ranger) even chimed in on it.  I saw it and I thought it was a little dull. Apparently, it was a parody that was making fun of Hollywood griming up stuff just to do it. I think it succeeded in that.

Is it possible to make a series or movie that is dark and mature? It is possible to make a series that’s darker but there has to be some lightheartedness to it. The show has had seasons where it’s gotten bleak for the Rangers. Look at seasons like Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers Time Force, and Power Rangers RPM. Heck, even other seasons that weren’t really dark had some pretty dark moments. I know that someone is actually working another Power Rangers movie, so I hope it’s a bit like some of the seasons I’ve mentioned.

Movies

Well, it’s getting to that time and I have some movies that I want to see this year. Now, some of the ones I’ll mention are already in theatres.

• The Kingsmen Service – It looks like this might be one to see. It’s directed by Matthew Vaughn and the reviews look nice. I may wait for it to come out on DVD though.
• Jupiter Ascending - I know, I know. The reviews and most folk think this movie is crap. Still, it might be funny crap, so I'll see it when it comes out on DVD.
• Selma – I know I’ll probably see this when it comes out on DVD.
• Chappie – This looks like it might be a good sci-fi film. The director of District 9 is behind it, so it might be a watch.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron – ‘Nuff Said. I’ll be there.
• Ant-Man – I’m not sure about this one. I’m not a fan of the character but this could be good. I’ll wait for the word of mouth.
• Mad Max: Fury Road – I might see this one. I’m not sure yet.
• Jurassic World – I know I’ll possibly see this in theatres.
• Terminator Genisys – Even though it has that horrible misspelled title, I kind of want to see it. I might wait on the DVD though.
• Fantastic Four – Yes, I’m somewhat interested in the film. While the Fantastic Four isn’t one of my favorite superhero teams, I do like the team. If the word of mouth is good, I’ll probably see it in theatres.
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E – Superman and a guy who almost played Batman are starring in a Guy Ritchie movie… I might see this.
• Straight Outta Compton – You know, I might want to see this and I don’t even listen to N.W.A.
• Spectre – I’ll probably end up seeing the next James Bond movie in theatres.
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens – I’m already there with my cloak and saber.

Women

Hmm… yeah, I got nothing to say about women this time. I will say that they are a perplexing sort.

The Avengers

Since Avengers: Age of Ultron is coming out later this year, I’m going to look at some stuff related to the team. It’s not going to be a themed month since I have one of those coming up in May. Still, I do want to look at some comics and movies/TV shows that involve the team as well as some of the characters in this coming movie like Cap and the Hulk. Stay tuned.

R.I.P., Leonard Nimoy

I had to make this unfortunate last addition to the list. Leonard Nimoy just passed today at the old age of 83 from COPD. As I said on Facebook, the man lived a long and prosperous life. He had a long career in Hollywood, he had many interests, and he helped influence a generation. His contributions to the scifi community won’t be forgotten. He also seemed like a nice guy. He’s definitely going to be missed by a lot of people including me.

Well, that’s all I got for today. I wish I could end it happier, so here’s something that might make you smile. Peace, God Bless, and be safe out there.

This needs music.

Favorites - Top 10 Sixth Power Rangers

Since I’m not doing much this month, I think it’s time to look at the Power Rangers once more. “Oh Yeah, boy,” or whatever those youngsters are saying today. The show has usually started out with three to five people getting summoned by someone good to keep the world safe from evil of all kinds. After some episodes, we get a new Ranger: The Sixth Ranger (or fifth considering the makeup of the team). They’re usually introduced and then turned “Evil” for a few episodes. They also tend to beat the everliving crap out of the team. Eventually, they're made good and join the team in the end. I know it was like that for some of them. They also ended up getting some cool Zords.

So, here are my top 10 Sixth Rangers. I stuck with 10 simply because those are the only seasons I’ve really watched and know of. Yeah, I’m a horrible fan, ain’t I? If you’re wondering why I’m not putting any from more recent seasons, I can answer that. I really haven’t watched any of them. I’ve only seen one or two episodes of those respective seasons.  I did watch RPM all the way through but the sixth (and seventh) Ranger on there were actually pretty annoying. I’ve thought about looking at Samurai and Megaforce on Netflix but I haven’t yet. So, let’s start this list off with a bit of a weird one.

Top 36 Heroes - Part 1

Now that I’ve done a “Top Villains” list, I guess it would be good to do a “Top Heroes” list as well. So, what is a hero? The hero is described as someone of distinguished courage and ability. Sometimes, they’re well-regarded for their brave acts and upright qualities. The hero has so many good qualities that he or she is looked at as a model or and ideal. For me, there were a lot of people that I’ve looked up to as heroes.  Some examples include my dad, some uncles, Jesus Christ, and most figures from history.

Today, I’m talking about fictional heroes. They’re usually the protagonist, the leading character in some sort of story. They may even be the sidekick. Instead of doing honorable mentions for this part, I’m just extending the list to 36 heroes this time. Why stop at 36? It's simple. Forty’s too much and I’ll be turning 36 in about nine years. Anyway, it was originally going to be 30, but I just want to get as many of my favorites on the list. Besides, I have a lot more to say about heroes than I do about villains. So, let’s start this engine and go to warp factor 1!

36. Popeye

That’s right, folks! The sailor man with an addiction to spinach has made the list. All I know Popeye from are the 5 to 7 minute cartoons I used to watch when I was little. I kind of still enjoy them now. They’re just freaking hilarious. So, why did I choose Popeye? Well, that’s simple. It’s always fun to see him going up against some challenge in order to save that pole named Olive Oil. When the chips are down, all he needs is a little glob of spinach to strengthen those muscles back up and win the day. He’s probably the only hero on this list who’ll make you want to eat healthy, and that definitely something to admire about the character.

Random Thoughts #25 - (Insert Title Here)

Well, it's that time of the month again... no, not that thing. It's time for a couple of random thoughts.

 WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

So... I was on IGN last night and I saw this article. Let's just say it has something to do with a kinda funny post I did a couple of years ago.... They really want me to come back and watch the show again, don't they? I know I'll probably tune in for the 20th anniversary team-up since team-up episodes are usually pretty cool... Dang, it really has been 20 years, has it? I was in 2nd grade when that show came on!

Superman Month
As I said in a earlier post, this June will be Superman Month. I decided to move it up this year. This time, it's pretty much back to basics. I've got 7 or 8 (!!!!) stories I want to get through this month. I also going to look at a couple more TV shows and some of the DC Direct-To-DVD movies involving Superman. I'll definitely give my impression of the new movie after it comes out. For S

Women
... Well, when I find her, I might say something about her.

Movies
Well, I've seen two movies this month: Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness. I actually stepped into IM3 about a third into the movie. I thought it was okay not great. It was a little better than the second one though. The first one's still the best out of the three. I voiced my opinion on the new Trek movie already. It was good. I have to admit that I had a better time with it than with IM3. I'm supposed to schedule some time with someone and see After Earth... Eh, I don't know about that.

Well, that's all I got for tonight. Watch out for some good/strange stories involving the Man of Steel. Peace and God Bless.

Random Pics of the Month - January

Well, it's a new year, so it's time for some random pictures from the interwebs.

Hmm...Logan, you got issues.

My Top Eight Best Series Finales

Well, since I have jumped on, destroyed, and "threw into the sun" my five worst last episodes, I think it's time to talk about my favorite last episodes. First, here are the honorable mentions:

Lost: "The End"

We are gathered today at.... Saint Blabbady Due-Wow Synagogue.

Yes, it didn't make it to the final eight. I do think that it was a good finale. It focused on the characters and explain what that alternate universe was. I won't say what it was because...it's kinda open to interpretation. Yeah, they didn't explain everything, I know. Anyway, I came into the show late, and I still think it was a pretty good end.

That sounds familiar...

What do you get when you combine X-Men and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers? This:

And this...

TV Talk - Power Rangers (oh yes....I'm going there)

So, why in the HECK am I talking about this show? I have a few reasons. First, this blog is called Random Thoughts. Second, I have no freakin' clue. Third, "blah, blah, blabba-labba ding-dong." Fourth, it's because something deep within me wants to let this out. Fifth, why not do it? I mean it's the Power Rangers! So there.

Yes, I watched Power Rangers for a long time. Do I watch it now? Nope. Mostly because I think I have finally "grown up." Plus, I tried watching some of Power Rangers Samurai, and....it ain't happening for me, so my PR watching days are officially over. So this long post is going to  pretty much cover it all from MMPR to RPM for me. It's the same as usual. I'll hit my background, likes, dislikes, and instead of favorite episodes, it's going to be my favorite seasons of the show. I'll mention a couple of episodes though. And with that said, let's "Shift into Turbo!!" and get through this.