Go Go Power Rangers #13 is the thirteenth issue of the Go Go Power Rangers comic by Boom! Studios that focuses on the daily lives of the Power Rangers. It is the first part of the "color swap" storyline.
After coming face-to-face with the Ranger Slayer, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are still trying to make sense of the incredible encounter and settling back into their normal teen lives. Little do they know that Rita Repulsa is setting into motion a plan to retrieve an artifact that might be the key to besting Zordon and the Rangers once and for all.
Plot[]
Seven years before Arrival Day, a young Zack is playing dodgeball in P.E. class and boasting how good he is, only for a young Matthew Cook (who is new to Angel Grove) to manage to land a hit and get Zack out of the game. Zack mutters under his breath that he wants to put Matt's head on a swivel when teased by the new student, but corrects himself in front of the gym teacher when questioned about his comment by saying it was a compliment.
Seven weeks after Arrival Day in the present, the Power Rangers are facing Pudgy Pig, having just given him the Spicy Root to make him vomit up their weapons which he had previously consumed. While Zack, Trini and Kimberly are disgusted by the vomit on their weapons, Jason and Billy don't flinch. All five of them quickly form the Power Cannon to destroy Pudgy Pig, despite the porcine monster's attempt to eat them before getting blasted. Billy comments they should use the Power Cannon more often (indicating they have just started using it as a finishing move on a regular basis), while Zack feels hungry smelling the scent of bacon in the air from Pudgy's charred remains.
On the Moon, Squatt, Baboo and Finster are all going back and forth on who should be the bearer of bad news to Rita Repulsa. Rita overhears this and is none the least surprised of the failure of Pudgy Pig, viewing all three as incompetent in mishandling a "simple task". She formulates a new plan, instructing Finster if he uses the last of his special putty clay mix from earlier in its entirety for a new Putty, he may be forgiven for his failure in making an incompetent monster. She then instructs Squatt and Baboo to get their weapons and prepare for battle, showing them a vial of glowing red magic liquid. Baboo wonders what it is, to which Rita explains that it is a key, and all she needs now is to fashion a door to use it in.
At the Kwan residence, Trini is frantically looking for something to wear, asking her mother if she has seen a yellow sweater she wants to wear. Mrs. Kwan says that her daughter wears a lot of yellow sweaters so it is hard for her to know which one in particualar she is looking for. Trini wants to look her best as she rummages through her clothes. Mrs. Kwan notices her daughter has a new hair style and is worried about what she is wearing and immediately knows that this involves a boy and asks who he is. Trini blushes and says she just wants to wear her favorite sweater and nothing is going on. Being a mom, Mrs. Kwan can see right through her fib and sarcastically tells her she remembers the time Trini lied about eating all the Girl Scout Cookies when she was seven being an act done by her imaginary unicorn friend, Lady Belvedere. Trini confesses it may be about a boy she likes, blushing a little more. Mrs. Kwan is willing to let her daughter be a teenager by giving her personal space and trusting her, despite her motherly instincts going against that and loving Trini. Mrs. Kwan then gives a heart to heart talk to her daughter, telling Trini that she is a smart, passionate and kind person and she should just be herself. If this boy really likes her and can see that for himself, then she should not to worry so much about how she looks.
At the Cranston residence, Mr. Cranston is showing off to his son what he bought with the cash he made selling Billy's VR headset he got in the care package from Promethea: a beat up old 1960s VW Beetle, just like one Mr. Cranston had when he was young. He tries to sound cool by saying it isn't just a car, it is a "rad bug". Billy is wondering why his father bought a broken old car, with his father saying that he was hoping for some father-son bonding time by learning how to restore it to working condition and maybe make something cool out of it. Billy admits he knows nothing about cars, but Mr. Cranston admits he doesn't either, but he knows his son is smart and has faith that he can do it and he will help him all the way.
At school, Trini is wondering why Jason hasn't been training at their usual place anymore in the early mornings. Billy is also curious, as Ernie has been wondering where Jason has gone since he isn't showing up at the Youth Center and he only goes to his karate classes. Trini is worried something might be wrong, but Jason appears and tries to lie that he has been making time to finish his Spanish class homework. A flashback reveals that Jason has actually has been at home caring for his father by giving treatment pills for Sam's ailment and helping him around the house, with Sam getting worse as his health begins to decline. Trini and Billy ask if Jason is really okay, to which he lies and says he is fine and they would be the first to know if anything was wrong.
Rita speaks in a monologue, saying she has never had a planet give her so much trouble when it came to conquest as Earth. Despite swearing never to set foot on the planet again until it was hers, Rita has made a exception as she teleports onto a golf course with her minions and Putties. She states that her reason for breaking this promise is because of certain forces aligning on the astral plane, a spatial convergence has come and she must act quickly. In order for her plan to work, she need a diversion and orders Goldar, Squatt, Baboo and her putties to do whatever they can to keep the Rangers busy while she opens "the door".
Back at Angel Grove High, Zack is talking about an idea for a date with Violet to Kimberly. His plan involves Violet being in the car with him, telling her to close her eyes as they drive, then Alpha teleports them both to Hawaii to surprise her. Kimberly admires Zack's romantic creativity, but finds the plan a bit risky as Violet could figure out he is a Power Ranger. Matt walks by and gives both of them the cold shoulder, still angry they lied to him about being Power Rangers. Zack tries to mend things by speaking to him, but gets the silent treatment as Matt walks past them. Zack shouts its been three weeks since he has spoken to them and he should at least try to talk to them. Kimberly says not to even bother as he has been silent with her too, despite her attempts to make up with him, saying its better this way. Zack wonders how not having their friend talk to them is better. Kimberly fumes that they don't have to sneak around and lie to him anymore, shouting in anger at Zack that she is fine with it and she is over Matt as the two have broken up. She doesn't care that Matt hates her now, as if he's away from her it means he is safe and hasn't blabbed about their secret so they are safe, so everybody wins.
This heated and tense moment is interrupted by Zordon contacting the two and telling all the Rangers to teleport to Poughkeepsie, New York, where Rita and her monsters are attacking a mini golf/adventure recreation park. The Rangers morph and Zack, Billy and Kimberly focus on resucing the civilains first from the waves of Putties as well as Squatt, Baboo and Goldar. Jason and Trini meanwhile are observing Rita using her magic to make a "giant rock donut" while levitating in the air. They try to stop whatever she is doing, only for Finster to summon his latest creation to crush them both: the Megaputty, a gigiantic three headed Putty made from his special clay.
As both Rangers are distracted and trying not to get flattened by the large clay brute, Rita speaks an incantation to begin her task:"Through Dragon's Eye and Chimera Roar, I command the Ancients to Unlock this Door. With Fire, Water, Wind and Rock, The Great Gatekeeper shall hear this Knock!"
Rita then drops the red liquid into a portal that she opens, she entrusts Goldar to watch the palace while she is gone. For "the rest of them" Rita says that when she returns, she plans on delivering terrible "consequences" upon them all. She then enters the portal she created as her servants retreat back to the Moon. The portal has a vacuum-like effect as the Power Rangers desperately try to hang on and not get sucked in. Billy informs Zack that he got the last of the civilians out before this started happening, but Zack wonders where Jason and Trini are. They then see two struggle to hang on until the Megaputty grabs them and they all get sucked into the portal. The portal then closes and implodes, to the horror of Zack, Kimberly and Billy, who know this isn't a good thing.
Back on the Moon, Squatt is panicking about what Rita meant by "consequences". Baboo tries to reassure his companion that Rita may have been referring to the Power Rangers. Squatt remains convinced that the warning was meant for them and Rita is going to destroy them when she gets back. Baboo thinks Squatt is still overreacting, but his dimwitted compatriot rambles on, thinking that Rita will replace him or cast a spell that turns him into a tiny lizard placed in a jar that she forgets to feed and abuses. Baboo on the other hand has a revelation, Rita thinks she has failed those that served her and that it is time to "see the light".
Trini wakes up in a strange place upon hearing Jason call for her, covered in vines. She is shocked to see a starry sky with two planets and an alien environment surrounding her. She finds this strange, but Jason says it gets weirder as he shows that he is wearing a male version of her Ranger suit and Trini is wearing a female version of the Red Ranger suit. Despite this, both have their respective Power Coins on their belts. Jason's best guess is the portal's magic or wherever they are is messing with their connection to the Morphin Grid, causing their powers to switch while retaining their respective Power Coins. Trini tries to morph again to change into the Yellow Ranger, but it does not work, and Jason says he has tried that already and to keep her voice down. Unfortunately, Trini shouting her morph call attracts some unwanted company in the form of alien velociraptor-like lifeforms that want to eat them!
The main cover of this, along with the two succeeding issues were shown in Power Morphicon 2018 to highlight a Jason-Trini romance as well as the new color assignments. No variant covers were shown at the same time.
This issue was delayed by a month due to the Shattered Grid event and the GGPR Back to School Special taking priority over standalone issues.
This issue concludes the Matthew Cook/Kimberly Hart relationship.
This issue shows the origin of the Rad Bug.
The battle with Pudgy Pig depicts events from "Food Fight".
In Trini's Room, there is a poster of Sailor Moon on the wall near her window.
This article is about a/an comic book issue in the Power Rangers comic sub-franchise by Boom! Studios.
