If there was ever a venerable children’s franchise that refused to die, Power Rangers may just be the one. What started in 1993 has now spawned a two decade long authorization of fun television programming, movies, video games, and countless action figures – and I have been with them every single step of the way. It’s been several months since I’ve penned an editorial for CliqueClack, but having Power Rangers back on my flat screen has rather reinvigorated me.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen … I’m back.

Power Rangers Dino Charge premiered on Nickelodeon on Saturday afternoon though if you’re a fan like me, chances are you probably watched the premiere episode one week early on Nick.com. At any rate, the first installment really set the tone for Dino Charge and based upon what was shown, fans and casual viewers are in for a ride. Instead of the typical totalitarian villain bent on conquering the planet, Power Rangers Dino Charge concerns Sledge, a vile intergalactic bounty hunter on the hunt for the Energems. Who could blame him? All powerful gems with endless energies aren’t exactly available on EBay or Amazon.com. However, there to oppose him are the Power Rangers, who in this series harness the dynamisms and strengths of the ancient dinosaurs.

As has become the norm of the Power Rangers series, the sole mission of our favorite spandex clad heroes is to keep the planet safe and they are armed with an incredible arsenal to help them do so. This season features the usual line up of five rangers – just like previous seasons – but instead of three young men and two young women, there is only one young lady this time. That’s actually pretty interesting considering that’s how it usually is in the Japanese program that the show is adapted from.

However, that’s not the only significant change. Anyone that reads my editorials knows that I’m a big supporter of diversity on television. And by big, I mean colossal. This is why it pleases me to see a team of ethnically diverse superheroes this season. We have Brennan Mejia, a talented and athletically fit Mexican actor portraying Tyler, the Red Ranger and leader of the team. We also have Yoshua Sudarso, a gifted Idonesian actor portraying Koda, the Blue Ranger – the one Ranger that I always used to be on the playground as a child. But perhaps most notable is the fact that fans of the series have now been treated to an African-American Pink Ranger, the first time this has ever happened in Power Rangers history.

Consider my mind blown.

As Shelby, the Pink Ranger, Camille Hyde brings a certain warmth to the role. Now, I know some enthusiasts probably don’t want to make such a big deal about diversity in a program that’s typically aimed towards children. However, the fact of the matter is that it is now 2015. The world is colorful. I commend the brains behind Dino Charge for choosing a cast of capable young actors that children will not only be able to look up to, but see themselves in. I personally feel that there is something to be said of the fact that the first episode predominately featured both the Red Ranger and Pink Ranger in leading roles. In fact, they were the only two Rangers given the chance to change – ahem, morph – into their superhero counterparts to take down a monster wreaking havoc. I have but one word for this – Awesome!

Perchance the same thing can be said about the writing of the show as well. I noticed a massive improvement in the script over the last season of the series, Megaforce. When watching Megaforce, I often found myself confused and unnerved by numerous plot holes and unanswered questions. However, Dino Charge seems to have a solid plot. The pilot episode did a hell of a job setting up the season and establishing the mythology for the show. It was a full ten minutes before the main cast members were even introduced – and the Green Ranger, one of the core members of the team, didn’t even make an appearance in the episode. That’s a bold move by Power Ranger standards. Heck, that’s a bold move by television standards period.

My only real complaint is that I feel Nickelodeon should have just aired the second episode after the first. I think a one hour premiere would have been more effective. However, if suspense is what they were looking to create then they have certainly done well. Make no doubt about it, I will definitely be tuning in next Saturday.

After all, if history is any indication, these Rangers are here to stay.

Hey, there! Keep up with writer Jaylen Christie by following him on Twitter @thesuperflynerd! Tweet him! He’ll tweet you back!

If you’re of a certain age — young or old — you probably know all about the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark TV show which has changed hands many times over the years (at one time under the ownership of Disney, briefly), and the fan adoration for the characters shows no signs of abating. Some fans are so devoted to the show that they’re taking to making a fan film based on the 90s show called Zordon of Eltar: A Power Rangers Fan Film. That fan is, in fact, CliqueClack’s own Cisco Davis Jr., who has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the making of the film. We like to show our Clackers some support, so we sat down at the CliqueClack headquarters deep in a mountain somewhere to find out exactly what makes Cisco tick and why he wants to do this film.

CD: So Cisco, tell our readers a little about yourself.
CDJ: I’m 28 years old and work two jobs, one as a production technician/cameraman at a local television studio and the other as an E-Sales Assistant at a BMW Motorcycle dealership. In my free time I tirelessly grind away at expressing myself creatively because I can’t seem to function properly without it. I’ve spent many long hours and weekends formulating ways to tell stories and game plan the best way to go about tackling them.

CD: Tell us a little about this fan film. How did the idea come about?
CDJ: Zordon of Eltar is a fan film that’s actually supposed to serve as a re-imagined prequel to the hit show from the early 90s. The idea began to snowball when I thought about doing a typical Power Rangers fan film just for fun that was going to be nothing more than a fight scene followed by some credits at the end. I’m naturally a storyteller so that didn’t sit well with me. Upon watching the series over again from the beginning on Netflix, much to the chagrin of my roommates who had to suffer through it (bless their hearts), I realized that there were tons of plot holes and inconsistencies to the backstory behind the series. And having always wanted to direct a Power Rangers film it occurred to me how neat it would be to instead do a project that explores the murky and befuddled backstory.

CD: So why a Power Rangers film at this point in time?
CDJ: I’m a Power Rangers fan. At a very young age I knew I wanted to be involved with movies and filmmaking. Well it just so happened that around the same time I had all these budding dreams and aspirations of becoming a professional filmmaker that I had my childhood mind captivated by the Power Rangers TV show.

Most people don’t know at all that beneath the hokey children’s comedy and run-of-the-mill action scenes is that the foundation for a very solid universe exists. And as a natural storyteller, that universe is well worth exploring and making an adventure take place there. There’ve been enough Star Wars and Star Trek fan films. Stargate though… Hmmm. (j/k)

I basically care so much about the source material that I’m going out of the way to make it that much more interesting to me. It says a lot about how a children’s show can impact a kid’s childhood because 20 years later I just feel like giving back.

CD: And what have you done so far with the film?
CDJ: So far I’ve gotten a solid story outlined and ready to go and I’m even currently working with some INCREDIBLY KNOWLEDGEABLE members of the Ranger community who have been delightful enough to answer questions about the mythology behind the series. While my fan film will be a remake and creates new origins behind the hit show, I still respect the show enough to at least want to know exactly what the history is.

I grabbed a few friends with acting and modeling backgrounds and got them to help to help me see this vision come to life. I’ve done several tests for visual effects and still have a few more that I’d like to tackle to make make this a low budget production. I am five weeks into having learned visual effects thanks to the Hitfilm 2 Ultimate VFX software program. It’s easy to learn and gets the job done. It has opened so many doors to me that I never thought possible. If I could be a Hitfilm poster child then sign me up! Because it is the best thing that has ever happened to me as a filmmaker.

Of all of the projects I’ve ever worked on in the past, this was one of the first ones to actually look very close to how I saw it in my head.

CD: I know you’ve completed a trailer, so what can you tell us about it?
CDJ: I put together a teaser trailer/concept trailer to help the audience get an idea for the scope of the film and the world I’m trying to create. I put in a variety shots to give different glimpses into the universe and also set up the two main characters. It only took four weeks to put together as a beginner in visual effects so I only hope to get better.

CD: I can tell you I’m very impressed with what you’ve accomplished. And now you’re putting the project on Kickstarter to help raise some funds?
CDJ: I’m trying to raise at least $1,500 to help finance this film. It may not sound like much but that’s really all we need to make this production happen. The funding would go towards the purchasing of 3D models, upgrading the cardboard costume pieces we made to a better material for the camera and commissioning some artwork for landscapes and animations. We need this budget to make a believable alien universe.

CD: That sounds very doable. Anything else you’d like to add?
CDJ: We’re doing this fan film to have fun. The only end game in this for our team is to have fun creating a project we want to see for ourselves. The added benefit is that we can share this project with others for free.

So there you have it. We would love to see Cisco accomplish his goal so we’re putting this out there to the CliqueClack universe to help make that happen. You can visit Cisco’s Kickstarter page for more information, and have look at the trailer right here! And be sure to “Like” the official Facebook page. If successful, maybe we can talk Cisco into launching the world premiere of the completed film right here! Stay tuned for details.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOPpGiHzhrs

Every now and then there comes a quality television show that will stand the test a time, a program with such a lasting impression to make you dream you were a character during your sleep. If you ask me, Power Rangers is one of those programs. And I bet you thought I was talking about The Walking Dead. Sorry, guys – I’m a little biased. I’m a 26-year-old man, and my six five-inch Power Ranger action figures stand on my DVD rack to guard my BluRay discs — a fact that my girlfriend tends to roll her eyes at.

Hey, no shame in my game.

So, imagine my excitement when Saban Brands and the Shout Factory recently released the first two seasons of Power Rangers on DVD. Cue the chorus. There is a God.

Now, anyone that knows me knows that I keep it real. The only Power Rangers seasons worth owning are the first two. Everything after that is overly campy … especially those wretched Turbo years … with the exception of Yellow Ranger Tanya, who I always thought was cool. But let’s focus on the positive! Season one of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is available on DVD, and if you’re a nerd like me, I suggest you go get it! I mean, seriously. It’s been out for a while now. What are you waiting on?

For those of you not familiar with Power Rangers lore, the show is essentially about a group of six teenagers (with attitude) who are given extraordinary abilities by a wise wizard when an intergalactic witch declares war on Earth. The program debuted in 1993 and is still going strong today – with a new cast of Rangers and a brand new plot of course. However, nothing compares to the first six rangers – Tommy the brave Green Ranger, Zachary the cool, spunky Black Ranger, Kimberly the gorgeous and determined Pink Ranger, Billy the clever Blue Ranger, Trini the capable Yellow Ranger (whom I simply adored), and Jason the testosterone driven Red Ranger. As a kid, I could always count on those six to save the day time and time again.

Luckily for me, I can still count on them to do just that whenever I pop one of those DVDs into my BluRay player. Now, unfortunately, Shout Factory decided to split season one into two sets – Volume 1 and Volume 2. That’s fine though. I personally feel that the first set has the better episodes. There’s the episode where the Black Ranger fights that creepy knight out to destroy Angel Grove. There’s also the episode where the Blue Ranger has to take down a monster made of eyeballs. Oh, yes – and how could I forget the five-part story arc featuring the Green Ranger before he became a good guy? That alone should be worth the price of purchase. However, there are absolutely no bonus features – no behind the scenes footage, no episode commentary, no nothing. Shame.

Still, let’s be positive. Who needs all that when you can have fun watching grainy Japanese footage being dubbed by American voice actors? Don’t believe me? I implore you to look closely at the scenes featuring Rita Repulsa. Her lips rarely line up with what she’s saying.

Ah, good times.

Season one of Power Rangers is really a treat, and to be honest, there hasn’t been a single season that has really lived up to this one. Subsequent seasons seem to be missing something, the spark that made this one really tick. In these episodes you’ll learn the value of teamwork and camaraderie. Each episode featured a lesson and some kind of moral which was good for me as kid. Power Rangers means a lot to me, and when I have children, they’ll probably be forced to watch the series.

I suppose I’ll just have to anticipate more eye rolling from my girlfriend.

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Generally speaking, the month of January usually brings new blissful beginnings. For me, this year, it just brought a whole lot of damn nostalgia. And so it was that I spent the dawn of the new year looking at classic episodes of Power Rangers ... you know, that corny kids show about rainbow colored superheroes fighting to protect the planet against monsters and what not. Ah, it was like I died and went to nerdtopia. Anyone that has read my writing can glean that I’m a die hard fan of the Power Rangers. That’s about as well known as Lindsay Lohan’s inability to regain her career. Still, what some people don’t know is that my love of the Rangers extends far beyond their first few seasons of the popular Mighty Morphin’ era.

On the contrary, I was a huge fan of the Zeo season as well. For this week’s Clacking in Color, I’d like to focus on one of my favorite Power Rangers — no, not Trini … although she was pretty awesome — but Tanya, the cool chocolate skinned sistah’ played by the beautiful Nakia Burrise. I was in the fourth grade when Zeo aired on Fox Kids, and even though I’ve already graduated from college with a journalism degree, I can still remember the lasting impression that Tanya left in the series and in my heart. Go get your Kleenex. It’s gonna be one of those editorials.

You see, Tanya was the Ranger that would shoot first and ask questions later. And why should she ask them first? Monsters were destroying the damn city. To borrow a line from a popular YouTube video, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Heck, I loved Tanya. Not only could the chick wear yellow well, but she was unafraid of any of the evil cybernetic creeps that King Mondo would throw her way. Plus, the fact that she somehow knew karate in her first outing as Zeo Ranger II — without being trained — is cool. Maybe it was instincts. Or perchance the writers didn’t have enough time to show her training. You be the judge.

The way she yelled her battle cry when she morphed — “Zeo Ranger Two: Yellow!” sent chills down my spine. Here was a woman that didn’t mind defending the entire planet against a diabolical machine empire. Don’t get it twisted now — the other Zeo Rangers were pretty fantastic as well. Rocky, the Blue Zeo Ranger, was my homie, but let’s keep it real — Tanya had all of the swag.

And for that matter, she was also packing the toaster.

I digress. Spending my New Years watching the Tanya-centric episodes on Netflix was really a treat. It was nice to take a trip back down memory lane, and even more fun to re-experience a character that was truly awesome. Burrise frequently appears at Power Ranger conventions in California. Perhaps I’ll save up to attend one some day. Tommy may have been the leader, but Tanya was the one who took care of business … free of charge.

Now, that’s a chick worth having on your team!

Do you enjoy reading Clacking in Color? Jaylen sure as hell hopes so! Feel free to follow him on Twitter @thesuperflynerd to keep up with all things diverse on television!

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