That Guy Tommy and Retro Ray sat down with comic writer Melissa Flores: https://mistyflores.com. We talked about Power Rangers: Prime.

Melissa started writing fan fiction at the age of 12 years old. She was a big fan of Star Trek Voyager. 

When she graduated from USC, she wanted to get into writing TV shows but found it hard to get into the industry. So she got a job with a finance group called Saban Capitol Group, who then bought the rights to Power Rangers back from Disney. Saban’s Brands was created and Melissa interviewed for a distribution job with Brian Centini. When he found out that she wanted to work in the entertainment industry as a writer, he created a job for her. 

She worked for Power Rangers as a creator and development production for 10 years and she worked her way up to director. That’s where she fell in love with the Power Rangers brand. She also worked on Glitter Force and Digimon. 

So, for Power Rangers her job was to look over their stories and make sure they were brand appropriate. At that point, Boom Studios acquired the rights for Power Rangers. Melissa worked with Boom Studios as a licenser and would also give notes about the Power Rangers comics. 

Melissa left Saban when Hasbro acquired the rights to Power Rangers. She wanted to go back to writing. Kyle Higgins who worked on the Power Rangers comics reached out to her and asked her if she wanted to pitch a superhero comic. This led to her series Dead Lucky. 

After the series ended, she reached out to Daphne at Boom Studios and asked her to look at a story she wrote. Daphne asked Melissa if she wanted to come on and write for the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger series. She then wrote Darkest Hour. It was supposed to be a ten-issue run but ended up being 22 issues. 

Melissa was told a new series would start after Darkest Hour. She threw her name into the running. With Darkest Hour under her belt (and her extensive knowledge of Power Rangers) she got the job for Power Rangers Prime. 

I had spotted something in Power Rangers Prime – the refugee ID08293.  I asked her if she had added that as an easter egg and said yes. She did it so Power Rangers fans could feel rewarded when they read the book. That was the date Power Rangers first aired in the US. 

We asked about where the idea for the VR troopers being introduced into the comic came from. She said it came from Boom Studios VP Bryce Carlson. He’s has been with the Power Rangers comics from the beginning. She said he’s been trying to get VR troopers since she was an executive with Saban. It was all thanks to Bryce for getting them. She didn’t want to put the VR Troopers in the first issue. She only wanted to put Ryan Steel in. However, Bryce said we have to put them in because we have a spoiler variant coming out with the VR Troopers on the cover. Melissa said she was happy fans were happy to see the VR Troopers coming in the comic. 

I noticed in the page with Ryan Steele that Valentin is wearing a yellow bandana and a yellow wristband. I asked Melissa if this is foreshadowing that Valentine is possibly going to be the yellow Ranger. She said that Michael, interior artist, is a big Power Rangers fan and everything he does is intentional. She stated she didn’t even notice the bandana/wristband until later. 

She said that we’re going to be able to meet the Power Rangers and get to know them before they become Rangers. 

Melissa was writing Prime at the same time she was writing Darkest Hour. Melissa said Darkest Hour meant so much to her. She wanted to honor the stories that came before her that Kyle, Ryan, Margaret and Matt told. 

She stated Prime is a new world. She said this is like Spider-Gwen Earth 65. What if Gwen had gotten bit by the spider instead of Peter. The Prime world changed so what if there was no Zordon? What if there was an alien invasion on earth and there was no one to save them? And then all of a sudden Altarians came to save them and then stayed? 

Melissa said the reason she picked Samurai Rangers was because they were one of the most ancient Power Rangers that ever existed on Earth and completely independently without Zordon. 

Also, that Rita is not the Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This Rita is halfway between Mystic Mother and Rita Repulsa. There’s an anarchy to this Rita. She give zeros F$&ks. Rita is a disruptor in this world.

After the interview, Boom Studios announced Power Rangers VR Troopers comic will be available on Free Comic Book Day May 3, 2025.  

Melissa also told us that she worked on the first 3 issues of Biker Mice from Mars. It will be an ongoing series next year so keep a look out for it. You can go to YouTube and find the cartoon series to learn about them before reading the comic.

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