FoC provides a blueprint for an MMPR that loves what it was but is even more enamored with what it can become. It never rejects what came before but instead builds upon that foundation to create a mythology that will span for generations.

🐅🐅🐅🐅🐅5/5 Xiao Laohu (Little Tigers)

No topic - serious or silly - is off limits. Why is the Asian girl the Yellow Ranger? What's so special about Angel Grove? 'Repulsa'? Seriously?

The language is coarse and, at times, shocking. It serves as a stark reminder of the prejudice that still exists even in school halls.

While they aren't set in the same universe, FoC echoes the 30th anniversary special "Once & Always" in more ways than one. The novel can serve as a bookending companion piece that recontextualizes O&A in an unsettling manner that forever links the destinies of Trini and Rita.

Even the relationship between interstellar warrior scholar Zordon and Rita Repulsa grows into a far more intertwined web of moral ambiguity that doesn't lead the reader towards a definitive stance. FoC respects the reader's ability to draw their own conclusions in a sea of gray.

Trini's childhood friend Zack has drifted away since middle school. Current bestie Billy thinks he's glorified tech support. Snobby new girl Kimberly ruins everything and star quarterback Jason is above this modern day Breakfast Club. How are they meant to save the world?

Each ranger is burdened with their own struggles and afforded their own path towards enlightenment. The relationships are complex with conflicts that can't be resolved within a neat, thirty minute window. While Trini remains the emotional anchor, every key player is buoyed.

For fans of the Boom! Comics, there are plenty of references and inspirations. But FoC stands on its own as a unique interpretation of both the team's and Trini's humble origins. Long referred to as the heart of the team, Ma boldly illustrates why Trini has earned that mantle.

This book allows the simplicity of the original '90s tale and today's more complex social consciousness to naturally comingle. Ma tells her version of the Rangers' origin story from the viewpoint of Trini while infusing much of her own, unflinching experience into the character.

I do not have the necessary faith in myself to substitute stickers for paint so well done.