An Interview with Esdras Cristobal

At the end of this month, on September 30th, the Mighy Morphin’ Power Rangers Darkest Hour Deluxe Edition comes out ending the last Mighty’ Morphin’ Power Rangers storyline before the outstanding Power Rangers: Prime series that is on stands now. I am delighted to share with you that this hardcover features a story written by me, drawn by Esdras Cristobal, and colored by Jão Canola called “Between a Rocky and a Hard Place”.

I have been a Power Rangers fan since the show became a phenomenon in 1993. I watched it for a very long time straight through with no interruptions. If memory serves I watched from the first season through Power Rangers: SPD which was the thirteenth season of the show. And then I found it again, watched some of the great seasons I missed, and during the pandemic started getting into the Japanese show where the action scenes for Power Rangers come from: Super Sentai.

Writing Power Rangers comics has been something I wanted to do since before Boom started making them regularly. I remember when the movie Pacific Rim came out with those giant robots thinking that Power Rangers was eventually going to make a comeback in pop culture, as these things often do, and there would be comic books, and when there were…I would really like to write them.

So getting to write this story was very important to me. I would go back and write Power Rangers stuff again in a heartbeat. Boom! does an incredible job with that property, and I had a great time working with their amazing editorial team. The current books in that line, Power Rangers: Prime and VR Troopers are both fantastic, and I will continue to read them because they are so excellent.

To celebrate the story coming out later this month, here’s an interview I did with artist Esdras Cristobal!

DAVE: Hey, Esdras, it’s great to get to talk to you!

ESDRAS: Hi, Dave! Great to talk to you too!

DAVE: So, I am going to be thirty-three years old the week before our short story comes out in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour Deluxe Edition (on sale September 30^th, 2025). The Power Rangers became a pop culture phenomenon and staple thirty-two years ago. They have always been in my life, and I have always been a huge fan. When did you discover the Power Rangers?

ESDRAS: I’m a bit older, but I also remember watching the Power Rangers shows on TV when I was a kid. In the ’90s, they were really well known in Spain. Then there were a few years when they weren’t as present, until the relaunch with Power Rangers Samurai (which I had the privilege of drawing), and with that team, they became relevant again — at least that’s how I see it.

DAVE: BOOM! Studios, who was kind enough to have us both on board for this awesome story, has done a morphenomenal (I said I’m a fan) job with this franchise in comic books. You mentioned it above, this is not your first time drawing the Power Rangers. Can you tell me a little bit more about the work you have done with the franchise before this?

ESDRAS: That’s true. In part, doing this issue for BOOM! has been special for me because it represents having drawn Power Rangers comics both for the European market (Germany in my case) and for the United States. In Germany, I drew many comic pages for Power Rangers over the course of five or six years. These were short 10-page comics included in a monthly magazine, aimed at a slightly younger audience than the BOOM! comics, for example.

I got to draw comics from several sagas, such as Power Rangers Samurai, Megaforce, Super Megaforce, and Dino Charge. Later on, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with BOOM! in the Saban’s Power Rangers Artist Tribute book, where I contributed an illustration of the Power Rangers Jungle Fury.

DAVE: Wow! So you have been all around the franchise. That is a lot of different ranger teams you have drawn. We’re sharing the Jungle Fury piece in this Newsletter post, and it’s the piece I saw of yours I first saw that made me go “Oh wow! I would like to work with Esdras!”

DAVE: One of the unique aspects of the Power Rangers is that the suits are designed primarily for live-action filming. One of the challenges in drawing them is to make them look as cool in the comic as they do in action. What do you like drawing about the Power Rangers costumes, this team, and the other versions you have drawn, and what do you think makes them so compelling to fans?

ESDRAS: It’s great to be able to draw the Mighty Morphin suits. They’re the classics—probably the most iconic ones. In our issue, I had the chance to draw them, but with a variation: their Dark version. I especially enjoyed working on the helmets, since they have a lot of heavy black inking, and I really wanted to experiment with that. The original suits are usually drawn in a much “cleaner” style, without so much ink blocking. So it was a great experience to draw this darker version.

It’s always a challenge to draw the Power Rangers—especially because of all their gadgets, helmets, weapons, belts, Zords, etc. Some other costumes, like the Super Dino Charge ones, are quite complex.

I think a squad of characters who can morph, who fight enemies, who each have their own personality, a distinct color, martial arts skills, and extraordinary powers—it’s a winning combination. And on top of that, there’s the nostalgia factor, which I believe is what gives the franchise such a strong fan base.

DAVE: I think you’re absolutely right about all of the above!

Our story features two of the second generation Power Rangers, Rocky DeSantos, the second Red Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger, and Adam Park, the second Black Mighty Morphin’ Power Ranger, coming face to face with Dark Spectre, the ultimate evil of the Power Rangers franchise.

Getting to write the Rangers in a situation where they are facing down the greatest evil they have ever seen was compelling, but I love that Rocky and Adam are a bit of an odd couple. Rocky is very talkative, very outgoing, and I don’t think he has a lot of thoughts that go unexpressed in a good way. Adam is kind, a little shy, thinks a lot, but is an excellent fighter and person. The two of them have great chemistry.

What did you like about drawing them in the story?

ESDRAS: One of the magical things about comics is that the main characters don’t have to age. Drawing stories about these classic characters and making them feel current is great.

In your script, the contrast between Adam’s and Rocky’s personalities comes through clearly. That strong characterization means they behave very differently, and it was wonderful to translate those ideas into visuals.

It was also a lot of fun—and such a great idea—to draw them as kids when they first met. That adds another dimension to their friendship story.

And obviously, drawing Dark Spectre is a blast.

DAVE: The wonderful team of Allyson Gronowitz (who is no longer at BOOM but is awesome) and Caroline Butler put us together on this story. When they sent me your art, they underlined that you were a big fan of the Rangers.

Do you have a favorite Power Ranger team? Or even going to the original source material of Super Sentai, do any of the Japanese teams that never made it to America have any place in your heart?

I watched the show for many years, I love many of the teams. My favorite Ranger costume is probably the Gold Ranger from Power Rangers: Zeo, and then my favorite team is the original Mighty Morphin era, all of those characters, first and second generation rangers, are very near and dear to my heart.

ESDRAS: Honestly, working with Allyson and Caroline  was excellent. I’ve been delighted to work with them. BOOM! has always been great in all the projects I’ve done with them (Dark Crystal, Rugrats).

I imagine the “big fan” label comes from the amount of Power Rangers artwork I’ve done over the years. I was a fan as a kid, and in recent years my curiosity about the franchise has been reignited—especially with the new series, the movie back in the day, and most of all, the fantastic work being done in the comics.

My favorite incarnation is the Mighty Morphin team. I guess that’s because they were the first ones I ever saw. My favorite character tends to be whoever wears the black suit.

There was a time when I dove into Super Sentai, but I didn’t go too deep. It happened while we were working on a project for France, but it remained just at the initial concept stage.

DAVE: If you were on a Power Ranger team, what color Ranger do you think you would be? I think I would probably be a Blue Ranger. Not the leader, but a very solid second-in-command who everyone can count on.

ESDRAS: As I mentioned in the previous answer, the black suit is my favorite—it’s the one that grabs me the most visually. But it’s a close call with the red one, which is also among my top picks. Still, if I had to choose which Ranger I’d be, I’d go with the Black Ranger.

DAVE: Other than Power Rangers you have drawn Rugrats, Dark Crystal, Marvel work, and other franchises, can you tell me about some of your projects you have really enjoyed doing that we can direct our readers to?

ESDRAS: One of the projects I enjoyed the most was the issue I drew for the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance prequel (BOOM! Studios). I have a real fondness for fantasy worlds—with medieval touches, swords, monsters, forest settings, castles, and so on—and I always really enjoy drawing those kinds of things.

I also had a lot of fun working on Harry Cover for Delcourt. It’s a parody of the Harry Potter universe, drawn in a much more cartoonish style (closer to Uderzo or Franquin). It’s only available in French and came out a few years ago, so it might be a bit hard to find.

And of course, there’s the work I did for Marvel on Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil and Marvel Adventures Superheroes featuring Black Widow. Although they’re from a few years ago, and I’d probably draw them differently today.

DAVE: And what haven’t you drawn that you would like to? That can be other pre-existing characters, or do you have any genres for creator-owned/original books that you would like to do in the future?

ESDRAS: Some of the franchises I’d love to work on are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Star Wars Adventures. But especially TMNT. It’s another legendary series I grew up with, and I used to collect the early comics—so getting the chance to draw the Turtles in a comic would be amazing.

Drawing Batman or Spider-Man would also be incredible.

I’d also love to one day have the time to create a French-style graphic album—heroic fantasy, epic in tone, but starring kids.

Time will tell.

DAVE: Esdras, it was awesome getting to talk to you and getting to work with you. Thank you for being a part of one of my biggest dreams, telling a story with the Power Rangers, coming true. I hope we get to work together again and talk again.

What else do you have coming up, and where can readers find you online?

ESDRAS: Thank you so much! It’s also been a real pleasure working with you and chatting for this interview. I’m honored to have contributed in some small way to your dream of telling a Power Rangers story, and I hope we can work together again soon!

Right now, I’m working on the visual side of things with Cubus Games, a video game company based in my hometown, Igualada (Barcelona), Spain. We’ve been collaborating for a few years now on some really interesting projects. I recommend Rear View Mirror, a narrative video game that’s available on Steam.

There’s also Dragon Frog 3 (by Lucky Moons), a comic that was released recently—I believe it’s available digitally on Amazon.

And I’m currently working on new comics for the German market (this time with a zombie theme!)— coming soon!.

My website is https://esdrascg.wixsite.com/esdras, and my Instagram page is https://www.instagram.com/esdrascomic/.

DAVE: Thanks, Esdras!

ESDRAS: Thanks so much, Dave!

LA COMIC CON

A reminder from September 26th-September 28th I will be at the LA Comic Con at Artist Alley Table E12 alongside the awesome Chris Robinson. Bring us comics to sign, be ready to get comics from us, and just come to our table because we are going to be a fantastic destination. This will be my last convention for the year and of the three I have done this year I want this to be the absolute best of them. I hope you will stop by!

We’ll be back next week!

Until then?

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz