‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0’ Review

Written by Kyle Higgins, Illustrated by Hendry Prasetya, Colours by Matt Herms

Now here is something I’ve been looking forward to. This review is going to be a little different. I’m a huge Power Rangers fan. I have been since I was a tiny little fella so this is a very exciting proposition for me to be able to read a book written for me by someone who was also a childhood fan.

And so I start with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0. Boy, does this issue start with a bang. The very first page shows Rita Repulsa and the Green Ranger standing victorious over the broken bodies of the defeated rangers. Straight away, this is different from the show you watched all those years ago. This is a bold, mature start and it’s fantastic. This, it turns out, is a day dream. Rita is still in Tommy’s head–similar to Number Six in Battlestar Galactica. This is set directly after ‘Green With Evil,’ the five-part saga that introduced us to Rita’s evil sixth Ranger and one of the franchises most enduring characters: Tommy Oliver.

The plot sees Tommy struggling to settle in with his new high school teammates. His doubts manifest as a vision of Rita voicing his internal concerns. His need to prove himself leads to him causing a mishap at the controls of the Dragonzord.

Credit here to Kyle Higgins. The rangers have never seemed so real. One of the issues with the original series was that the characters were sometimes too nice, and the only time they seemed flawed was if the script called for it. And then it’d be gone by the next episode. What Higgins has done is make these characters real. There’s one scene in particular where Jason chews Tommy out for not obeying an order, and they begin to argue before Zordon stops them. That’s great. In no way would Tommy just slip into place and be a perfect team member straight away. There would definitely be a period of adjusting and butting of heads with the current alpha male, Jason.

MMPR-Issue-0-01
The dialogue is exactly how I’d expect high school students to talk to each other. There are hints of sarcasm in the dialogue and a little teasing between friends. Also, what there is of Billy’s dialogue isn’t leaden with technobabble. It just adds to the overall enjoyment of the comics. As much as I loved the show, the dialogue was very corny at times.

Despite the depiction of realistic interactions, the characters are still fairly recognisable as those you remember. Granted, we don’t get to spend much time with them in this issue, but they still seem to follow the same archetypes as before. Billy is still the geek, Kimberly is still the ditzy valley girl, etc. The difference this time is that Higgins writes them as real people and not simply representations of those archetypes.

There is also a genuine sense of danger when the monster attacks in this issue. Gone are the days of a rubber suit stomping around in a cardboard city. These rangers exist in a living, breathing city filled with people who do more than simply discuss the attacks after the fact. They experience the attacks. This is brought home when, in one sequence, sirens blare and an announcement is given that an ‘incident’ is occurring and everyone should head for safety. Cue hundreds of people running and panicked. This is reinforced later on, during an attack on a bridge, where people’s lives are actually in danger. It was very rare that this was shown in the TV show.

The art is just perfect for the subject matter. It’s vibrant, colourful and, above all, faithful to the source material. The characters in their civilian identities have been redesigned to no longer resemble the actors who played them originally. This makes total sense as this comic has a current setting, and the original looks will have dated considerably. The new looks aren’t too far removed from their live-action counterparts. It’s more a case of updating and keeping with current trends. I think the new-look Rangers work very well in that regard. Kudos to Hendry Prasetya and Matt Herms.

 

kimberly-trini-and-jason-in-power-rangers-from-boom-studios1 zack-tommy-and-billy-in-boom-studios-power-rangers1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned the faithfulness to the source material, and this really shows in the details. Rita’s costume is rendered flawlessly–every little detail. On the subject of details I noticed that, on an exterior view of Rita’s palace, there is a sign that reads ‘Bandora Palace.’ What a great little nod to the original Super Sentai source. For those who don’t know, in the original Japanese Sentai series on which MMPR was based, Rita was called Bandora. The fact that this was included is fantastic and shows a reverence for the source and attention to detail I don’t recall seeing in previous Power Rangers comics.

Also included in this issue are two back-up stories. One is ‘The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk and Skull.’ This isn’t a very long story; it’s a nice bit of cartoon humour to offset the previous main tale. It’s two pages long and tells of Bulk and Skull escaping trouble with Principal Caplan and attempting to impress some girls. The art style by Corin Howell is cartoony and humourous. It’s a nice little piece and sets up a continuation.

The second back-up piece is entitled ‘What Time Is It?’; it’s a story with a message, and that message is teamwork. The story is short and involves the Rangers taking on Goldar. All attempt solo attacks before forming the Megazord and realizing their strength lies in teamwork. It’s a good little story with some moments of comedy and levity. The artwork has a sense of movement about it, which works great in a story that’s essentially just one battle. It’s a great way to end issue #0 of this new series.

To round it off, this is a series I’ve been waiting for without knowing it–for years. It gives me a mature, complex version of a universe I fell in love with as a child and updates it. This is for new fans and old fans alike, and I think it’ll be a great series if the quality here continues. I will definitely continue to read this series for as long as it runs.

Comic Review
80%
Sending
User Review
0 (0 votes)
BRAND PARTNERS
Recent Posts