- Written by Brenden Fletcher & Kelly Thompson
- Art by Daniele Di Nicuolo
- Cover by Elsa Charretier
Kimberly Hart, now the former Pink Ranger, is competing as a gymnast in Amsterdam when her mom and stepdad go missing in France. Despite not being a superhero anymore, Kimberly doesn’t hesitate to dive into the mystery of the quiet town that her family just moved to, and the possibly sinister forces behind her mother’s disappearance. And as the comic’s name suggests, it looks like her days of being the Pink Ranger aren’t quite over yet.
Pickup your copy of ‘ MMPR: Pink’ #1 at Comixology now!
It’s safe to say that the decision to use Kimberley, aka the original Pink Ranger, as the first subject for a solo ‘MMPR’ mini-series comes down to the fact she was clearly the most popular character on the show. Boys loved her, girls wanted to be her. It makes perfect sense.
In fact everything about ‘ MMPR: Pink’ makes sense. The concept of picking up Kim’s story after her departure from the Power Rangers makes perfect sense. It allows for the lone-wolf style story that is on show here without making it entirely contrived. Often this kind of breakout mini-series can be set alongside the storyline of the main book and it often makes little sense to one week see a character isolated in their own adventure and in the next week they are back with their friends and everything else is unmentioned.
‘MMPR: Pink’ also sticks with the continuity of the show. Placing Kim abroad at the Pan Global Games in Amsterdam. Fans of the TV series will remember Kim left in order to pursue her dreams of being a world class gymnast with her family now located in Paris. It’s a great nod to the fans of the TV series and to the noted effort it’s writers made to make the character more than one dimensional.
BOOM! Studios are doing an excellent job with their main ‘MMPR’ series. Stepping outside of the shows storylines to focus on a more emotional story which is definitely helping to breathe new life in to the characters ahead of their return to the big screen. However they have excelled themselves with the work on ‘ MMPR: Pink’. The story that Fletcher and Thompson have crafted for Kim is a perfect growing up story. In the space of one issue they have expanded the world of ‘MMPR’ to become much more global in scale and yet have been able to focus in on just the one character.
Acting much like the pilot episode of TV series ‘ MMPR: Pink’ #1 sets up the story which will run through the remaining five issues in the series. It brilliantly sets up the landscape whilst also re-introducing a familiar villain in a new context and bringing in a small set of supporting characters to inhabit the world that has been created for her.
It’s by no means perfect. There are flaws albeit small ones. Fletcher and Thompson clearly felt they needed to address why Kim wouldn’t be backed up by her old team and this does come across as slightly contrived. It’s fair to say there was very little the writers could do without ignoring the fact completely and I’m sure this will be a creative decision that will niggle away at them. Of course had they chosen to include the Power Rangers team at this stage it would have required introductions to Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Kat which would have eaten up most of the book.
Artistically ‘ MMPR: Pink’ #1 looks great. Nicuolo does a great job of keeping the book in the same vein as what Henry Prasetya is doing in the main series but without copying the style completely. Much like the writing style it keeps the continuity of the ‘MMPR’ universe alive and strong.
Another aspect of all the current ‘MMPR’ comics that I’m particularly impressed by is the step away from modelling the characters directly on their actors. There are hints and the writing strongly mirrors their personalities but the book is crafted for you as a reader to fill in the gaps.
The most bold choice that Nicuolo makes in ‘ MMPR: Pink’ #1 is to give Kim a new uniform when she suits back up as the Pink Ranger. It’s a good design which echoes the past but also contemporises the character. Admitted it would have been great to see her in the old suit outside of the comics cover but it is definitely a clever idea.
‘MMPR: Pink’ #1 is an excellent start to the series and a great continuation of the work that BOOM! Studios are doing with the property. If you weren’t planning to read this you need to! If you’ve already picked it up and haven’t read it then shame on you!
5 stars
