Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40 is available now where all good comics are sold!
Synopsis
Last year, Shattered Grid made comic book history—this year NECESSARY EVIL changes what you think you know about the Power Rangers with a reveal that will have everyone talking! The Power Rangers comic book event of 2019 begins here with the first appearance of the Power Ranger everyone’s been asking about—the fan favorite White Ranger! The all-new team of creators from record breaking Power Rangers; Shattered Grid; Ryan Parrott and Daniele Di Nicuolo present the return of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers—but what happened to the universe after the defeat of Lord Drakkon, and what do our Rangers remember?
Review
I’ve been championing the BOOM! Studios MMPR series from day one. Kyle Higgins did an excellent job of bringing the TV show in to the contemporary comics world. He was able to take the premise and several storylines from the show and flesh it out to become something much more well rounded and in many ways grown up.
Higgins left the book with the Shattered Grid event. The first foray into continuity altering crossovers. Every Ranger from every universe altogether for the first time ever. It was a huge undertaking and proved to be stellar reading.
But following that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers book has been in a limbo of sorts. The subsequent arc following a group of disparate Rangers trying to save the Morphin grid hasn’t held my attention as well as I had hoped.
In recent months I’ve gravitated much more towards the Go Go Power Rangers! series which is, mostly, stuck to the core group of characters.
However with issue #40 latest writer Ryan Parrott has brought the series back to its roots and kicked off a new arc which looks set to be something amazing.
With the Rangers able to reset reality we now have a White Ranger Tommy and Rocky, Adam and Aisha have joined the ranks as the Red, Black and Yellow rangers as Jason, Zack and Trini have left Angel Grove for the Teen Peace Conference.
In just this one issue Parrott is able to confidently take aspects of the second season of the TV series and use them to craft a story which fits the new continuity of the comics.
It’s the kind of storytelling I’ve really come to expect from MMPR and has me feeling great about the future.
He immediately shows of some of the huge scope of Higgins with the Rangers battling a giant, flying creature in London before returning to Angel Grove. There’s an understanding that outside of kids TV a fighting team like this would be a global force for good and not just protecting one small American town.
Likewise the introduction of White Ranger Tommy is not without its consequences. A scene between Tommy and Zordon really has me questions what impact the White Ranger powers may have on him which delves much deeper than the TV series ever did.
There are a few glimpses of Lord Zedd in this issue, hopefully he will be handled much more seriously than he was on the show. With a well documented history of parents objecting to his menacing appearance the character was nothing more than a comedy foil by the end of his time on the show. I’m expecting big things from this comic book version.
The final pages of the book are also a pleasant surprise. Seeing Kimberley and Billy keeping in touch with their former comrades who are off doing something extremely exciting (and intriguing) was a nice touch which, again, goes beyond the scope of the TV series.
The illustrations by Daniel Di Nicuolo are stunning. The book looks the best it ever has and it’s nice to see some fresh faces on the team with the three new Rangers.
This is absolutely the best time to become an MMPR reader if you aren’t already picking up this book.
Verdict
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fortieth issue is a huge return to form for the series. Following the huge Shattered Grid event the Rangers have been quite literally floating around the Morphin Grid figuring out their next move and now Ryan Parrott has kicked what could be one of the series biggest and best arcs.
8/10
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40 is written by Ryan Parrot and illustrated by Daniele Di Nicuolo with colours by Walter Baiamonte and a cover by Jamal Campbell.
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