Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 is written by Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustration is by Nico Leon, colours by Dono Sanchez-Almara and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art (left) is by Goni Montes.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Amy Jo Johnson–the Pink Ranger herself–continues leading this alternate universe story, with the classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers plagued by tragedy. Kimberly reflects on a shocking choice she had to make all those years ago when telling the story of the Rangers’ final hour against Rita and Zedd!
But, did they make it out in time, and what ramifications did their final battle have for Earth in the present, including for Trini’s mysterious niece, Selena?
Review
After an absolutely blistering first issue, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return is back. All eyes are on whether lightning can strike twice for writers Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson. With plenty of ground to cover in both the past and present, issue #2 has a lot of work to do to solidify the series another worthy entry in to the Power Rangers pantheon.
Luckily for us the OG Pink Ranger – and her writing partner – never miss a beat. Issue #2 of The Return is nothing short of a tour de force, ripping through the franchise playbook and rewriting history for the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
We pick up in the past, diving head first in to the final battle between the Rangers, Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. We’re back on the moon base they called home, surrounded by the supporting cast of villains that fans have come to expect. Johnson and Hotson have an incredible eye for detail in ensuring that even this alternate timeline is recognisable to fans, like me, who religiously watched the show every week. Outside the base the Rangers, complete with Zords, are taking on a horde of Putty Patrollers in a double-page splash which puts artist Nico Leon to the test.
Inside the base it’s up to Kimberly and Green Ranger Tommy (no White Ranger here) to use one of Billy’s ingenious inventions to stop Rita, Zedd and the others once and for all. You see, what we’ve learnt in just this short space of time is that the Rangers have already faced great tragedy. The emotional stakes are through the roof but rather than bog the reader down in covering every moment leading up to this. Johnson and Hotson communicate all the details we need to know through the Rangers dialogue. It ensures issue #2 doesn’t get bogged down in exposition, particularly when it could break strong sense of tension and pacing.
The fight on the surface of the moon is large scale stuff. With Goldar and Scorpina involved it puts the Rangers and their Zords to the test. But with Leon providing the illustrations and Dono Sanchez-Almara’s dynamic colours the whole scene looks incredible. The sense of action and movement is evident in every panel, even during the lower scale hand-to-hand fight between Kimberly, Tommy and Rita.
It all adds up to the Rangers second great tragedy. A moment most readers will feel coming as the scene begins to unravel. Any predictability – or inevitability for that matter – in the scene is outdone by the sheet emotional impact. Again Johnson and Hotson drop in nuggets of exposition without overloading the story. With that, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return reaches a big bang and we’re back in the present day.
Picking up in the “Today” times, Kimberly is still with Selena, the daughter of original Yellow Ranger Trini. For the most part this is where issue #2 pulls back on the throttle allowing for the weight of the flashback sequence to land with the reader. But it’s also in these moments that Johnson and Hotson show more of their ability to mislead their audience. There’s a subtlety in the mood shift which avid readers which pick up on leading in to the final twist for this issue… or so I thought at least. In the closing moments Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 pulls another punch and leaves us teetering on the edge of cliff for issue #3.
Verdict
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 is an incredible second issue. It builds on the first issue yet more with exquisite storytelling and gorgeous artwork.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
