Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind #1 is written by Zoe Tunnell and published by BOOM! Studios. Illustrations are by Tango, colours by Adam Guzowski and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Main cover art (left) is also by Tango.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind #1 is available from today in comic book stores.
Synopsis
Rita Repulsa has teamed up with herself, Robo-Rita, from 30 years in the future to bring down the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers before they even get started. What the Ritas weren’t counting on is the Power Rangers of the future: Rocky, Kat, Billy, Zack, and Minh to travel back in time and help the Rangers out behind the scenes. This is a can’t miss totally 90s adventure for fans of any age.
Review
Last year publisher Digital Eclipse took nostalgic gamers back to 1993 with the release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind. An arcade-style game set in the world of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series. Now BOOM! Studios is entering the fray with a one-shot comic book which flirts with the series continuity as well as tying up some loose ends relating to the game’s fun storylines.
Like the game, the Rita’s Rewind one-shot also ties in with the Netflix special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. That story picked up on where the original cast of the TV series are now in the present day. It acknowledged some of the sadly losses amongst the cast whilst offering a glimmer of hope that the OG team are still out there saving the world from Rita Repulsa. Well it turns out they really are. Zoe Tunnell seamlessly bridges all of these different timelines and moments in the book. We drop in to story of Rita’s Rewind as the present day team are fighting the now robotic Rita. As seen in the game, Robo-Rita escapes back to 1993 in order to team up with her living, breathing younger self.
Only rather than then switching perspective to following the teenager heroes. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind #1 stays with the older group as they choose to follow Robo-Rita backwards in time. The group, which includes second Red Ranger Rock and second Pink Ranger Kat, has one crucial element from Once & Always which will please fans, Minh Kwan. Minh is daughter of Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger played by Thuy Trang who sadly passed away some years ago. The respect to continuity is apparent right across the book. Tunnell does a wonderful job of playing to what fans love about the franchise whilst still telling an original story. The inclusion of Terror Toad and Lizzinator from early episodes of the series only helps to land the book even more.
Tunnell brilliantly navigates having the older Rangers avoiding their younger selves. It makes for some excellent dialogue which pokes fun at how the cast has aged in the three-decades since the series began. But it also neatly works itself around the issues of executing a time travel story. The beating heart under it is the story of Minh. It’s not hard to imagine that she would cross paths with her moths at some point in the story and when the moment arrives it’s so beautifully written. It radiates strength from both women in a way that only a Power Rangers story can (and should).
Tango’s artwork is fun and adds a necessary level of energy to the book. There’s a strong mix of seeing the Rangers in and out of their morphed costumes. Particularly after the time travel has occurred. That mean Tango needs to straddle a difficult line having these characters recognisable out of costume without it impacting on the stamina of the story. But just because the story focusses on the older Rangers unable to use their powers it isn’t without big set piece moments. Crossing paths with the younger Rangers means they’re able to witness some classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers action. There’s monsters and Zords aplenty alongside the street level, hand-to-hand combat. All of which leaps of the page with a gleeful vibrancy.
Verdict
As tie-in books go Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind #1 is a fun, vibrant and yet poignant story focussing on the older, world weary cast from the original series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
