Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, (2016) Issue #2 Review

Title: Mighty Morphin Power Ranger,(2016) Issue #2
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Cover Artists: Jamal Campbell
Publisher(s): BOOM! Studios
Language(S): English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 26
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Superhero
Release Date: April 6, 2016

Today on the Mighyt Morphin Power Rangers, Billy and Trini examine the Dragon Zord in order to understand why it malfunctioned during their last fight.  Meanwhile, as Tommy laments his missteps, he finds himself near the edge of a blade held by Rita Repulsa’s secondary general, Scorpina. The assassin attempts to subdue Tommy in order to take back the Green Power Coin, however, the Green Ranger is not an easy target. It seems Rita’s plans for Tommy are more than just theft as the Green Ranger’s confidence in himself and his newfound friends begins to faultier.  All the while, the rangers show similar concerns regarding Tommy’s behavior, his place on the team and how he affects everyone. Will the Empress of Evil have her revenge on her former servant; find out next on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, issue #2! 

Fans of the show are very aware the valid criticisms and questions toward the series, such as how the zords function, Rita not attacking the rangers in their homes, the under-utilization of Scorpina, and whether or not the teleportation frequently used by the rangers can be activated on command. Once again, Kyle Higgins does justice to the classic ranger team while exploring ideas never fully stated in the show. Higgins also begins to sow interpersonal interaction between the characters, which might have a pay off in the long run, from Billy‘s talk with Trini about insecurity as a fighter to Jason’s concern in regards to sharing the leadership role with Tommy. While Tommy is considerably the star of the series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is about all six rangers and not just one, and it is good to see that Higgins has more plans for them.

Another aspect as this series excels at is the villains, who often are described as generic and campy in the show, however, Higgins does a great job in making the bad guys feel genuinely threatening. Rita’s pettiness and persistence is highlighted more as she continues to mentally torment and demoralize Tommy, even going as far as attacking him in his own home. Scorpina is shown to be just as effective of a general as Goldar, even coming off as more of a ruthless assassin who could have been a sufficient match against the Green Ranger.

The fight scenes were well choreographed, however, in some scenes appears stiff and could have been strengthened by detailing body movement with more line work. Hendry Prasetya scores greatly with his detailed, immersive backgrounds, especially with the outside shot of the Dragon Zord underwater while in active. The image alone is very well appreciated considering that in the show, the zords were never seen in their hiding places, highlighting this ranger series is not restricted by a limited TV budget or imported stock footage. This is made even better in the opening scene where Billy gives some insight on how the zords function.

Like the original show, the comic looks great and has a number of great elements but is not perfect. In addition to issue #0, the series is at three issues at this point, however, Rita’s plan is still not clear, and the story seems to be taking it’s time in advancing the plot. The comic does not really reveal any new details regarding Rita’s plot rather just hints at it and keeps it vague.

Final Word:

Despite the somewhat slow moving diabolical plan, the comic does compensate by showcasing needed characterization, character interaction, opportunities for development, great art work, and explored concepts that could put some fan speculation to rest. This comic series is indeed shaping up to bring older fans back and possibly entice new ones by addressing a lot of common criticisms regarding the show.