Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Issue #3 Review

Title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Issues #3
Author: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Hendry Praseyta
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 25
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Superhero
Release Date: May 11,2016

Today on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, after Tommy’s little fainting spell, the team tries to examine him, and they try to figure out the cause of the problem. However, they soon find out that Tommy has been hiding more than he has been willing to share ever since he was freed from Rita’s control. The team’s trust in Tommy begins to wane as his mental state continues to worsen as well. Meanwhile, Rita is ready to continue the next phase in her plan, with an almost fully energized crystal and a Dragon Dagger replica, the Empress of Evil forces can now wage her final attack. Is this the end of Tommy as a Power Ranger? Will Rita succeed? Found out today on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Kyle Higgins is proving to be a fantastic writer for the series, showing his in-depth knowledge and care for the series. Throughout the series, Higgins has been trying more experimental ideas and, all the while, keeping the essence of Power Rangers in check. The comic’s quality just seems to be progressing with each issue, and this one is no exception. 

 Right out the gate, this issue catches the reader’s attention by revealing as to why Goldar has been absent this whole time, and it is, somewhat, shocking to see. The opening scene is particularly interesting, in the sense, that while it is not outside Rita’s character to punish her servants, via incarceration, it is shocking, because in the show her usual act of frustration toward her minions was relegated to using comedic verbal and physical abuse when they failed. Even when Rita did distribute some punishment, it would still be comical and humiliating. Not to say being chained up after losing the Green Ranger is not humiliating, but it is refreshing to see Rita punish Goldar in a way that is not relegated to her screaming.

As for the heroes, throughout the series, the team has been shown to be in character, however, if there was one phrase readers could describe this period in their lives as a team then it would be “sad but understandable.” To anyone who has watched the show, or even had tangential knowledge of the show, the rangers are all about teamwork, and they are a very close group of friends. Because of this, it makes it very sad to see them lose trust in Tommy, but from a pragmatic perspective, it makes sense to question him. The comic even points out a very important detail in this regard, in the show the team has been established as a close group of friends, but when Tommy was introduced, they barely knew him, even after being freed from Rita’s control. All of this makes for some interesting drama between the rangers.

There were three characters that stood out in this issue, Trini, Jason and, of course, Tommy. Trini stood out more in this issue, and that is a blessing for her character, since in the show, it was rather hard to classify her character aside from being Kimberly’s best friend, and the one who would translate Billy’s techno-babble. She speaks of her family, her goals, her dreams and even how she feels about being a ranger, and it is all established in less than two pages. Her scenes with Tommy do wonders for her character than the show gave her, but considering that the scene was part of a nightmare while Tommy was in the medical room, it is questionable as to how much of that scene was actually real. Hopefully, the comic will give her more to do.

Jason is normally overshadowed and over looked by Tommy’s popularity, even by fans, however, he is known to be the stoic leader. In this comic, he is also shown to be decisive and a fair leader. While it is sad to see Jason berate Tommy, it is understandable considering that Jason is the leader. Tommy failed to share very important information with the team, he has put lives in danger, and Jason has given him the benefit of the doubt.

Tommy is portrayed to be sympathetic and regretful. Damaged warriors with an evil past, like Tommy, tend to try and solve their personal problems on their own, ignoring help from his team. It is admirable, but he has been too reckless. It is befitting that Tommy be put into question for his actions, however, it is refreshing to see that he decided to share vital information just before things got too out of hand. When Tommy admits to the team he has been seeing hallucinations of Rita is handled well. With Tommy’s regret showing through very well, and even when the team is torn and disappointed, it’s not  played as over dramatic and is handled maturely. However, readers can still feel the sense of tension between Tommy and his team. It also shows that the rangers are not perfect in every regard and they are capable of making mistakes.

Story wise, the pacing of the comic does not feel rushed and it could have easily been given the number of events that occurs. Every scene, from the nightmares to Rita’s initiating the next phase of her plan, to the ranger’s examining Tommy, and the group putting Tommy’s trust into question, is given all the time they need and for readers to enjoy to digest and even see something not normally seen in the 90’s TV show. The comic even gives some insight into Tommy’s powers, suggesting that it may be a failed and unstable power coin. This idea is fun to speculate, given Tommy’s eventual loss of his powers in the show when Rita attempted to take them back.  The comic strokes speculation even more when it is shown that Rita can just replicate Tommy’s Dragon Dagger. This is a real treat for any fan that enjoys speculating about the show.

As for the art, artist Hendry Praseyta, along with Higgins, seem to having fun with Rita’s mind games. The art does very well to give readers a very disturbing image of Rita disguised as Tommy’s mom, via nightmare. The first nightmare scene is borderline creepy and, again, while it is not beyond Rita’s character, due to her pettiness and vindictiveness, this scene is still striking considering this is something new compared to her usual shenanigans and evil plots. And like last issue, the comic does well with the Zords, especially the Dragonzord.  Both the dream sequence and the final page with the Dragonzord lurking under water like a predator are indeed the visual highlight of this issue. The Dragonzord has always been an obvious reference to Godzilla and the art does well to illustrate that the Zord is an intimidating predator.

Final Word

Overall, it is clear that the comic is made for fans of the original 90’s TV show, and seeing Higgins doing more experimental things with the series is very welcoming and proving quite enjoyable to read. The events that unfold are not so much “realistic” but believable for power rangers, from Rita’s acts of evil to the team questioning Tommy’s trustworthiness. Visually, the comic is a treat, from the nightmare sequences, Rita’s palace, capturing the look and feel of the series and, of course, the Dragonzord. Definitely a must read for the any fan of the series.