Review: Mighty Morphin Volume 1

If you were 5-10 years old in 1994, you probably watched Power Rangers. It’s that simple. Of course, the TV franchise has continued in various incarnations to this very day. But the popularity of Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, Billy and Tommy endures, and has never been matched.

Which made it a genius move from Boom to launch a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic back in 2016. Moved to a present-day setting whilst building on the continuity of the TV series, MMPR began just after Tommy joined the Rangers. Writer Kyle Higgins took the characters and storytelling to heights that nostalgic Millennial fans couldn’t have dreamed of. He was able to write things that our beloved show had simply had neither the budget nor the sophistication for. One thing was clear; comics were a perfect medium for Power Rangers.

While Higgins was crafting an ambitious storyline drawing from multiple incarnations of the show, Boom launched a second title: Go Go Power Rangers. GGPR was set a few months earlier than MMPR, immediately after the Rangers received their powers. Written by Ryan Parrott, this book focused much more on the characters and their personal lives (whilst never neglecting the action).

After 30 issues, Higgins concluded his sprawling, epic story and left MMPR. Parrot eventually took over writing duties, putting him in charge of both books. Unburdened by real-life issues like actor contract disputes, the comics were able to keep Jason, Trini and Zack on the scene, giving them their own separate storyline after leaving the Power Rangers. Both books ended last year, leading into the launch of two new titles, both still written by Parrott: Mighty Morphin (featuring Tommy and co. on Earth) and Power Rangers (featuring Jason, Trini and Zack in space).

After recapping so much myself, let’s get straight to my one bugbear about Boom’s Power Rangers comics: the lack of a recap page, in either singles or trades. The complex storylines are a lot to ask readers to remember. Parrott does incorporate most of the information into dialogue, but since he never goes full-on Chris Claremont, there’s still a lot of missing context. Relaunching the titles with a new volume 1 and STILL not providing a recap page is a bizarre and frustrating move, especially as this first arc of Mighty Morphin picks up directly from the cliffhangers that MMPR ended with.

As a jumping-on point, it therefore leaves something to be desired. For new readers, I’d advise trying to pick up at least the final 5 issues of MMPR first. All of Boom’s Power Rangers comics also require some familiarity with the original TV series, but that’s less of a problem. When I was 7 years old, this show was my entire life. So I remember it much better than anything I read last month.

Now, what about readers who have largely followed the comics up to this point? You know what to expect and Mighty Morphin does not disappoint, maintaining the consistent quality of the previous titles. It is best enjoyed alongside Power Rangers, particularly for the #1s of both books. But if you’re invested in this universe, you’ll be doing that anyway.

Whilst I’m grateful for and in awe of Kyle Higgins’ work on the first couple of years of these comics, Ryan Parrott is my preferred writer. I do love epic storylines and action scenes, but his character work is what keeps me reading. The struggles, insecurities and relationships of the Power Rangers. The backstories for Rita Repulsa and her goons. Yes, even Bulk and Skull now have depth. This volume delves a bit more into Zordon’s past as a corporeal being, which is thoroughly enjoyable. Parrott, like Higgins before him, has taken the TV show’s memorable but simplistic world and (ironically) made it three-dimensional.

Meanwhile, Marco Renna’s art is magnificent, as are Walter Baiamonte and Katia Ranalli’s colors. Art and colors have always clearly been a priority on the Power Rangers books. I’ve never seen any of them drop below a 3/5 at worst. The Zords, costumes, and fight scenes are a feast for the eyes; as are flashback scenes to past millennia on faraway planets. The colors are as vivid and bright as Power Rangers should be, without being headache-inducing.

This is a strong recommendation from me, ideally for those who’ve been the following the older titles. But if you’re brave and/or less of a completist than me, then feel free to try and jump in. You’ll probably end up intrigued enough to check out the previous titles anyway!

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Marco Renna
Colorist: Walter Baiamonte with assistance by Katia Ranalli
Publisher: Boom! Studios

Author Profile

Yavi Mohan

Yavi Mohan is a comic writer (and more frequently, comic reader) based in London. He is frequently overwhelmed by the number of comics in his reading list, to the extent that it sometimes delays his reading. This list includes every issue ever published with Spider-Man as the main character.