Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #4
Publisher: BOOM!
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Colorist: Matt Herms
Cover: Jamal Campbell
With the team not fully able to trust Tommy nor Tommy really trust himself, he’s left behind as the Rangers race off to stop Scorpina from using the Dragonzord to destroy the city. However, Tommy isn’t too keen on sitting idly by and thinks he has a way to stop the destruction and help his friends. It’s too bad that Rita has other plans and Scorpina isn’t going down without a fight!
Higgins has definitely given this franchise a new energy and feel while maintaining what is core about the Power Rangers mythos. We get some of the best character moments between teammates as well as huge fight scenes with giant robots and monsters causing billions of dollars in property damage. This is a team that can be taken seriously without going overboard with a dark and grim tone. Higgins throws in some tense and potentially violent moments between team members and I was all for a Zack vs Tommy fight at one point. The back and forth that’s been building between Jason and Tommy is brought to a bit of a climax here in a natural confrontation. Higgins is dealing with two Alpha male teenagers here so you know there are going to be some problems. Maybe one day they’ll balance their issues out but for now the sparks are flying and it’s all for the good of the story. The fights could just be the same as what we’ve already seen episode after episode of the tv series but thankfully there’s a minor shift that makes all the difference. Which was having the team fight separately in their own Zords and Rita actually sending more than one monster to defeat them. This might not seem like much but it made for a better fight that was less predictable. He even has the characters shout out their moves sometimes and it doesn’t make the scene corny or ridiculous.
Prasetya and Herns continue to give you kinetic visuals in this series while making sure that you get what you need out of the narrative. The first panel that has the Dragonzord attacking a luxury cruise ship is just amazing as far as scale and detail go. Now, while the heroes are in civilian clothes Prasetya doesn’t bother with trying to nail their exact likeness which isn’t a bad thing. I know there are those that would prefer the opposite but he gives just enough reference to their looks that it doesn’t matter. When we see the team morphs into their uniforms they look like they mean business and not here for Rita’s tearing up of Angel Grove. Plus it’s always a nice touch when we see the team pull out their Morphers in that forever iconic scene from the series. But it’s the last few pages that really kick things up a notch as the cliffhanger unfolds and dares you not to come back next issue.
With Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back in comics, Higgins and Prasetya have given fans of the franchise something to be excited for. They hit everything nostalgic about the series and still bring in their own energy to tell a story for new fans in a new era!
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