Boom Comics releases its fourth issue of the Mighty Morphin series on February 10, 2021. It’s another strong entry in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers line relaunch. The story is written by Ryan Rarrott. Marco Renna handles the illustrations. Colors are provided by Walter Baiamonte and the book is lettered by Ed Dukeshire.
Story
Ryan Parrott continues to spin tales that enhance fan nostalgia for Power Rangers. Issue four is like so much of his work. Characters are developed, the plot thickens, and complexity abounds on every page. However, it never comes at the cost of what fuels the nostalgia. Issue four feels like the end of a second act. Our heroes are on the verge of being conquered by Lord Zedd’s Chaos Putties. This alone testifies to how well Parrott understands the source material behind his work. This could be an episode of Power Rangers. But since the book is aimed for an older audience, we get some great moments of nuanced writing.
A prime example of this is Rocky, the Red Ranger. In the book, Rocky charges headfirst into a battle, and it’s possible it’s as a sacrificial play. Countless Red Rangers have done this on the show throughout its nearly thirty year run. However, here we see Rocky wrestle with being in his predecessors’ shadow. It allow us to see this Red Ranger developing into a strong force on the team. The issue is full of solid action, and the ending feels like our heroes cannot possibly win. It also leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, counting down the days to next month.
While I am excited and pleased with the overall direction this story took, I am little disappointed by the big reveal. Since the ending of the original series there has been an ongoing mystery woven into the books. Who is the new Green Ranger? Issue four pulls back the curtain and shows you just who is behind the helmet. It is a major let down, and it is pretty obvious. The reveal lands with a bit of a thud, and most everyone reading the series has already guessed who it is. Hopefully, there will be more to this unveiling in future issues to make it more compelling. For right now, it is deeply disappointing in an otherwise amazingly crafted story.
Art
Marco Renna’s illustrations are exactly what a Power Rangers book needs. The Rangers and the Zord look awesome. The action is tight and gives a chaotic feel to a battle where the Power Rangers are overwhelmed. The character moments, outside of the helmets, particularly the Eltar backstory and Bulk and Skull’s aside, feel real and honest. Lord Zedd and the Putty Prime are well drawn villains. Renna knocks it out of the park on this issue.
Color
Walter Baiamonte manages a bright palette to perfection. Baiamonte nails the feeling of the show that is vibrant and colorful without making the work feel aimed at children. The coloring on the section where Zedd is appearing to Putty Prime as a hologram is a great example of how the colors on this book enhance the overall work. Baiamonte uses a neon green that, while bright, does not take away from the evil and vile presentation Lord Zedd emits. Baiamonte’s colors pair with Renna’s illustrations and Parrott’s story to create a really fun piece of comic art.
Letters
Ed Dukeshire’s lettering in this book is very competent. The use of fonts and colors to distinguish Zordon and Alpha-5’s voice work really well to give those characters a different feel from the others. I continue to be perplexed by the fact nothing is done with Lord Zedd’s voice. The voice crafted by the late Robert Axelrod for Lord Zedd was gravelly and the sound of pure evil to children everywhere. It deserves to be portrayed on the page in a way that is differentiated from Tommy and the other Rangers. That one mind-boggling omission aside, the lettering in this book is great and enhances the story unfolding before those who read this work.
Conclusion
Parrott and company continue to kill it on the Power Rangers line. Issue four is filled with great action and deep story telling. The strengths of the book greatly outweigh the flaws in the Green Ranger Reveal. Once again, I am left with the feeling that two Power Rangers books a month is not enough, and that is a great feeling for this long time fan.
