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Preface
We’re in 2023!
Let the 30th-anniversary celebrations begin!
No, not with a bunch of toys and news that came out a few days ago.
We’re going to start out by looking all over at the history of the one and only (sort of) Rita Repulsa.
The Cover
She looks good. That’s all I got.
The Story
As Rita takes Matt to god knows where in space, she retells her story. That after getting launched into space in her dumpster by Lord Zedd for failing to destroy the Power Rangers, her dumpster was found by Divatox, the pirate queen of the dream. Divatox opened it up and promptly got her butt kicked. However, before Rita tried to take control of the ship, Divatox told her that they are heading to Gamma Vile AKA Rita’s daddy’s house.
As Master Vile welcomed his daughter home, he told her that he finally found the vessel for Dark Specter to use to come into this dimension: Alpha-1. Which… Rita thought was a very stupid decision. But, it all didn’t matter as they headed to the planet Infernus where Dark Specter’s soul is resting. And, when Dark Specter gets angry over Master Vile failing him once again, Rita stepped in and asked if she could become Dark Specter’s newest general.
A fight broke out between Rita and her father with Rita gaining the upper hand by using her mother’s magic. Rather than kill the old man, Rita used a spell to erase his memories of the fight between them as well as Dark Specter in general, saying that she wanted Alpha-1’s help. Rita then presented her case to Dark Specter, claiming that since she has some Morphin’ Grid energy in her due to the whole Phantom Ranger story way back when she can use it to access the Zeo Crystal. She also claimed that she does have a vessel that can be used by Dark Specter.
With that selling pitch, Dark Specter granted her the power to become Mistress Vile, and soon, both Mistress Vile and Alpha-1 head to the icy planet of Bizerk. There, they find a familiar corpse on ice perfect to do Rita’s bidding.
And, so we jump back to the present with Matt shedding tears and Rita offering him the chance to prove he deserves more…
Ending Thoughts
I’m not the biggest fan of Rita. I know. I’m a terrible person.
But, this backstory for Mistress Vile perfectly demonstrates why she’s a force to be reckoned with. She showed off her cunning and intelligence through her ability to take advantage of the situation with Dark Specter. She recognized that Alpha-1 was a terrible choice to be Dark Specter’s vessel. Capitalizing on her father’s failure, she was able to present a much more enticing plan for the space demon and gain the power she would need to fight against Zedd and the Power Rangers. It’s fascinating to see Rita butt heads with her father since this is a relationship that we haven’t seen in the comics yet. We’ve seen in Go Go Power Rangers how Rita interacted with her mom when her mother was trying to tell her she could do better. Obviously, she took her mother’s words to heart. Being reminded of who she was raised by helped Rita overpower her father and try to make it on her own. The way Rita’s ascension has been framed is a unique way to build on the continuity of the Go Go Power Rangers issues.
Speaking of continuity, as a Power Rangers fan, it is immensely entertaining to see how all of the various villains tie into the story. Divatox and her crew, despite them seeming a little more competent here than in the show, have the same chaotic and wild energy that the original actors from the show brought to their characters. Master Vile, who seemed like a caring father in the show, now has been given an actual story reason why that would be the case. Even Rito, who didn’t appear in this issue, now has a tragic backstory to his appearance and his cartoonish behavior, giving the character so much weight in just a few sentences. It’s also very appreciated to have been given that two-page spread of Rita’s history so that anyone new to the PR franchise or anyone who fell off the comics can learn what they need to understand our villain’s backstory.
The regular series artists only worked on the first and the last pages of the story, leaving the bulk of the flashback for another artist, Kath Lobo. Her artwork is exceptional and this issue is a great showcase to show off her light artstyle. Since this issue takes place off-world, Lobo is free to create her own alien worlds with dark lighting and unique environments. PR monsters like Master Vile or Drakonda are perfectly represented, having a lot of detail in their different designs. There’s a lot of focus on the characters’ reactions to the events of this story and you can feel the emotion coming off the page, whether it’s a devilish grin or a painful sob.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #104 is a fantastic introduction for new and old readers to the original Power Rangers villain, Rita Repulsa, as she powers up into Mistress Vile, a villain with many surprises in store for our heroes.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Alpha-1 with his cape looked freaking ridiculous. That’s the stupidest design I’ve seen this week. Yeah, I said it! Cosmic Fury suits ain’t that bad, man!
