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Preface
Who needs Rangers when you got mutants?
The Cover
It’s a good cover. Shows off the Ranger X for everyone to see literally dividing the team apart with nice spacing and perspective to make it seem like he is bursting through something.
The Story
So, Shredder covers Jason, Tommy, and Alpha while they load up Zordon in a doggy bag. It doesn’t go too well, with the Rangers unable to talk to Zordon. Underneath the Command Center, Raphael tries to beat Casey’s butt, but it’s too late. Stockman tampers with something in the Command Center called the Power Node, which causes all Rangers and Turtles to demorph.
Our heroes are forced to retreat to the sewers while Rita takes control of the Command Center. Shredder appears at the meeting, and tells them his tragic backstory of getting fired from Dimension X and now he wants to help the heroes win so that Rita loses. Completely understandable.
Three days pass and Angel Grove becomes a complete mess. (Which happens every Saturday.) More and more of Rita’s soldiers are appearing and there’s some construction going on involving the Rangers’ Zords. The Rangers are prepared to fight without their powers, but Billy and Donatello get an idea to use some Mutagen with their Power Coins. And, so, when April and a group of civilians are in trouble, it’s not Morphin’ Time. It’s Mutatin’ Time!
Super Dino Mode!
The Mighty Mutant Rangers take on Rita’s army with their new powers. But, to them, it’s not like riding a bike. More like they’re trying to ride a horse for the first time. Meaning: they’re not that great.
Raphael runs into Casey, who reveals that he was initially kidnapped by Rita for information. He didn’t give them up, but he realized that the heroes were no match for the army so he decided to be a double agent. Casey gives Raphael a mobile portal generator in order to get to Kang’s fortress in Dimension X to reclaim the Power Node.
And, so the issue ends with Master Splinter helping the Mutant Rangers defend Angel Grove while the Turtle and Shredder all head back to Dimension X, ready for the next big fight.
Ending Thoughts
We’re at the middle point of the crossover and things are definitely ramping up.
Let’s get this out of the way. The Mutant Rangers’ designs are freaking amazing. They integrate the designs of the MMPR suits well, making their diamonds as patterns for their “skins”. They’re all unified as a unit (even with Tommy where the golden design on his chest covers the main diamonds.) Each Mutant now has its own unique head suited to their Power Coin along with other features like wings for Kim or fur for Zack. All of them are now their own monsters that fit well with the designs of the Turtles, becoming big bulky fighters. It’s an excellent idea for the sequel and I already know a lot of people who are waiting for the inevitable Lightning Collection figures.
Overall, the dialogue is still top-notch, especially in the moments like Casey asking Rita and Krang why they’re so focused on Earth. The villains answering that it was a matter of pride so matter-of-factly is not only a funny moment on its own, but it opens up their insights on what these two villains have in common. Both rulers from off-world who have come to take over puny planet Earth. The interactions between Shredder and our heroes have also been interesting. Even though Shredder’s reputation has taken a huge dive, getting beaten by the Turtles and then fired by Krang, he still maintains that intimidating aura to him. He laughs off the Turtles’ overconfidence while managing to take out Scorpina and Bebop on his own, showing his skill and proving that he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
MMPR / TMNT II #3 brings these two franchises even closer together, giving our Rangers some Mighty Mutant power!
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- I just realized if Casey’s Ranger X ever becomes a Lightning Collection figures, his swords are made of pure energy. That means his effect parts will actually be important to the figure.
- I’ll talk about Casey more later on because yeah… We know his motivation now, but I’m still waiting to see what exactly he contributes to this.
- We all prefer these Mutant Rangers to the actual ones in show, right?
- Krang looks cool here. It’s based on the 80s design that I’ve been shown, but it has its own spin on it.
- I would have thought that the percentages that Billy and Donatello were spouting were references to important years for the franchises, but I don’t think Donatello’s 86% calls back to anything specifically.
- Putties smell like gingerbread… That makes a lot of sense.
- …What do you mean dragons aren’t real?! Let me introduce you to Fire Heart on the PR Side. There’s also an entire page I found easily of dragons on the TMNT wiki.
