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Preface
Other companies are celebrating PR right now better than Hasbro is.
I mean, Super 7 is releasing a new exclusive figure while Hasbro gave us all a shirt for the 30th anniversary. And, now, we have Boom! Studios. On top of everything they’ve been doing for Darkest Hour, we have a special one-shot issue for the Mighty Morphin’ 30th anniversary, filled with stories from the Power Ranger universe, like for the 25th anniversary.
Is this going to give us the celebration we need? Let’s find out.
The Cover
I really like this cover. It’s simplistic, the Ranger colors all molded together into one being, but the concept of it is so cool to look at and is a good representation of how all of these stories come together into one product.
The Story
Ode to Ernie – When Ernie starts to have doubts about the Juice Bar, the Rangers are more than willing to lend a hand.
Ernie is a character that doesn’t get a lot, which is understandable, given that he’s just a side character in the background. However, he is still a mainstay of the franchise, his character being part of the first four seasons, including Zeo. And, this story does highlight why he and his Juice Bar are so important to the team, providing everyone a safe place from their problems, especially the Rangers. Art-wise, it’s not the best, but the dark shading adds to the more realistic parts of this scenario and to how tired Ernie can be. Overall, Ode to Ernie is a heartwarming tribute piece to the character. Rest in Peace. Richard Genelle.
Wedding Vows – It’s Kat and Tommy’s wedding! And, like any other PR adventure, things are bound to go wrong.
It was a canon thing for a long time that in the end, Tommy and Kat were endgame, starting with that Zeo Christmas Special and confirmed with more recent stuff like Soul of the Dragon and Once and Always. So, it’s cool to see the progression of their relationship, from breaking up after Turbo to getting together after Dino Thunder. Art-wise, the smooth detailing and the coloring sell the emotions of Tommy and Kat’s relationship perfectly. Wedding Vows is an excellent glimpse into Kat and Tommy’s relationship, showing that their love never ends.
Alpha Directive – Alpha 5 is now fully operational! But what is its purpose?
My favorite story out of all of them! It’s this one! I love Alpha and he doesn’t get much attention. I do wish we could have seen a little more of the bonding between Alpha and Zordon before it jumped further in time. But, still, that final panel just absolutely nails you in the gut with how important Alpha is to Zordon. Art-wise, despite being a robot, Alpha is shown to be full of life with his movements, his energy, and even his dialogue. Alpha Directive is an insightful look into Alpha 5, showing his journey from beginning to end.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Re-Imagine – We’re going to look at the original Power Rangers 30 Years Later! Wait a minute! This isn’t Once and Always!
So, from what I believe, this is actually a small excerpt into the upcoming Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, a comic series from the original Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, about an alternate take on the MMPR team 30 years into the future. And, from what I’m seeing here, it has my attention. Seeing an alternate take on the Power Rangers, where it’s only the original MMPR team living it, is super fascinating. Art-wise, it captures that nostalgic feeling of looking back and thinking about what could have been. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Re-Imagine is a clever preview into a world where the only Rangers are the ones who were just teenagers with attitude.
Ranger Academy: Office Hours – While working as a teaching assistant, Billy finds himself going on a Zoom call… to chat with a prospective Ranger from the mysterious Ranger Academy.
At this point in time, we don’t know too much about the upcoming Ranger Academy series. This short story, sort of, gives us a little more insight into the school having the resources to contact Rangers for these volunteer sessions like the one Billy is subjected to. And, in a way, the conversation is endearing in a way. You can literally picture any fan of PR sitting in that uniform and trying to talk to a real Power Ranger and that’s how it would go. Art-wise, it’s simplistic, but it does offer a wide range of facial expressions, showing the amount of emotions Billy goes through in this. Ranger Academy: Office Hours is a fun preview of how the Ranger Academy works while showing how much the Power Rangers have made an impact on others.
What Time is It?! – You all know the answer to this one.
This story, to me, is both clever and a joke at the same time. This story is not anything, really. Just a typical Ranger fight / Megazord battle against Goldar with nothing else. But, then, just as you think that it is a pretty standard thing, it then flips you to the next ‘story’: It’s Morphin’ Time, showing off various pages from previous titles of the Rangers’ morphing sequences. It just nails you, showing how far the franchise has come, and that even in all of its iterations, the Power Rangers will always come back for more. And, that’s such an excellent note to end on.
Ending Thoughts
God, can I say how much I missed these ‘annual’ issues?
2018 was the last time we got anything like this. A collection of Power Rangers stories showing the different ideas and styles that could be put in not to just Mighty Morphin, but the franchise as a whole. Each story focuses on a different character with their own viewpoint and each one is given such careful love and attention to them.
And, that’s exactly what we got here.
With beautiful artwork, heartfelt writing, and strong character moments, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special is an excellent celebration of the franchise, showing us more of the legacy while tying into what’s coming next for our fans.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Ode to Ernie – With the focus in the main comics on the Rangers more, I do like that this story still gives a little more world-building to Angel Grove. About how there’s an actual relief fund for monster attacks and how the Rangers actually do meet-and-greets to raise money. (Can I go to one of them?)
- Wedding Vows – We should talk more about Tommy is a secret nerd and how that’s the reason he gets a Ph.D. The comics should explore that more.
- By the way, I love the villains that Tommy fights for. It feels cheap, just literally sticking a yellow smiley face on them. But, that’s what I love about it.
- So, Aisha’s here… and she time-traveled from when she was in the past… Is that how she was in Once and Always? And if so… what does that mean?
- So, in that final shot of everyone, I realized something. The bridesmaids are Tanya and Aisha, who are wearing yellow, which of course, are their Ranger colors. And then, there’s the groomsmen, Billy, and what I assume is Tommy’s brother, who are wearing green, not their colors. Feel like there’s something off there.
- Okay, that priest totally heard Tommy say he was a Power Ranger, right? Is he someone familiar? Why would you trust this random priest?
- So, Billy becomes a groomsman over Jason? I don’t know if I should laugh at that…
- I can’t make out everyone on that final page either. I think from left to right, it’s Ethan, Jason, Adam, Kim, Trini, Rocky, and Cassie. Which would be cool if that was right, especially for Ethan. The students going to see their teacher getting married. That’s always amazing to see.
- Alpha Directive –Alpha has the teddy bear!
- So, do we have the original Alpha 5 to thank for Alpha 6’s “for shizzle” talk? Alpha, that’s a very going-away present for everyone. What exactly did you think teenagers sound like?
- Alpha’s purpose was to make sure Zordon never had to be alone… This is what made me cry! Especially since it’s implied he never comes back…
- Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Re-Imagine – It’s actually really weird to see everyone in the same clothes as the original episode.
- And, then for continuity note, it’s also weird that we see all 6 Rangers fighting Eye Guy when only the five Rangers fought him.
- So, in this timeline, in the year 2000, when Lightspeed Rescue would have been happening, instead Tommy and Kim get married and so do Rita and Zedd.
- And then during Time Force would have been happening is when I believe everything started to go wrong…
- Zack as a DJ kind of works, but I do miss the fact that he’s a senator in the original canon.
- Can’t believe we’re not going to address the moon being broken. Feels like Assassination Classroom already.
- Ranger Academy: Office Hours – So, it’s just a requirement that whoever is the Headmaster has to have their head in a floating tube or is it just this one guy?
- Why don’t Rangers get paid to be a part of the staffing at the academy?! It’s not like their current Ranger careers give all of them money. Only a few are government-sponsored. At least just one paycheck couldn’t hurt…
