Preface
“Don’t worry. We’ve saved the world before.”
The Cover
Amazing space imagery with the light of a star, giving our Rangers a nostalgic look to them.
The Story
So, everyone is shocked to see the Green Ranger in front of them, especially the Rangers who didn’t know that Kim had a daughter in the first place. Still, Selena gains her bearings as she attacks the Ranger before her. Kim grabs the Dragon Dagger, using it to free the other Rangers before they fight off a squadron of Putties. Only a moment later, Selena steals the Dragon Power Coin from Oliva with magic and powers her the device. Olivia interferes, elbowing Selena out of the way even though the machine still operates. But, when it’s finished, Rita is not the one to return, instead, it’s Tommy. Tommy is the exact same age as when he ‘died’…
With no more magic clay at her disposal, an enraged Selena takes Trini’s coin and morphs herself while Finster has the remaining Putties mold themselves onto his body to give him some stone-cold muscles. Kim and Olivia manage to grab their Morphers and transform with Kim facing off against the evil Yellow Ranger while Olivia defeats Mega Finster by stabbing him in the back. (Ah! Like mother, like daughter!)
Olivia gives the other Rangers their Morphers back, including her dad, who sadly realizes he went the long way back when getting some milk. They all transform and face off the evil Yellow Ranger together. As Kim makes a threat, saying that she will kill Selena, Olivia pleads with her mother to think about what’s she saying. Kim starts to hesitate as Tommy realizes who their opponent is upon hearing that name. Tommy tells Selena the whole story behind the incident, where Rita saved him by pulling him into the Morphin’ Grid because he teleported her daughter to safety. The Green Ranger takes off his helmet, saying he’s not going to fight her. Selena denies this, teleporting away and saying that this isn’t over.
A few days later, at Trini’s memorial, Tommy reflects on everything he has missed. Kim realizes after seeing Selena, that she shouldn’t have been mad at everyone for trying to help people. She says that the world will always need Power Rangers, but she’d prefer to not be on the frontlines anymore. That’s why she gives Olivia her coin instead. Billy and Zack don’t believe they should be full-time Rangers but will be on call if they ever need them. Tommy is the one chosen to train Olivia to be a full-time Ranger and lead the team since, as Jason says, he’s the only one who remembers what Zordon taught them. And, so, the Power Rangers are back!
As Olivia wonders where their Command Center should be, at the Rangers’ former Command Center, Selena is there, trashing up the place and weeping as she misses her mother, believing she’s entirely alone. But, someone surprising shows up…
Um… Olivia from the future? Kim’s secret love child? Um, Trini and Richie’s kid? Weird tie-in to Darkest Hour? Aisha getting her moment to shine? That’s all I got.
Ending Thoughts
Ok, let’s talk about Once and Always again.
This limited series and Once and Always are going to draw comparisons since they’re both anniversary ‘specials’ that ended up being part of the same celebration with the same themes of helping the next generation. So, which one do I prefer?
Different forms of media have different obstacles and different advantages to them. Like with Once and Always, it’s fun to see many of the actors come back, the music, and the action while this comic presents an alternate idea to this world that was created back in 1993 and delivers it in a fun manner. But, still, both need to be praised in their own way for what they accomplish and what they’re trying to honor. Both specials do their own thing and acknowledge in tribute who we have lost since the show first began. Once and Always is more for Trini’s character, analyzing who she was through her daughter and ensuring that Minh would find the same path that she did. MMPR: The Return is more for Tommy’s character. Even though he’s still alive in the end, this series explores his love and relationship with Kimberly in such a beautiful and compelling manner and how she manages through her grief over her loss. Either way, both are worthy celebrations of the franchise, going back to how it started.
Because, yes, MMPR: The Return is a good series.
Despite not many of its ideas getting fully fleshed out due to the length of the comic, the story immerses you in this world’s rich history and setting, letting us explore so many characters from this franchise and showing how their lives have turned out. Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson have written such impressive dialogue, keeping it realistic and emotional while integrating so much backstory with the narrative without losing momentum with the present story of revenge and grief over the loss of their loved ones.
Selena is such a gripping character coming from tragedy. Her backstory, her motivations, her plan, all of this makes this original character more compelling and memorable than just an unimpressive one-off villain for nostalgia. Kim’s arc mirrors Selena’s as they’re both grieving and lashing out at others. Though Kim gets her happy ending with Tommy coming back, her confrontation of seeing someone just as broken through their loss makes her see the failure of her original thinking. Just because you don’t see anyone out there hurting, it doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone. And, that’s a powerful lesson that speaks to the core of what Power Rangers is.
And, the art… Hoy, boy! The art! Man, I loved it so much! I can’t even praise Nico Leon’s artwork enough. He captures such a good mix of realism and fiction, making me feel as if I am watching the live-action Power Rangers and nailing so many of the details from the show. From the likenesses of the original actors to the small details of the Rangers’ weapons. The action sequences deliver the energy of the distinct old-school fights from the show, having the sparks show the full impact of the Rangers and separating it from most comics in the industry.
MMPR: The Return #4, as well as the series, serves as an excellent example of what “Power Rangers” is. A compelling story with emotional depth and growth for our Rangers and villains and thrilling action sequences while building a world perfect to explore more in the future.
Random Thoughts from the Morphin’ Grid
- Even though I will praise this series, a part of me wishes it didn’t end with that little tease of that White Ranger. Like I understand this series had a lot it wanted to do in its four-issue run, but that last page felt more of a prodding, “Please, please, let this get a sequel!” I would have preferred a more definitive ending to it, just that one panel of the Rangers at the end, expanded to a full page to show the tribute to everything. I think that would have been more of a worthy thing to show, but that’s just me.
- Fun Fact that I just now realized: X-Men and Power Rangers were some of the top Saturday morning shows for kids in the 90s, produced by the same network. And now, in 2024, they both have new stories about the same cast of characters. Isn’t that funny?
- Tommy is 22 years old and his daughter, who we will presume, was born around the same time as his disappearance, meaning that she’s 22 as well… Boy, this is going to be one weird family photo, huh?
- Tyler and James… I still don’t like you. This might be better.
- Also, Tommy, any chance you saw Zordon when you were in the Grid? Think a guy named Zayto told me he’d be there…
- “Wait, you named our daughter Olivia?” / “Yeah, what about it?” / “…Olivia Oliver?” / “Her last name is different. It’s fine!”
- Oh, sure, we’re not going to kill anyone except for Finster in the back, a sad, lonely monster. I hate these double standards, especially when it’s in the same story!
- Everything in this story was wrapped up and tied neatly in a bow. Except for one thing… If the remaining Putties can go and reform themselves to give Finster hulking muscles… why can’t they be used to sacrifice themselves to be the clay needed to power Selena’s device?
- The evil yellow Ranger suit? How do I feel? I love it in the story, how since Rita’s normal attire is the base design for Selena, her powered-up form looks more like Zedd with the red visor, the mouthpiece, the sharp bones, and taloned claws. It’s a very good redesign. I think I like it even more than the Zedd Ranger from the main series.
- That Zyuranger cameo, oh, I love you! I don’t even know if the regular comics did something like this, but dang it, that was just too cool to see!
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