You Should Be Reading Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

It seems fans are in the midst of a Power Rangers renaissance so to speak. Not only is the core television series still going strong (these days on Nickelodeon), but the franchise is getting a big screen film reboot with some A-list talent attached.

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If film and television aren’t your speed, though, you happen to be in luck, as the Rangers are currently enjoying an immensely entertaining run courtesy of Boom! Studios. Writer Kyle Higgins and artist Hendry Prasetya have managed to encapsulate just enough of the campy goodness that fans love while also bringing their own original ideas to these beloved characters and the world they inhabit.

Now that the biggest addition to the canon has taken place, with more layers to be revealed soon, it’s time to hop aboard the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers train and find out what you’ve been missing.

They Didn’t Forget The Camp

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in some ways embody the 1990’s to this day, but that’s part of their makeup at this point, and writer Kyle Higgins made sure to retain that aspect of the franchise.

While the characters are a touch more grounded, the over the top aspects still remain. Goldar might be more introspective in this series, but he’s still a flying monkey wearing gold armor. The same goes for Rita Repulsa and Alpha 5, who are all spitting images of their characters from the original series. The Rangers even make the same fighting sound effects during combat just for fun.

The tone is certainly more mature, but the creative team didn’t lose the fun.

Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-2 — (Photo: BOOM! Studios)

Killer Art

The Power Rangers aren’t known for their subtlety, so you need an art team that isn’t afraid of big action scenes and bold colors. Luckily for BOOM! the team of Hendry Prasetya and Matt Herms are anything but scared of being bold.

Power Rangers balances character development with epic action sequences, and the art team is up for both in equal measure. The massive scale of some of these battles is impressive, and without the constraints of budgets, the team is able to really let the Battle Zords, DragonZord, and MegaZord’s loose, and each time they successfully convey the awe that rest of the populace has for these massive guardians.

Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-7 — (Photo: BOOM! Studios)

Trini And Zack Are Allowed To Shine

The Red, Pink, and Green Rangers have typically been the most popular Rangers in fan’s eyes. That said, the benefit of having more room to tell a story is that certain characters get much more of the spotlight, including Trini and Zack, otherwise known as the Yellow and Black Rangers.

Trini is one of the brightest spots in the initial arc, especially in her dialogues with both Billy and Tommy as he struggles with leaving Rita’s control. You learn about her family and where she lived before Angel Grove, and her purveying optimism and hope keep the team together in more ways than one.

As for Zack, Higgins explores a new aspect of his past with Rita and Goldar that brings a great deal to the character, and his fiery personality keeps the team dynamic eventful, to say the least.

Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-5 — (Photo: BOOM! Studios)

Rita Repulsa Is A Formidable Villain

Every team needs a formidable villain, and for the Power Rangers, there are few more iconic than Rita Repulsa. While she’s always been pitched as their number one nemesis, the comic puts more effort into showing just why she’s considered as such.

She’s wearing the same outfit mind you from back in the day, but her schemes and manipulations of Tommy are much more in line with a genuinely great villain than just making a monster of the week. She always has a larger plan in place, and her creations are just necessary steps to achieve that large scale plan.

She’s portrayed as conniving and intelligent, using not only her soldiers to aid her but also the emotions of the Rangers when a chance arises, and plays them like a violin. She’s a lot less bark these days and much more bite.

Mighty-Morphin-Power-Rangers-3 — (Photo: BOOM! Studios)

Adding To The Canon

While a stroll down memory lane of Power Rangers greatest hits would be enjoyable in itself, Higgins and Prasetya aren’t content with just releasing the past, and they’ve successfully implemented new lore into the already impressive Power Rangers canon.

They’ve managed to add a substantial back story to not only Zack and Tommy, but they’ve also created new villains for the Power Rangers to tackle, including the first new Ranger in some time. The introduction of a new Ranger is already rare but add to the fact that he’s an evil one from the dark dimension and well, you’ve got yourself a worthy addition to the lore.

They don’t show any sign of stopping either, and hopefully in the future fans will see new aspects of all the Rangers, and even members of the supporting cast like Goldar, Zordon, and Alpha 5. The book has already left its mark on the franchise, and it shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.