Mighty Morphin #4 - BOOM! Studios

MIGHTY MORPHIN No. 4, February 2021

Absolutely chock-full of some truly outrageous action sequences, Ryan Parrot’s plot to Issue Four of “Mighty Morphin” must surely have worn out the majority of the superhero franchise’s fans with its mix of the utterly exhausting, city-levelling conflict concerning Lord Zedd's new Putty Prime, and the emotionally intriguing character-arc penned for Zelya of Eltar. Indeed, the twenty-page periodical arguably deserved to have been far more successful than just the hundred and forty-second best-selling title in February 2021.

For starters, the American author somehow manages to not only squeeze the humanoid battle robots Thunder Megazord and Tigerzord into this comic, but later arranges for the distinctly unique Dragonzord to make a truly, awe-inspiring appearance which momentarily appears destined to win the day for the Power Rangers. Such monstrous constructions genuinely help ‘sell’ the sheer scale of the Evil Space Aliens’ plans for the fictional city of Angel Grove, and similarly show just how disconcertingly powerful the invaders’ latest ultra-sized Putty Patroller is under the direct control of “the Emperor of all I see.”

Likewise, Parrot doesn’t just dwell upon the metropolis’ sense-shattering skyline skirmish, as his storyline also contains plenty of focus upon the individual combatants piloting the various fighting machines. In particular, one of this book’s best moments has to be the Red Ranger’s initially single-handed defence of the Megazord’s external hull against a veritable horde of Zedd’s featureless minions, whilst his team-mates desperately try to repair their disastrously-damaged Dinozord construct from within its chaos-filled cockpit; “Come on and get some, you glowy grey goblins! Let’s see if you can dethrone King Rocky!”

Enchantingly however, not every scene artist Marco Renna prodigiously pencils for this publication contains either a myriad of laser beams or a colossal, building-busting blow, as the bull-headed Farkas Bulkmeier manages to prove even more dislikeable midway through this tale, by illogically leaping to the conclusion that his best pal’s girlfriend is cheating on him. Bulk’s arrogant accusations at Candice clearly show just how much the High School bully cares for Eugene, yet they also suggest a highly anticipated comeuppance is on the cards for him once he realises that “Skull’s girlfriend… [is] an alien?”

Written by: Ryan Parrott, Illustrated by: Marco Renna, and Colored by: Walter Baiamonte

Mighty Morphin #3 - BOOM! Studios

MIGHTY MORPHIN No. 3, January 2021

Illustrator Marco Renna must have found his pencilling hand to have been considerably the sorer after working upon the layouts for Issue Three of “Mighty Morphin”. For whilst Ryan Parrott’s script contains several dialogue-led scenes which help flesh out the characters of this comic’s considerably-large cast, it also includes an outrageously dynamic punch-up at Angel Grove, which sees the entire super-team literally up to their colourfully-costumed necks in putties; “Do I have to worry about who I’m punching here?”

Luckily, the “BOOM! Studios” writer doesn’t simply rely upon panel after extremely-well sketched panel depicting Zordon of Eltar’s disarrayed heroes getting their clocks cleaned by Lord Zedd’s “deadliest attack yet” to help fill out his twenty-page periodical’s storyline. But actually uses the high octane action as a backdrop to progress several sub-plots, such as the mysterious Green Ranger’s disconcerting vulnerability to Chaos Energy, and the alarming ease with which Adam’s visual input can be compromised so as to make him think his friends are actually a horde of heavily-fanged monsters.

Moreover, Parrott also bookends this comic’s frantically-paced fight-scene with some enthralling insights into Zordon’s past on the planet Bivix “over ten thousand years ago”, and a wonderfully-tense confrontation between the blue-skinned “galactic wizard” and Grace Sterling. Indeed, the American author even seems to somehow find the space to illustrate just how Bulk, Skull and Candice escaped “the psycho alien concert”, courtesy of a head-long flight down some debris-filled alleyway and a well-stocked dustbin to a putties’ head.

Easily this book’s biggest shock though arguably comes towards its conclusion, when the identity of the person responsible for successfully smuggling the Dragon Power Coin from out of the Power Rangers’ ultra-secret Command Centre is finally revealed. Those bibliophiles who weren’t entirely dazzled by all the flying fists and karate-kicks shown during Zedd’s aforementioned ambush were probably already aware of Billy’s treachery, as the Blue Ranger clearly covers for his green-garbed confederate’s sudden departure mid-way through the assault. However, it isn’t really until Aisha confronts her traitorous team-mate that the full scope of Cranston’s misguided duplicity is made clear, when he begrudgingly admits to both figuring “out a way to recharge the” coin and helping “Promethea create the Green Ranger.”

The regular cover art of "MIGHTY MORPHIN" No. 3 by Inhyuk Lee

Mighty Morphin #2 - BOOM! Studios

MIGHTY MORPHIN No. 2, December 2020

For those readers oblivious of the plot behind Boom Studios! sibling publication “Power Rangers”, or simply unaware as to the existence of characters Jason, Trini, Zack and Lord Drakkon, Ryan Parrott’s opening to Issue Two of “Mighty Morphin” may well have proved something of a disconcerting diversion. In fact, it arguably isn’t until the twenty-page periodical is a third of a way through that the writer finally starts penning a piece focusing upon this comic’s titular cast rather than depicting Zordon’s anger at his other super-powered protégés’ apparent betrayal and the floating head’s desire to “replace the emergency beacon with an outgoing message” demanding that the Omega Rangers “be taken into custody by any means necessary.”

Needless to say though, that doesn’t mean for a moment that the galactic wizard’s determination to apprehend his ‘off-screen’ misguided pupils and rid them of their phenomenal abilities doesn’t provide plenty of interest, especially when it affords Billy’s current team with an opportunity to show how personally conflicted the surprising situation has caused some of its members. But once this book’s narrative does settle back down to focusing upon Zedd’s latest attack at the Earth, as well as Bulk’s false belief that Rocky is muscling in on her brother’s romance with Candice, the storytelling becomes much more straightforward to follow for those less familiar with the long-running Super Sentai-based franchise; “Excuse me, Mister Putty! Have you met my Power Sword?!? Heee-Aayagh!”

Indeed, the subsequent battle at the college’s highly-anticipated musical festival with a seriously-formidable four-armed “psycho putty” is undeniably the highlight of this comic’s narrative, as the Mighty Morphin line-up eventually realise that they’ve inadvertently been lured into an all-too deadly trap with an entire army of Finster’s latest chaotic minions. Packed full of some genuine pulse-pounding panels pencilled by Italian artist Marco Renna, and featuring an appearance by the mysterious Green Ranger when things look dangerously bad for the main heroes, this action-sequence is so frantically-paced that its sense-shattering cliff-hanger showing the heroes about to be overwhelmed through the Putty Patrol’s sheer weight of numbers, arrives all-too soon despite the scene actually lasting an impressive seven-pages.

The regular cover art of "MIGHTY MORPHIN" No. 2 by Inhyuk Lee

Mighty Morphin #1 - BOOM! Studios

MIGHTY MORPHIN No. 1, November 2020

Publicised by Boom! Studios as “the first of two all-new series with two all-new teams in November 2020” and featuring a bizarrely entertaining battle between the Power Rangers and a technologically advanced giant panda, Ryan Parrott’s script for Issue One of “Mighty Morphin” certainly lived up to its promise of providing its audience with an exciting comic which is “perfect for long-time fans and new readers alike” when first released. Indeed, coupled with the mystery surrounding the secret identity of an all new Green Ranger, as well as the detrimental effect people’s personal suspicions subsequently have upon the team’s dynamics, the “superstar writer” would seem to have concocted an impeccable recipe for any fan of the American superhero children's television programme.

Furthermore, the thirty-page periodical presents a fascinating insight into one of Zordon’s physical battles “over ten thousand years ago” on the planet Artavias, as the modern-day Rangers' mentor accompanies the likes of Zophram in a fight against the invading Hartunian Empire. This well-paced bout of pulse-pounding pugilism provides an intriguing contrast to the usual Command Centre-based character, and also adds an additional emotional element to the ancient guide’s plight when he later blissfully recalls climbing the spine-covered trees on Eltar so as to eat their delicious fruit to Billy.

Of course, this book’s greatest highlight is the aforementioned contest against Lord Zedd’s latest creation, Pandamonium, at a building site in downtown Angel Grove. Festooned with sharp spears, and the odd helmet of those he has previously vanquished, this adversary looks as strangely formidable as he does incongruous amidst his surroundings. Yet just as soon as the beast starts battering his opponents about the worker’s yard, it quickly becomes clear that the super-powered team may well need the assistance of the Green Ranger and his awesome Dragon Strike if they hope to defeat such a frightening foe; “Look, I don’t know where you came from or how you that coin. But it seems like maybe we’re all on the same side here.”

Lastly, it would be rude not to mention Marco Renna’s invaluable contribution to this publication with his marvellous layouts and eye for a dynamically-pencilled action sequence. The Italian artist’s action sequences featuring a younger Zordon and Pandamonium are incredibly well-drawn and marvellously capture all the vibrant energy of the frenzied fighting depicted on the small screen during the Nineties.

Written by: Ryan Parrot, Illustrated by: Marco Renna, and Colored by: Walter Baiamonte