30 years ago, nearly to this day, a little television series called Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers first aired on TV. The show adapted the Super Sentai show Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger by blending American actors with the Japanese show’s action sequences, and was instantly a hit among children (myself included). The franchise, throughout its ups and downs, has made it 30 years, with the Cosmic Fury season heading to Netflix soon.
As part of the celebration, BOOM! Studios is releasing a special issue celebrating the series, so let’s see if it’s a fitting tribute to 30 years of morphin’.
Written by Ryan Parrott, Melissa Flores, Mat Groom, Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, Maria Ingrande Mora, and Mairghread Scott
Illustrated by Eleonora Carlini, Hendry Prasetya, Marco Renna, Francesco Mortarino, Jo Mi-Gyeong, and Daniel Bayliss
Colored by Raúl Angulo, Matt Herms, Sara Antonellini, SHaron Marino, Joana Lafuente, Sara Anonelli, and Daniel Bayliss
Lettered by Ed DukeshireA landmark celebratory special featuring 5 brand new stories paying homage to the legacy of Rangers with stories by Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun), Mat Groom (Inferno Girl Red), the original Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson (Titans), and young adult author Maria Ingrande Mora (Fragile Remedy), along with current Mighty Morphin Power Rangers superstar scribe Melissa Flores!
Joining the celebration are returning fan-favorite Power Rangers artists including Hendry Prasteya, Eleonora Carlini, and Marco Renna!
Between a spotlight on Ernie in Angel Grove, Alpha 5’s struggle to find his true purpose, a mind-bending “What If?” story about Tommy’s powers which introduces an all-new alternate universe, an additional tale about his marriage to Kat, and a deeper look at the Ranger Academy, this anniversary issue is truly packed full of content worthy of the 30-year legacy.
Along with 40 pages of brand new morphinominal material, celebrate 30 years of Power Rangers with an additional 24 pages of classic material that fans new and old will be delighted to experience!
While the “Power Rangers” comics have created their own ongoing storylines and continuity (while still fitting within the show’s continuity as best it can), this issue serves as a series of standalone stories focused on paying tribute to certain characters, while occasionally setting up future comic storylines and events. As a result, it works as a special issue even for readers who aren’t caught up on all the comics (and as the suggested reading order near the back of the issue shows, there are a lot of storylines to keep up with).
One of the first things of note is how almost all of the stories in this issue focus on one or two characters, and supporting characters get as much focus as the Rangers. The very first story, in fact, focuses on Ernie, proprietor of the local juice bar where the Rangers can be found between fights and school scenes. Not only does it serve as a nice spotlight on a longtime side character that calls out his importance to the story, it’s also a tribute to Richard Genelle, who played Ernie and passed away in 2008.
The second story is more Ranger-focused, but is also no less of a tribute to a lost actor, as it focuses on the romance between Tommy Oliver and Katherine Hillard. (Jason David Frank, who played Tommy Oliver in the TV series, lost his life to suicide in late 2022.) This builds on the relationship that started in the Mighty Morphin’ era and culminated in them eventually getting married and starting a family long after their characters left the show. While the show never let viewers see their relationship progress after they handed over the keys to their zords in Power Rangers Turbo, this story fills in the gaps and takes us as readers to their wedding, while still demonstrating how they view their lives and responsibilities as Power Rangers.
The rest of the issue continues to give us character-driven stories, including Alpha 5 and his role as Zordon’s friend and assistant, with a focus on the importance of free will and being able to choose one’s own “directive.” But as we get to the latter half of the comic, the stories begin to look more toward the future—specifically, the future of the comic storylines.
Continued belowThe “Re-Imagine” story, written by the original Pink Ranger actress herself, Amy Jo Johnson, along with Matt Hotson, presents an interesting twist; a slight change to the Power Rangers storyline, where Rita Repulsa causes Lord Zedd to fall in love with her early on, and the Rangers who originally left the team for a “Peace conference in Switzerland” remained on the team (as fans of the franchise know, the actors originally left the series over contract/pay disputes, although the comics retconned the “peace conference” into a cover for them to become the Omega Rangers). But somehow, at some point, it goes horribly wrong and history has changed. This serves as a good setup for the story to come in “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Return,” but it also feels like a missed opportunity to really delve into the character of Kimberly the Pink Ranger as told by her actress. Fortunately, Amy Jo Johnson will continue to write “The Return,” so this can be taken as a preview of what’s in store, rather than a self-contained story in the anniversary issue.
Similarly, the last story that isn’t a reprint of previous comic scenes is “Ranger Academy: Office Hours,” which serves as a preview and setup for the upcoming “Ranger Academy” comic (which was also previewed in a special Free Comic Book Day issue). While it is ostensibly a story focused on Billy, the Blue Ranger, it also serves as an introduction to Ranger Academy to both him and us as readers. Fortunately, this story also manages to balance the character-driven aspect by having him talk to an academy student about his own experiences as a Power Ranger, along with the doubts and challenges he faced and the lessons he learned.
So while the stories are a mixed bag, they still serve important purposes either as one-offs that build on characters we know and love, tributes to those lost, or setups for stories to come.
On top of that, each story that doesn’t serve as a setup for future events is written by a familiar name to anyone who’s been reading the “Power Rangers” comics. Ryan Parrott, who wrote several issues and storylines for nearly every title under BOOM! Studios’ “Power Rangers” line, gives us the “Ode to Ernie” story, current comic writer and Saban’s Director of Power Rangers Content Melissa Flores gives us the Tommy and Kat-focused “Wedding Vows” story, and Eltaran War scribe Mat Groom gives us the story focused on Alpha. Each of these writers brings their experience with and love of the series to their stories, making sure each one hits the right notes for the characters.
While fans are eagerly awaiting Matt Hotson and Amy Jo Johnson’s “The Return” story, what we get from this issue is a promising setup. It presents the concept in a way that catches our attention, controlling the pacing with narration and snippets of the changing history to make us want more.
Likewise, Maria Ingrande Mora uses her story to demonstrate her grasp of the franchise and characters. By focusing on Billy as the central character, she showcases her understanding of the classic Mighty Morphin’ characters and the series’ history, while also introducing a new character we’ll likely be getting to know more of in the upcoming “Ranger Academy” comics. Her love of the franchise and grasp of the characters comes through nicely, helping the story serve its dual purpose as both preview and character spotlight.
While each writer brings their own experience and style to the story, the artists also have their own distinct styles and looks, and while they are quite different overall, they tend to be suited well to the story they’re telling.
Eleonora Carlini uses a style with more exaggerated features and plentiful hatching for extra shading, although it occasionally adds the appearance of the comic still looking like it’s in its sketching stages, especially on character close-ups. But the positioning, size, and shape of the panels help carry the story’s pacing, adding to the action scenes with large, angular panels before returning the pacing to normal. While the overall style isn’t my favorite, it still suits the more hectic scenes in the story. Raúl Angulo’s color work also works wonders, adding brightness and definition to each character, scene, and explosion.
Continued belowHendry Prasetya, who illustrates the Tommy and Kat story, brings a more defined and traditional comic book style, with consistent and well-proportioned character designs that capture both the actors and the Ranger suits nicely, with enough small variations between the younger and older versions of the characters to show us the passage of time while remaining consistent. It’s also a style suited nicely for the story, giving us some excellent shots of the characters either in action, morphing, or just being romantic together. Matt Herms’ color work also stands out, adding a balanced brightness to the scenes that support and accentuate Hendry’s style.
Marco Renna, who’s no stranger to the “Power Rangers” comics, illustrates the Alpha 5 story with the same solid style he’s brought to the titles for years. The human characters take on more of a simple design, using only a few key visual elements to match them with their live-action counterparts, but he still brings plenty of consistent detail to Alpha, the scenery, and the action. Sara Antonellini and Sharon Marino bring the brightest colors yet, with vibrant shades that practically glow off the page.
For the “Re-Imagine” story, Francesco Mortarino uses a more detailed style with a significant amount of shading and volume used in both the characters, mechs, and scenery. It’s a darker style, but that suits the tone of the comic, and Joana Lafuente’s color work accentuates the use of light and darkness throughout the story, occasionally casting entire scenes in the glow of a light source or shrouded in shadows.
Finally, Jo-Mi-Gyeong and Sara Antonellini bring a style that seems inspired by manga or manhwa, with wide eyes, big mouths, and round features accentuated by solid colors with just a touch of shading. The style does add a nice level of expressiveness to the characters, which is particularly important for a story that’s primarily a conversation, and it works well for the non-human character it introduces. It also seems well-suited for the “Ranger Academy” comic, using a style likely to appeal to a wider audience and draw them into a new “Power Rangers” comic setting.
So while mileage will vary between writers, artists, and colorists, it all comes together to create a good variety of styles and stories that serve as a good tribute to 30 years of Power Rangers.
If you’re a longtime fan of the franchise, then this issue will appeal to you as a fond tribute to beloved characters from the history of the Power Rangers series. It highlights a good variety of characters while giving us previews of what’s to come, but most importantly, it’s overflowing with love for Power Rangers, its characters, and the impact it’s had on those who have followed those teenagers with attitude since “The Day of the Dumpster.”
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A fitting tribute to 30 years of Power Rangers, with an impressive array of stories and styles that focus on different characters and elements of the series.
