Writer: Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson
Artist: Nico Leon
Colorist: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artists: Goñi Montes, Dan Mora, Justine Florentino, Jenny Frison, Mico Suayan, Matthew Waite, John Giang, Inhyuk Lee, and Jae Lee with June Chung
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 7, 2024
The Power Rangers saved Earth. They defeated Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. But their victory cost them dearly. The surviving Rangers agreed not to use their power again. Twenty-two years later, the survivors reunite to honor another fallen comrade. Yet danger threatens one of their number, perhaps all. Will they become Power Rangers once again to combat this new menace? Let's leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 and find out!
Story
In a damaged control room, the Red Ranger fights for his life. After a brutal firefight, a cloaked and hooded figure vanquishes him. Jason Scott doesn't recognize who he fights, but his opponent knows him. The victor takes Jason's Power Coin and holds it up in triumph.
In Angel Grove, Billy Cranston and Zach Taylor host a ceremony celebrating the opening of the Trini Kwan Memorial Park and Youth Center. Despite Billy’s stirring homage, Zach’s appearance overshadows the presentation. Kimberly Hart turns away. The former Pink Ranger’s thoughts turn to Trini. The female Power Rangers shared a special bond. But Trini isn't the only Ranger Kimberly mourns this day.
In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1, Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnson and co-writer Matt Hotson beckon readers into an alternate universe. In their story, Kimberly Hart feared the power the Rangers wielded. The Pink Ranger extracted a promise from her surviving friends and left to live under an assumed name. After twenty-two years, she returns to discover her friends broke their promise to her. Worse, Jason's growing addiction to the Morphin Grid had tragic consequences. Johnson and Hotson pepper this heartfelt tale with intriguing clues, season it liberally with mystery and leave readers salivating for what comes next in this four-course miniseries.
Art
Red, black, yellow, blue, and pink streak through space. The five colors fly past the moon. Inside a damaged fortress, a silhouette falls. Then Jason Scott appears as the Red Power Ranger, shooting at an unseen opponent. Defiant to the end, Jason appears in shard-like panels, suggesting he shattered the framework governing his life.
A crowd gathers before the modern athletic facility in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1. Trini's face and upper body on the big screen dwarf those on the stage. Billy looks respectable in his suit and tie, while Zach’s open shirt and mannerisms evoke a pop star. Kimberly leaves the crowd to tour the facility. Memories of training with Trini emerge like Polaroids. Zach finds her later in the graveyard. Nico Leon shows the distance between the former Rangers as Kimberly refuses to orient her body toward Zach, leaves flowers by an upright gravestone, and walks away.
Black, blue, and gray dominate the Red Power Ranger's battle. Blues, greens, yellows, and oranges suffuse the ceremony. Soft pastels suggest the faded grandeur of Kimberly's memories. Gray, beige, and green color Zach and Kimberly's confrontation beneath a stormy sky. Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli employ shifting sets of limited palettes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 to emphasize the darkness of Johnson and Hotson’s bleak future. Yet it’s hard to deny the explosive energy of the red and orange portrayal of Jason's heroism or the beckoning call of Kimberly’s log cabin as the sun rises the following morning.
Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Power coins further identify some of the latter. Light yellow clapping rises from the crowd, while dark yellow letters reveal their shouts. Yet Ed Dukeshire’s most vibrant lettering helps us hear the firestorm in the opening pages and the heartbreaking sound of Jason losing his power coin.
Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review
Final Thoughts
While Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 tackles the irresistible nature of power and the toll it takes on heroes, it illustrates how power invites enemies and divides friends.
Rating 8.8/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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