Writer: Zoe Tunnell
Artist: Tango
Colorist: Adam Guzowski
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artists: Tango, Steve Gregson & Jack Lawrence
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $7.99
Release Date: August 6, 2025
When Billy Cranston accidentally revives Rita Repulsa, she
ranges far and wide, defeating Power Rangers in different places and eras.
Billy and his team chase her down in 2023, but Rita escapes to 1993 to battle
the teenagers with attitude before they can become a permanent menace. Can the
Power Rangers pursue her through the time portal? And might meeting their
younger selves create a paradox that disrupts space and time? Let's grab our
morphers, leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge #1, and see!
Story
In Zoe Tunnell's story, the Rangers decide the rewards
outweigh the risks. Despite Minh Kwan's desire to avenge her mother's death,
Billy and Zach convince her and the team that they must play backup to the team
in 1993. So, the 2023 team intercepts threats and menaces before they reach the
teenage Power Rangers and uses their fists and feet rather than their Power
Ranger suits and weapons.
While Billy's team battles familiar foes, older Rita tries
to command her younger self. But even though Robo Rita has more experience, her
younger self is a ten-thousand-year-old space witch. The fact that Robo Rita
has become a cyborg doesn’t help Rita Repulsa trust Robo Rita in Mighty Morphin
Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge #1. Likewise, the original members, Billy and
Zach, replacements Katherine and Rocky, and their recent addition, Minh, are still finding their places in the
newly shaped team.
Minh Kwan suffers in Zoe Tunnell's story. Billy's accident
led to her mother's death. So, the newest Ranger tests the boundaries of her
role among the original Blue and Black Rangers. While Billy leads with his
head, Zach backs him up with his heart. Zach wants to ensure that Minh can
handle her new role and that she's prepared, should Minh meet her mom at this
earlier point in Trini's life.
Art
Tango energizes action scenes while revealing the
characters’ emotions in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge #1. A
blast from Robo Rita's wand sends the Rangers flying. When they remove their
masks, Billy's maturity shows, while Minh evokes happy memories of Zordon's
original crew. The Rangers strut down streets in '90s fashions and battle
Finster's creations in back alleys. Robo Rita makes an indelible impression,
appearing more powerful than Rita Repulsa, yet thinner and more reliant on her
magic wand than her 1993 counterpart.
Adam Guzowski often paints the brightly colored Rangers
against pink and purple backgrounds. The rainbow-like portal welcomes them back
to the yellow, orange, and brown shore where the Rangers often fought Rita's
monsters. Bandora Palace glows yellow while Robo Rita, Rita Repulsa, and Goldar
share a gold bond. This forces white-furred Finster, clad in his blue-green work
clothes, to withdraw to his laboratory. Still, even as he digs his hands into
his gray clay, golden shirt sleeve cuffs and gold-rimmed spectacles shout his
loyalty.
Ed Dukeshire places black uppercase letters in white
dialogue balloons. Robo Rita's words frequently grow bold, her font lacks
curves, and she speaks into rectangular balloons with lightning bolt arrows.
Colorful dialogue and frequent sound effects emphasize the danger Robo Rita
poses and foretell the 2023 team's pain after battling monsters without their
powers. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
When Robo Rita leaps through a time portal, she unleashes an
unintended battle of one-upmanship on the moon, while the 2023 Rangers discover
that the '90s were a very different age. Interpersonal drama, unexpected
meetings with their counterparts, sparkling dialogue, and explosive action will
help Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge #1 grow on you.
Rating 9.5/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
