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We are finally there. The past three issues have led to this massive fight and resolution. But first, THE FIGHT!! And finally, major spoilers ahead!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, Written by Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson. Illustrated by Nico Leon. Colored by Dono Sanchez-Almara. Lettered by Ed Dukeshire. From BOOM! STUDIOS
The New Green Ranger JR!
Oliva, Tommy, and Kimberly’s kid have come in like a cavalry. Frees the Rangers, and during the fight with Selena, loses her Morpher. Allowing Selna to activate her machines to rip open the grid and pull out her mother, Rita. Kimberly has other plans and shoulder slams her out! But the machine doesn’t stop, and with Kim in the machine, it pulls to TOMMY, who hasn’t aged a day!
Yes, Tommy Oliver is back! But we don’t have time for that as Finster, having eaten his creations for the past two decades, turns into a horrible, oversized gray hulking beast. Selena, having the Yellow Morpher, also morphs into a terrifying amalgam of herself, Zedd, and the Yellow Ranger. Kim goes to defend her husband while the Junior Green Ranger gets the boys their morphers. Now, the fun begins!
Rangers Don’t Kill!
Kimberly is hellbent on making sure that Selena doesn’t revive her mother, to the point that she will repeat her past transgression and kill the “Princess of Evil.” Tommy morphs because Olivia still needs training wheels. He jumps in and stops Kim, explaining that Rita saw Tommy’s act of kindness and pulled him into the grid with her. Selena is confused and storms off in a beam of yellow light.
The End….?
As the team catches Tommy up to speed with everything that has happened. There might not be any more alien threats, but the world will always need rangers, and hands down her Morpher to Olivia. With Tommy being her mentor. The rest of the boys also agree to be more active when needed. Having lived this shogun ranger lifestyle, Jason says he would return only if Tommy leads.
On the flip side, we see Selena come teleporting into the command center looking for another way to find her mother, but instead, she finds someone in the WHITE LIGHT!
Thoughts From The Grid
This hits every right spot! There is nothing truly wrong with this issue. I think the pacing was okay but rushed at the end. I wouldn’t have minded a few extra panels showing Tommy being saved by Rita and what the grid could look like in this iteration.
Speaking of iteration. Let’s talk about Selena’s Yellow Ranger!!! There have been many new rangers in the comics between the Solars, Academy, Omega, Zedd and Drakkon Rangers, with Drakkon himself as his own category. This suit perfectly blends elements heavily from Selena and Zedd. I didn’t say Rita simply because Selena is a hotter version of Rita, but as hot as Mistress Vile hot. Thanks Dan Mora!!
One thing that really got me was the teleport! It wasn’t as “clean” as you would expect the Rangers. I thought it had a certain unhinged energy from its new evil mistress. Blazing through the dark skies
The Art
It was stunning, and that’s putting it mildly. You can tell that Amy Jo and the art team all came together and found a perfect vision. One thing I always love about Ranger Comics in space is how much you have to balance the light vs. the dark, ensuring that your colors aren’t oversaturated unless the situation calls for it.
The Story
As a whole and I’m talking all four issues, it’s a ranger story, the same type of thing you would get in 22 minutes. Setup > small fight > bad guy giving away the plot > revelation & BIG FIGHT > Back to the Juice bar with a hopeful ending.
But the writing adds a nuisance and depth to the tried-and-true formula. The story has aged with us, which is why Ranger fans, new and old, can appreciate it no matter what angle they take.
But you know, if it’s a ranger story, I gotta throw my 2 power coins in:
- It could have easily been a 10-issue run if you included how Selena grew up and came into her power
- Maybe even add some views inside THE GRID with Rita and Tommy
- How did they kill Zordon?!?!
- Trini is smarter than leaving her morpher in a bank vault.
- What is Olivia’s last name? Did Kim name her Olivia because of Tommy’s surname when she went into hiding?
- Will Tommy’s body age up eventually, or will Kim walk around with some Green Arm Candy?
- Was there a ZYURANGER CAMEO?!?!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: THE RETURN #4 gets 9.3 out of 10 Power Coins (iykyk)
The art, the design, the story checked all the boxes. The pacing and major plot gaps left me wanting more. Speaking of which, WHO WAS IN THE WHITE RANGER SUIT?!?!
I have my theories. What are yours? Come on back to see my OFF THE CUFF REVIEW here on Nerd Initiative. Where do you think the story could go? Leave your comments below. Please consider following me personally at OFF THE CUFF TOM on social media. Don’t forget to support your LCS and return to the Nerd Initiative for all your Ranger Reviews! And good luck with all 5 billion variant covers for this entire series.
