Two new series, two new teams. The Unlimited Power era of BOOM Studios’ Power Rangers begins here. But who is the new Green Ranger, and are they friend… or foe? Longtime Rangers writer Ryan Parrott, artist Marco Renna, colorist Walter Baiamonte and letterer Ed Dukeshire send the Mighty Morphin team on a collision course with an even deadlier Lord Zedd, who has a new mission and a new motivation, one that will change everything you thought you knew about our heroes. The next big epic begins here, and the GateCrashers themselves — Dan and Jake McMahon — are here to cover it.
Dan McMahon: Today is the day. Issue #1 of Mighty Morphin hits the stands. My fellow Ranger and co-writer, Cori, is needed somewhere else across the Morphin Grid, but she will be back in time for the next issue. I knew I couldn’t stand against Lord Zedd and his gaggle of buffoons alone, so I had to call in the mysterious Ranger they usually bring in later in the series. I am joined by my brother, Jake McMahon. Jake, tell the readers a little bit about your relationship with Power Rangers.
Jake McMahon: Power Rangers was a staple of my entertainment diet since my earliest memory. By the time I was born, Mighty Morphin was in its last season. But the sheer amount of VHS tapes we had filled in all those gaps I had missed. I followed it for years, just loving the colorful team fighting evil of all sorts. Once the franchise hit Netflix, I remember watching a lot of the early shows. My senior year of high school, a friend and I decided to watch through all of it. The show has really made me understand why representation was so important. But also, I always looked at Jason, the first Red Ranger, and could picture myself fighting Goldar.
Zordon, Space Hunk
DM: Dude, this issue hits the ground running! It opens with a flashback taking place over 10,000 years ago on a planet named Artavias. There’s a group of what look like some wickedly designed alien Power Rangers. The group is led by Zophram, and they’re pushing back a group of scavengers called Hartuians. I really loved this scene because Zophram knew he couldn’t win by sheer force so instead he freed the large alien the villain had chained as his mount. Love when someone uses their brain over brawn in a big action series like this. But it turns out one of these three Rangers on the scene is actually Zordon. It’s so weird seeing Zordon as a person and not just a disembodied head. Jake, what did you think of this reveal and the characterization given to Zordon through the issue?
JM: Those designs were stellar. I thought the idea of Zordon being the bronze to the silver and gold was an important thing in those early pages. Zordon could have just been written in the gold leader position, but he wasn’t. I hope that is important going forward. I want to see how he grows into the mentor of the team from what would seem to be his team’s most junior member. It will also be interesting to see how the Guardians of Eltar informed the creation of the Power Rangers. Jumping to the story’s present, I thought Zordon was drawn in a charismatic way from how expressive he is when talking to the Rangers. When he is talking about food and eating fruit with Billy, you get a sense of someone displaced from the comforts of home and the nostalgia and the pain that come with those memories.
A Study in Green
DM: So, Jake, I know you haven’t caught up on the previous series just yet, so you’re a little bit more in the dark on this new Green Ranger. We’re both advocates for approachability in comics, especially with this being a new #1. Without knowing his origin, which we got more background on in the finale of the previous series, how did you feel coming into this issue? Was this an interesting mystery to you, or did you feel a little out of the loop?
JM: With regard to accessibility, this series loses points for really being a continuation of the previous series. The previous series has the same issue since you need to have watched at least the first season of Mighty Morphin to understand the characters. Having seen the show, I can appreciate it without feeling lost over the team having changed into its second lineup. Also, Drakkon gets talked about a lot in this. If someone had no idea what was going on in the previous series, in which that evil version of Tommy Oliver was a big bad, that would be more confusing.
As for the mystery of the new Green Ranger, the last arc of the previous series feels like it is important going into this mystery. I have fewer puzzle pieces than even the team does in trying to figure it out. Hopefully, Rocky is correct and it is just Ernie.
DM: I can see that. Without those background pieces, you’re even more in the dark, but it’s still enjoyable if you have a frame of reference for the Rangers. I am so excited for this mystery to unfold, especially that Billy had a hand in its creation. Billy has questioned his place on the team from the very beginning in my opinion, but now he seems to have some sort of renewed confidence after knowing he helped save everyone at the end of the previous series.
Speaking of the end of the last series, I really loved that Zedd’s lackeys make a killer panda, named Pandamonium, so Zedd doesn’t kill them when he wakes up from his nap after getting his butt whooped. The panda says his masters are many. This whole bit made me laugh because the idea of Goldar and gang being a villain oligarchy is the best pitch for a spin-off ever. I know you’re particular about your Ranger villains, how’d you like Pandamonium?
JM: Pandamonium is everything I want in a Power Rangers monster of the week. He has a spark of punny brilliance that was lacking in the early part of the last series. Those monsters were bland and uninspired. For a monster in this franchise, if they don’t have the ability to make you have weird dreams about killer mainboxes, then what’s the point?
Eugene Skullovitch Finds Love
DM: Everyone deserves love, especially Skull. I have a very soft spot in my heart for Bulk and Skull (not just because of their theme song). They’re these two goofballs who actually have really big hearts. They’ve been in multiple Power Ranger series, and it looks like they’re actually going to get some more character development in this series, which is SO exciting to me. Even more exciting is that Skull is head over heels for a girl named Candice. How’d you feel about her introduction and how Bulk acts toward her?
JM: I thought Candice was a good character to introduce to the duo. Having Bulk act antagonistic toward her feels extremely relatable. Everyone has gotten jealous when their best friend starts hanging out with someone more often, taking time that normally would have gone into your friendship.
DM: How’d you feel about that big ol’ reveal at the end?
JM: You know I can see reveals a mile away so the reveal itself was not a shock to me. BUT, I like that we get to see that Eltar is still around in some capacity and seems less benevolent than in Zordon’s time.
Morphin Minutiae
- With this exploring Zordon’s past, fingers crossed for Dulcea.
- Lord Zedd is filled with Nickelodeon Slime now, and he is more powerful than ever.
- Needs more Rita TBH
- Zordon was kind of a hunk when he had a body.?
- He’s still a hunk, look at that Jawline!
