Rita Repulsa has teamed up with herself, Robo Rita, from 30 years in the future to bring down the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers before they even get started. What they weren’t counting on is the Power Rangers of the future — Rocky, Kat, Billy, Zack and Minh — traveling back in time and helping the Rangers out behind the scenes. Tie in to the video game with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind #1, written by Zoe Tunnell, illustrated by Tango, colored by Adam Guzowski and lettered by Ed Dukeshire for BOOM Studios.
Given that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a childhood favorite, I was excited when I learned from Zoe Tunnell‘s social media that she would be writing a tie-in to the video game Rita’s Rewind. However, if you are as big a Power Rangers fan as I am, you will be surprised and delighted to know that this comic also works as a tie-in to another Power Rangers product: the 30th anniversary movie Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always.
For those unfamiliar, Once and Always takes place in 2022, almost 30 years after the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ first appearance. Billy, the Blue Ranger, accidentally resurrects a robotic version of Rita Repulsa. Rita later kills Yellow Ranger Trini Kwan when she shields Billy from one of Rita’s blasts, resulting in Trini’s daughter Minh being orphaned until Billy and Black Ranger Zack become her guardians. Eventually, Minh becomes the new Yellow Ranger and works together with the other Power Rangers to battle Robo Rita again. The comic book tie-in begins just as the Rangers confront Robo Rita and she escapes through a time portal to the past.
Despite being connected to two different Power Rangers media, this comic is accessible to anyone unfamiliar with Power Rangers thanks to a summary of Once and Always and Rita’s Rewind six pages into the comic. It also serves as a nice stand-alone story that allows Power Rangers fans to be served a sweet, nostalgic treat.
A major highlight of this comic is Tunnell’s writing, which is fun and poignant. I especially liked that she gave Minh time to shine through her hilarious dialogue, kickass fight scenes and emotional moments like covertly interacting with her late mom’s younger self. One scene that had me chuckling occurs at the beginning, when Billy says they should just wait for their younger selves to defeat Robo Rita and Minh replies, “That’s dumb, Uncle Billy.” I also liked that Minh has to learn how to work with the others instead of charging headfirst on her own.
Another aspect of the comic I enjoyed is how it poked fun at ’90s culture and tech, such as having the older Rangers dress in ’90s clothing to blend in while they are in the past and Minh not being able to use her smartphone to call a rideshare. Tango’s illustrations and Adam Guzowski’s colors suit this nicely, especially when the Rangers change clothes. I also liked the nods to the Power Rangers TV show, such as the bullies Bulk and Skull and the Angel Grove Youth Center.
A final aspect of the comic that was delightful is the fight scenes, which are notable for the fact that the older Power Rangers mostly fight without their Ranger weapons to prevent interference with their younger counterparts’ powers. Not only do they have to fight monsters hand to hand, but they also have to come up with clever ways to defeat them. One bit I liked involved them using explosive barrels. Ed Dukeshire’s lettering makes the action pop with “KRAKK” and “WHUMP” to emphasize blows.
All in all, this tie-in comic is a treat for Power Rangers fans old and new, celebrating the past and future with nostalgia and a legacy. I don’t expect to see the older Power Rangers team again, but I wouldn’t mind if they made another appearance, especially Minh.
Latonya "Penn" Pennington is a freelance contributor whose comics criticism can be found at Women Write About Comics, Comic Book Herald, Newsarama and Shelfdust, among others. Follow them @wordsfromapenn.com on Bluesky.
