Necessary Evil Really Heats Up In MMPR #44

The Power Rangers have been practically dismantled by Dane, a new fearsome foe.  When all hope seems lost, the Omega Rangers swoop in to help in awesome new Zords. The Power Rangers don’t know that their mysterious new allies are really their old friends, Jason, Trini, and Zack, nor will they find out as the Blue Emissary is forcing them to keep their identities hidden.  You know how secrets go, right?  They’re bound to get out.

Let’s talk about the cool new Zords first.  Artist Daniele Di Nicuolo does an incredible job with these designs.  I saw him speak at NYCC about this process and the way he approached it makes a lot of sense.  Since the Omega Rangers exist out in space, they wouldn’t be modeled after animals on Earth, like the Zords we’re used to.  Instead, they’re more alien and bizarre.  They also look a lot deadlier.
They come in from the sky like they’re descending from the heavens.  To the Rangers, they carry hope and salvation, but to Dane, they represent destruction and his abject failure.  I like how colorist Walter Baiamonte frames them too.  You have to squint while you’re looking at them as the sun is glinting off of their shiny hulls.

We quickly see how strong these Zords are.  Di Nicuolo delivers some fast-paced fight choreography showing how brutally efficient these machines can be.  They remind me a bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion in this regard.
This would have been enough for a satisfactory issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but writer Ryan Parrott isn’t done yet.  He packs this chapter with some great interpersonal drama as the tension between the Rangers finally comes to a head.  The new crowd is frustrated with the old crowd and they let it all out at last.  The confrontation is perfectly shown with one image that’s cut in half with a gutter on the page. It symbolizes the rift between them.

But wait! There’s more! Jason is not happy with how he left things on Earth and he wants to do something about it.  He takes the fight to Lord Zedd on his moon base and it’s like something out of an army movie.  The Omega Rangers move in like soldiers, ready to take down this evil villain once and for all.  This isn’t a routine attack.  It’s an assassination attempt.  This level of seriousness reframes the Power Rangers comics a bit, differentiating them from the TV show.
I will also never get tired of how letterer Ed Dukeshire shows the loud yells from the Power Rangers as they unleash attacks.  They’re interspersed within the regular dialogue and practically explode off the page every time a blow is landed.

The Necessary Evil event really heats up with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #44. This issue felt like two in one with the action rocketing forward on Earth and in space.  It also adds to the overall powder keg that this series has become and it’s only a matter of time before it explodes.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #44 from Boom! Studios is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.