Review: ‘Godzilla Versus Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ #1 Starts With A Bang

It’s the fight that many kaiju and sentai fans have been hoping for. Now it’s made real as the ultimate giant monster and the teenagers with attitude face off in Godzilla Versus Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #1.

The fight kicks off with a killer creative team behind the wheel. The issue was created by Cullen Bunn, Freddie Williams II, Andrew Dalhouse, and Johanna Nattalie.

The Green Ranger has followed Rita Repulsa, alongside Goldar, Finster and Scorpia, to an ancient temple. There Tommy witnesses Rita steal a powerful artifact that can funnel the power of the multiverse to her. When she uses that power to teleport herself into a universe without Power Rangers, she finds herself face to face with that universe’s protector- Godzilla! And where Rita goes, will the Rangers really be far behind?

This story is just an energetic delight from cover to cover. It’s absolutely in the vein of classic cross-company crossovers that had to find silly ways to get their stars face to face while also telling an entertaining story, which Bunn absolutely does. Universe crossing shenanigans always make for a lot of fun in these crossovers, and Bunn quickly embraces some of the more out there aspects of both franchises. This issue was a very villain driven story, both with Rita and the invaders from Planet X, which makes sense given the action unfolding, but that gives the issue a much stronger and potentially more interesting hook.

Williams is the king of these books at this point. He’s able to capture the feel of both franchises in his pencils. His Rangers are incredibly dynamic, as he uses up-angles to make them feel larger than life. He also is able to create a great sense of scale with the kaiju battles, especially when Tommy summons the Dragonzoid for his brawl with Godzilla (which absolutely was the highlight of the issue).

Dalhouse goes above and beyond in his work. While in the Rangers’ universe, he colors the book like a standard superhero comic, full of color and some cool related effects. Yet, when the story shifts into Godzilla’s universe, the colors are more muted, and much more subtle, evoking the palette seen in the earlier Godzilla films until the Rangers show up, ready to stop Godzilla (assuming he’s a creation of Rita herself). It sets a particular mood that the line art alone wouldn’t have.

Nattalie’s letters are incredibly dynamic too. She uses some tailor-made fonts for the sound effects, which bring the sounds of Godzilla versus Zord to life. She also gives each Ranger speech balloons to match their colors, which is a fun little touch.

This first issue is a very fun start to the miniseries, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

Godzilla Versus Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #1 is available now from IDW Publishing and Boom Studios.