Even Good Actions Have Consequences — Reviewing ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return’ #2

Defeating the most vile evils in existence is a victory that comes with great loss, as the Power Rangers discovered. A curtain is pulled back as the final mission of the Rangers, which altered their lives greatly, is finally revealed.

A flashback of tragic proportions unfolds alongside a revelation of the dangers of the present within Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2. The second powerful chapter in this anniversary celebration series is from Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, Nico Leon, Domo Sanchez-Almara, and Ed Dukeshire.

A four issues series — especially ones that are normal sized — is not a ton of room. Even when one is working within a well-established franchise with colorful characters who are known the world over. It takes precise planning. Spending just a little too long or short on any one thing can throw everything off.

Therefore, it would be easy to think that having your second issue be half a flashback and half a two-character scene would throw things off. Don’t worry, that’s not the case.

Johnson and Hotson do a stellar job of pacing here. They knew that readers had to know just what happened with the final battle of the Rangers and their enemies, and what happened to Tommy. These  things can’t be teased for too long. So, we get an action-packed deeply emotional scene that fills in gaps, hitting the hearts of Power Rangers fans hard.

Not only that, but we also get the reveal of this mystery villain who has some ties to Rita Repulsa (who was killed by Kimberly) and a cliffhanger. That’s right, Kim and Tommy have a daughter and we’re about to see her thrust into the middle of Ranger stuff with her mom kidnapped. All hints point to a generational fight since I suspect the mystery villain is the child of Rita and Zedd.

Making that flashback scene work takes a lot of planning and the right visuals to make it hit hard. Leon is that artist, just creating images that are almost iconic instantly. Everything feels so real with the extreme detail and depth that comes so easily to him. Slick, smooth, with every motion about to burst characters right off the page.

Even though it’s a kid’s show, there was always something larger than life about the franchise. Cheesy, oh most definitely. As cheesy as the meltiest grilled cheese around but in the best ways possible. The cheesy is pushed aside, though, to really hone in on the epic and it works. These characters are fighting for their lives and the fate of the world, and Leon makes sure every beat and blow is felt.

Expanding that are the colors in play. All the usual vibrant rainbow of colors are found on the page since we get a bunch of morphed Ranger action. Around them though everything else is very toned down with a lot of shadows creeping around. Those darker tones play against the more vibrant ones, reminding us of how dire things are. This was not a situation where the Rangers were coming out on top, and tragedy was a guarantee. Sanchez-Almara pulls that out and explodes it across every single page.

Rounding out the stellar work is the lettering from Dukeshire. A mainstay of the comic version of this franchise, and BOOM! books in general, Dukeshire knows just how to capture the mood. Dialogue that exudes every bit of emotional and personality energy that the moment requires. Big bold uses of changing font styles, colors, and locations to maximize the tone and volume. Sound effects that are right in your face, loud and clear in our minds as we plow through the story.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 is now available from BOOM! Studios.