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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
- Writer:
- Ryan Parrott
- Artist:
- Dan Mora
- Letterer:
- Ed Dukeshire
- Cover Artist:
- Dan Mora
- Publisher:
- BOOM! Studios
- Price:
- 4.99
- Release Date:
- 2022-12-28
- Colorist:
- Raúl Angulo
The heroes in a half shell and the teenagers with attitude are back for a brand-new action-packed miniseries. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 by writer Ryan Parrott, artist Dan Mora, colorist Raúl Angulo, and letterer Ed Dukeshire combines the forces of these two juggernaut franchises for a second time. Naturally, most fans hope that lightning will strike twice with this magical pairing of heroic teams. They're in luck, as this issue features a story of beloved characters brought to life with striking art.
The Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are now BFFs after their last adventure. Of course, some members gravitate more toward certain others, but there seems to be a real sense of harmony between both teams, even if they are anxious about the next looming threat. Elsewhere, Karai and Casey Jones get into a scuffle. While the ninja tries to warn Casey about an otherworldly threat leering over his shoulder (quite literally), he doesn't listen. It's an action that sets off a consequential series of events later in the issue.
Parrott is certainly no stranger to the Power Rangers, and the writer has already shown his hand in the first crossover between the Power Rangers and TMNT. While both franchises do appeal to similar audiences, Parrott draws a line in the sand here and puts the Turtles in the Power Rangers' world in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1. Despite Casey Jones being a pivotal character in this story, it does feel as if this tale takes place more in the BOOM! Studios' line of continuity and style than IDW's.
That said, this isn't a bad approach to take. Rather than try to be everything to everyone, Parrott narrows the focus and chooses to tell a story that's easily accessible to fans. At the same time, there is a tendency to veer off down a dead end in certain parts of the story for the sake of a gag or humorous moment. While the format worked for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, it doesn't translate well in the comics and feels more like a misuse of precious real estate on the pages for the sake of giving people like Bulk and Skull a moment in the issue.
As expected, Mora knocks the art out of the park. Thanks to his work on World's Finest, he is considered one of the best superhero artists around in recent years. Mora brings this experience, as well as his time working on Go Go Power Rangers, to produce a visually enticing book. Page after page, it's impossible to not get sucked into this appealing and masterfully illustrated world. Angulo delivers on his end of the bargain, too, as the colorist brings all he learned from his time on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to lift this title with striking and eye-catching colors and shades.
As a first installment, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 does more than enough to capture the attention of fans of both franchises. It sets up an intriguing premise where it throws a popular character into a new, unexpected role and promises lots of action on the horizon. There is room to cut some of the unnecessary additions in the story; however, these moments don't detract too much from a main storyline that remains solid.