Review of “Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Return (Issue #2)” by Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson

Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Words can hardly describe the feelings we're feeling after reading—no, EXPERIENCING—issue #2 of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Return by Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson!

Our jaws are on the floor. Our eyes are wet with tears.

This comic book... this BOOK. It's INCREDIBLE!

The illustrations are even better and more vibrant than the previous book. Credit goes to Nico Leon and Dono Sanchez-Almara for making that happen.

What's more? It's filled to the brim with compelling, heart pounding action! That was sorely missing from the previous installment.

Right off the bat, we know that it's all about to hit the fan. Zordon is dead. Alpha 5 is dead. The Power Rangers are on a do-or-die mission to attack Rita & Zedd's moon palace/base as if it's the last thing they'll ever do. There's no turning back. There's no surrender.

They've brought all of their Zords on this suicide mission far from home. Furthermore, they've brought along a secret weapon known as the Benevolator, a type of explosive device that seems to replicate a Z-wave. The Z-wave was a phenomenon that Andros (the Red Space Ranger) accomplished at the end of Power Rangers in Space by helping Zordon to sacrifice himself for the universe.


It's a double-edged sword here just as it was in the original canon.

Rita and Zedd order Finster to bust out every monster in their arsenal. Even Goldar and Scorpina are eager to throw themselves into this climactic final battle. This is kinda a big deal for Goldar granted that he has shied away from direct physical combat after being defeated in the early episodes of the series. Many of his superiors actually referred to him as a “coward” despite him obviously having exceptional fighting prowess.

Something we really loved and appreciated about this book is that, despite the darker, more violent, and more grim tone of this spin-off as a whole, the Power Rangers still act like the Power Rangers and the bad guys still act like the bad guys.

What do we mean by that? Well, despite the Rangers clearly being out to avenge their fallen mentor and robot—characters who were practically family to them—they aren't here to just kill and destroy all the bad guys. They actually want to use the Benevolator to turn all of the bad guys, including Rita and Zedd, to good. This is actually noble and honorable of them. We are so happy to see good guys acting like good guys for once. This makes it clear that our heroes are still heroes and that the Power Rangers are still recognizable as Power Rangers.

One of our concerns with the first issue was that the Power Rangers weren't acting like Power Rangers. All of them were entangled in a lie to conceal their identities. Jason was out pummeling and probably killing baddies as a vigilante. Kimberly was willing to let Billy's potentially life-saving research and Zack's potentially world-saving clean energy initiative go to the wayside just to keep the power grid a secret. What happened to doing the right thing? What happened to sacrificing your personal wants and desires for the greater good?

Well, we actually get to see those virtues and values play out here, particularly in the character of Tommy Oliver, the original green/white ranger. Tommy is able to see the bigger picture. He understands that this conflict and the stakes involved are bigger and more important than himself. That's a hero. That's a role-model. That's a Power Ranger!

And we finally get to see what it was that turned Kimberly from the positive, optimistic, fun-loving, and hopeful character into a mopey, negative, and pessimistic kill-joy.

It's absolutely heartwrenching and hits like a bag of bricks!

Furthermore, it makes perfect sense for Tommy's character, Kimberly's character, and the plot as a whole. Releasing the power of the Benevolator really does seem like the only way out of the situation that the Rangers are in. If they fail, not only do they fail to avenge their fallen loved ones, but they also leave the Earth and the rest of the universe wide-open to attack, invasion, and subjugation.

Our hearts pounded and our tears flowed as Tommy and Kimberly clung to each other in that desperate situation. Our hearts broke and tears poured as Kimberly dropped to her knees and covered her mouth with both hands, holding back a scream from the very depths of her being.

What makes this scene all the more epic, powerful, and tragic is that the loss of Tommy isn't the only major loss here. Rita is also killed as Kimberly desperately tries to protect Tommy from her. You can tell that this was done out of desperation rather than malice. Kimberly did not intend to kill Rita, even after all the terrible things that Rita did. Kimberly still recognized Rita as a sentient humanoid being and a PERSON. That really resonated with us. That's what a Power Ranger would think. That's how a Power Ranger would feel.

Now, you could make the argument: Well, what about all of Finsters monsters and putties? Didn't they get killed off practically every episode?

Well, the lore kinda makes it clear that these monsters and putties aren't sentient beings with—and this is going to sound strange, but it's probably the best way of describing it—souls. The monsters and putties are pretty much bioweapons or bio robots. They aren't that dissimilar from the battle droids in the Star Wars prequels. They are literally made of clay.

Rita and Zedd, on the other hand, are actual people. They actually have great emotional depth and feelings. And, yes, they probably have souls. The conclusion of Countdown to Destruction: Part II made that very obvious since they reverted back to “good” in that telling of the story. Furthermore, we know for a fact that—for all of their evil and wrongdoing—Rita and Zedd genuinely, authentically love each other. We know this because the love potion that Rita used on Zedd wore off a long time ago, yet he still adores her.

With that said, it's also heartbreaking for us when Rita falls to Kimberly's bow and Squatt runs to inform Lord Zedd that Rita, his wife, has died. This is tragic as well, even though these characters are bad guys. It's hard not to feel for Zedd in that moment. Yes, Zedd, the guy who looks like the literal devil and who wants to destroy everything. The reason for that is multifold. First of all, like we said, we know that Zedd genuinely loves/loved Rita based on the fact that the love potion wore off. He loved her enough to stay married to her and, apparently, have a child with her. If we're going to take the original canon into account, they may have had two children (one of them being Thrax from Operation Overdrive and the other being Selena, the daughter who is portrayed in this book). Our hearts broke for him too.

Another thing that made the death of Rita heartbreaking was the fact that the whole scene before this climactic battle showed the villains in a jovial, cheerful, and even positive light. They were actually acting like their absent-minded, bumbling TV selves as they celebrated their huge victory over the Rangers. They seemed so high-spirited like nothing could hurt or touch them.

And, of course, that all changes when the Rangers drag the battle into the ninth inning. Before Rita fights her final fight, she is actually in a very good mood. She actually appears to be going to get her baby to celebrate. Now, there is a bit of misdirection using Squatt as a red-herring, but it becomes pretty obvious that Rita is talking about a child after a while. Who else could it be?

The whole scene is tragic for both the death of Tommy Oliver and Rita Repulsa, two of the cornerstones of Might Morphin' Power Rangers universe—arguably the most iconic Power Ranger and Power Rangers villain, respectively. The reactions of the characters, especially Kimberly and Zedd, are priceless. They're heartwrenching!

This book also has one of the biggest twists we've ever read in a book! And we've read HUNDREDS of books! This might be the biggest.

We were not expecting the Trini-looking girl from the last book (Selena) to turn out to be evil. We definitely did not expect her to turn out to be the daughter of Rita and Zedd! And her character—from top to bottom—is fantastic! She looks menacing, like a younger hybrid between her mother and father. However, there's definitely vulnerability to her. Even Kimberly gets the jump on her and gets a hit in, probably using her Power Rangers/fighting instincts. It is clear that Selena, despite her powers and lineage, is vulnerable in more ways than one. First of all, she's young. Second of all, she seems to believe a lie (that Rita saved her), meaning that she's impressionable. Third, she was seemingly raised by humans, discovered by Bulk & Skull while they were police officers. By the way, that was cool to see!

So, despite her evil lineage, there's still humanity in Selena and, thus, hope for her. Maybe she can be redeemed!

It is so awesome to have a villain who is conflicted. It reminds us of Darth Vader from Star Wars or Astronema from Power Rangers in Space.

It is also awesome to have Olivia Hart make her deput as the new green ranger!

What a great book! Arguably the best comic/graphic novel to ever come through our contest!

Check it out on Amazon!