It’s Morphin’ Time! Suit up and teleport in for the fourth and final part (maybe not?) in Amy Jo Johnson’s new alternative chapter of the BOOM! Comics Rangerverse – MMPR: The Return.
Today, I conclude my duty to the Morphin Masters by bringing you this review of issue #4! Below you will find out the pros and cons of this alternative universe tale that is MMPR: The Return. You know what time it is, Rangers? It’s Morphin Time!!!
WARNING: Story spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!
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The Pros
Here we are folks! At the concluding issue of Amy Jo Johnson’s 30th anniversary take on MMPR; her own alternative universe of events where an older MMPR gang fight evil once more in a nicely matured last hurrah. It’s been a blast seeing these characters excellently written and their likenesses illustrated really well; a large part of this story has felt like a nostalgia fuelled rollercoaster that could arguably rival Netflix’s “Once and Always” special. It’s different, but similar; regardless there’s plenty of action as this issue races to reach its conclusion and settle everything in only a handful of pages. The art is always a high point of these issues. From the backgrounds, to the characters, to the visual effects; it’s all illustrated in such a sublime manner. The right amount of colour without being too over or undersaturated. Whether it’s on a large or small scale, the expressions and details of each character are captured well enough to convey their emotion visually to the reader. The interactions between the rangers is always a delight to read as well; it truly feels like a modern day episode of good ol’ Mighty Morphin!
One area BOOM Studios have always suffered is in their ‘original’ designs which include some MMPR redesigns, but I will say Selena’s Ranger form (spoiler) is really cool. It reminds me of the of the 2017 film suits mixed with the original show versions, with a dash of Lord Zedd for good measure. Logically, it makes no real sense to look like that but it’s more visually interesting, at least. Olivia Hart also gets a bit of a spotlight in this concluding chapter, albeit not as overly focused as Minh in Once and Always. It really adds to the Hart/Oliver family dynamic in a way previous Power Ranger comics or the show itself refused to touch on. Lastly, it gives us a final full team hurrah as the original MMPR crew morph to save the day once more. All in all, plenty to love about this issue. The ending may leave much to be desired though…
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The Cons
It didn’t seem possible but I think perhaps this issue has the most faults. These cons are mostly subjective from the point of view of a longtime fan and avid lover of Mighty Morphin. I mentioned in my Pros how I loved Selena’s Ranger costume, and I do, that doesn’t negate the fact it makes no sense. When Tommy was evil, did he have an over the top Ranger design purposely illustrating how evil he was? No! It just looked the same as any other Ranger. Why does Selena’s look so different? The story or this issue in particular doesn’t address it. It’s a bit of a nitpick but there’s more of that to come.
While I’ve overall enjoyed the flow of the story, MMPR: The Return has flip flopped between trying to be original and copying “Once and Always” at times. Even the final act of the story as produced in this issue follows a similar flow in the sense that it takes the fight to Rita’s Moon Palace, the villain then obtains all of the power they need for their big machine, it’s destroyed last second and the Rangers win before wrapping everything in a neat little bow and calling it a day. At the best of times, it feels like an homage, but it happens too often that I can’t help but see it as lazy. I will at least give them props for not wasting pages by summoning the Zords.
There’s also the manner in how this issue clearly races to conclude itself; there was so much contextualising in the previous issues that I hoped we were building towards an epic final battle but sadly not; some stuff happens, the villain retreats and the Rangers go back to their lives. It’s all over rather quickly before the story has the brass neck to tease a new story with it’s ending (more on that in a bit).
In the Power Rangers fandom, there are two types of fans: those who can’t get enough of Tommy and those who feel the franchise worships him too much. BOOM! Studios have definitely shown so much Tommy worship over it’s career of comic stories and events. Sad to say, if you’re in that latter camp, you’re gonna be disappointed as the story ‘deus ex machinas’ Tommy back into existence (spoiler). It cheapens the story a bit, in that it makes Tommy’s sacrifice seem meaningless; it’s another example of a comic refusing to let a character stay dead. If you’re in the former camp, then good news I guess! In the end, I personally prefer ‘Soul of the Dragon’ as Tommy’s final bout but remember MMPR: The Return is in its own universe. Having the character killed off much earlier in his career was an interesting take in my opinion.
Lastly, there’s the matter of the final panels of the last page. This is a bit of a huge spoiler so skip if you want to wait til you read the issue yourself. We are led to believe that Rita returns after it’s revealed she sent Tommy back to the living, but she returns as the White Ranger!? This also makes no real sense, since the outfit and powers were specifically created by Alpha and Zordon; the latter of which is long gone in this universe. Could it mean Rita is good? It definitely opens up a lot of theories but I’m afraid it’s likely a cliffhanger that may never be solved with the imminent (albeit not officially confirmed) reality of BOOM! Studios losing the Power Rangers license and a big part of me wishes we just got a nice simple conclusion to not set up the hopes of new and longtime fans.
Conclusion
Overall, issue #4 of MMPR: The Return was enjoyable with a bit of a lukewarm ending. It’s a shame, especially with every issue outdoing the previous. By the end, it felt like the writers involved just wanted it over and done with before cheekily setting up a potential new story. This also presents a problem in itself as more stories in this universe then gives fans yet another MMPR comic universe and could confuse new fans. MMPR: The Return should remain a one off adventure and not degrade it’s value as an anniversary celebration. MMPR: The Return #4 answers most of the questions set up by previous issues, but opens up some new questions with an unlikeliness to ever answer them.
For this issue, I’d give MMPR: The Return #4 a six out of ten! All talk and little action makes this a dull issue and worse, a dull conclusion in an effort to keep it’s story going. A lot to theorise and think about by the end, but with BOOM! Studios losing Power Rangers, does it matter? You be the judge on that!
MMPR: The Return #4 released May 30th, 2024 at your local comic book store. This and more Power Rangers BOOM! Studios series are also available as a digital copy from content providers like iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
What did you think of Part 4? Theories on the ending? Thoughts on the overall story? Let us knows in the comments below! We look forward to seeing them. Stay tuned for more reviews of MMPR: The Return and other awesome Power Ranger news & reviews here at The Toku Source!
