Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink #1
Writer: Brenden Fletcher & Kelly Thompson
Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Colorist: Sarah Stern
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Review by Josh Canales
Brenden Fletcher and Kelly Thompson bring us the first of, hopefully many, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers spin-off comics. They do not fail to impress. Taking place a few years after her departure from the Power Rangers, we find our pink ranger in the locker room of The Pan Global Games, Gymnastic Competition. It is the final day of the competition and Kimberly’s parents are nowhere to be found, causing her to worry. As an ex-ranger she know that she can’t just sit around, so she jumps on her motorcycle and rides to find her parents.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink #1 could have easily been a story that gets drowned out by nostalgic references, but every callback felt natural and helped move the story further. Fletcher and Thompson bring in a lot of Power Rangers lore that all plays a part in how Kim ended up here, without making it confusing for any new fans. We don’t get introduced to many characters in this issue, but it is a fair mix of familiar faces and new characters. The new characters we’re introduced to don’t give us much to go on yet, but seem like they could bring something interesting to the table. Meanwhile, the returning characters all stay true to their TV counterparts, but with a more modern take.
The Kimberly Hart we get here is very much the same strong, graceful, and loving character from the show, but slightly more mature with age. We get to see how Kim has been living her life after leaving the team in order to further her gymnastics career. Even with her success in gymnastics, she still feels the pull of the superhero life. As we ride with her through finding out what has happened to her parents, we get to see just how true the Power Rangers mantra of “Once a Ranger, always a Ranger” is. At the first sign of trouble, Kim doesn’t run away or charge in half-cocked, she’s prepared. Armed with a pink bow and a Hunger Games-esque outfit, she is ready to take on whatever comes at her – until she isn’t. With no one there to help her, we really see Kim’s character highlighted in a new light. She truly is a hero on a mission that has me excited to read more.
Daniele Di Nicuolo and Sarah Stern on art and colors do a fantastic job of bringing this book to life. Daniele’s fantastic facial expressions in combination with Sarah’s color palette draws you in and lets you feel connected to the characters as if they were real. With great panel layouts, action scenes in this book are gorgeous and highlight just how graceful Kimberly is, translating her gymnastics into martial arts. Kimberly’s new suit is beautifully designed. It’s reminiscent of the classic suit, while being completely its own. Just the art alone in this book should be enough to sell it!
The Verdict
Buy it! In a world of countless spin-off, reboots, and adaptations Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink #1 from BOOM! has been a bright light. This action-packed miniseries is a must-have for any Power Rangers fan, having everything a fan could want out of a Power Rangers comic: great action, countless callbacks to the show, ridiculous bad guys, and even a brand new pink ranger suit! Don’t let this pass you by!
