This week marks the 30th anniversary of the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” tv series (August 28 to be exact) so naturally BOOM! Studios is putting out a massive new comic to celebrate. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special is comprised of various tales from across the Power Rangers’ franchise, handled by some of the industry’s finest creators.

The book is less an anthology and more a love letter to the Power Rangers mythos, particularly the original team many of us met for the first time decades ago (my knee hurts, must be rain). The overall content in this 67-page tome does not disappoint, though there are a few missed opportunities. The first story by Ryan Parrott and Eleonara Carlini is all about Ernie, a minor but important character from the first few seasons whose relevance is revealed here. While it serves as a touching tribute to an oft-forgot character, portrayed by actor Richard Genelle who passed away in 2008, it’s also a reminder of other actors from the franchise who are gone too soon but receive little to no acknowledgment here. Tommy Oliver (aka the Green Ranger, the White Ranger, the Red Zeo Ranger, etc) is front and center in Melissa Flores and Hendry Prasetya’s lovely installment, but sadly the late Jason David Frank receives no such dedication here or anywhere in the issue; likewise Thuy Trang, who died in 2001, is never mentioned and her character Trini (the original Yellow Ranger) appears only briefly.

One former ranger whose name is not forgotten is Amy Jo Johnson, who shares writing duties with Matt Hotson for the installment titled “Re-Imagine.”What could have been the book’s most emotional chapter ends up being somewhat of a misfire with a confusing narrative that seemingly contradicts Flores’ earlier entry, along with an abrupt cliffhanger ending. It’s nicely written with an intriguing premise as it ultimately serves as a prologue to an upcoming MMPR event; hopefully it will be much more successful in the context of the full story. As it stands, the award for the book’s most emotional entry goes to Mat Groom and Marco Renna for their heartfelt tale of the Rangers’ robotic sidekick Alpha-5.

The book’s penultimate story focuses on former Blue Ranger Billy (my personal fave) and his introduction to the Ranger Academy, in a sweet tale by Maria Ingrande Mora and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The last tale is a fun, albeit cheesy but action-packed tale by Mairghread Scott and Daniel Bayliss about the power of teamwork of the book’s latter pages are dedicated to a myriad of artists tackling the various versions of the iconic team’s transformations. It’s a bit repetitive and one particular image is directly recycled from the one before it but it’s a nice showcase of talent expressing their love for the beloved Rangers. The $9.99 price point may seem a bit high but any true Power Ranger fan will find a wealth of material well worth their hard-earned cash.

MIGHTY MORPHIN’ POWER RANGERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

9.99

8.2

Premise

9.0/10

Execution

8.0/10

Art

9.0/10

Emotion

8.0/10

Value

7.0/10

Credits

Writers: Ryan Parrott, Melissa Flores, Mat Groom, Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, Maria Ingrande Mora, Mairghread Scott
Artists: Eleonara Carlini, Henry Prasetya, Marco Renna, Francesco Mortarino, Jo Mi-Gyeong, Daniel Bayliss
Colorists: Raul Angulo, Matt Herms, Sara Antonelli, Sharon Marino, Joanna LaFuente
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Dan Mora