Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set the bar quite high for franchise crossovers, and now the team of Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire are back for another round. It would be easy to fall short of expectations with a sequel, but Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 instead builds off the foundation set in the original series and jumps straight into the delightful moments only achievablewith this particular pairing, and by issue’s end the foot is firmly planted on the gas pedal moving forward. Oh, and it’s absolutely gorgeous, so it looks like Power Rangers and TMNT are about to deliver another epic adventure that no fan should miss.
Parrott gets things moving right from the beginning, establishing the new status quo and the timeline within the very first fight. Those who aren’t familiar with the original series can still pick up most everything they need to know, and the few questions you might have shouldn’t take anything away from the sheer delight of pairings like Donatello and Billy, Jason and Leonardo, and the trio of April, Trini, and Kimberly.
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Parrott is clearly a fan of these characters, and it’s easy to feel that appreciation throughout the issue. While Billy and Donatello are one of my favorite duos, the conversation between Leonardo and Jason is easily one of the best interactions in the entire issue. There’s such a wonderful relatability to two leaders venting to each other about their teams, and those who are fans of both teams will adore the history woven into that discussion and various interactions throughout the issue.
That attention to what makes both teams so fun continues into battle, as even when things seem bleak that trademark banter is well accounted for, though not at the expense of creating legitimate threats. Rocksteady and Goldar actually feel as if they could give the teams a run for their money, though perhaps the most impressive transformation is a Turtles villain that I won’t spoil here. Needless to say though, he’s rarely portrayed to be as creepy and as much of a legitimate threat as he is here, and it will only hype you up more to see what Mora and Angulo could do with every other villain in the Turtles catalog.
Mora, Angulo, and Dukeshire are simply on fire here, and it’s truly something special when the Rangers and the Turtles are on the same battlefield. Raphael is simply a beast, as is Casey Jones, and while certain elements of the issue might not completely surprise you, they present promising opportunities for the story and for battles to come.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 is exactly what I hoped it would be, and fans of both teams are in for some truly awesome moments delivered in stunning style, and issue #2 can’t get here soon enough.
Published byย BOOM! Studiosย
On December 28, 2022
Written byย Ryan Parrott
Art byย Dan Mora
Colors byย Raul Angulo
Letters byย Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Dan Mora
