Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #43
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Colorist: Walter Baiamonte & Katia Ranalli
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Reviewed by: Sean Blumenshine
Summary
In a shocking display, bounty hunter Dayne defeats the White Ranger, leaving the team without a leader! With their powers decimated and staring destruction in the face, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reach out to their former teammates for help but the Omega Rangers are facing a surprising enemy in deep space—and there’s no guarantee everyone will make it out alive.
Positives
Jamal Campbell’s cover is very cool. It showcases how bad of a situation the Rangers are in. Dayne’s shadow is a really great touch.
The interior art is solid. It’s vibrant and energetic. The characters all look great.
I like how Dayne takes out the Rangers. He studies the current team’s weaknesses and uses them. This is a new team without a proper dynamic; Rocky, Adam and Ayisha are still pretty green. And Tommy is not used to being a leader; that was Jason’s job. And he has new powers that he doesn’t quite have a handle on. And despite not having malicious feelings towards the new members, the originals can’t help but recognize that the three are not Jason, Zack and Trini. Dayne plays them and it was cool to see.
I like that the Emissary is turning out to be morally ambiguous. Part of that fun is that it’s in the context of Power Rangers. This is a show that is, to be put it nicely, simplistic. It’s for kids; good and evil are black and white. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s cool to see shades of grey confronted with the Power Rangers.
Negatives
I don’t love that the book is telling two stories. I’m sure they will collide at some point but I would prefer it if there were two separate Power Rangers books. Both stories are solid but they feel a little crammed. And because the issue has to take time for both, the two stories are moving a little slower than I would like.
Verdict
I really enjoyed this issue. The art is fun and the two stories are both interesting. I like seeing the Rangers failing to adjust to a new team dynamic; that’s something the show never really did. The show would sometimes act as if new Rangers had been there all along and nothing really had changed. I like seeing the consequences of changing the team. I think Power Rangers #43 is a little crowded which forces the story into a slower pace but it’s still a lot of fun.
