REVIEW: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ Issue #3

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 (MMPR/TMNT #3) is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Ryan Parrott, with art by Simone di Meo and Alessio Zonno, colors by Walter Baiamonte and Igor Monti and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Green Ranger Shredder and Rita Repulsa square off. Meanwhile, the Power Rangers close in on their missing friend and another familiar face joins the fray.

After last issue’s reveal of the superbly designed Green Ranger Shredder, my hype to see where this issue lead was very real. I found little to disappoint me here. While the issue’s title is MMPR/TMNT #3, it was Shredder who was stealing the show. Everywhere he appears, he dwarfs anyone who shares the panel with him. Parrott writes him perfectly. Due to the confidence and authority the writing imbues, he rules this issue completely.  His showdown with Rita, while cut short, feels like its ending was a foregone conclusion. I cannot imagine a world where that fight goes against him.

This issue also took a moment to show some quality bonding time between our two hero teams. These moments deliver a nice touch of character and warmth as the various personalities take a moment to gel together. Everything from introducing each other to unorthodox pizza toppings to simple chats while sparring allows the teams a moment to grow together.

However, while I love the way Shredder and the rest of the characters are written, I did find the overall plot a bit predictable. While there is a reason certain story beats get used enough to become tropes, frequent usage requires an extra level of creativity in their employment to avoid the beat feeling predictable. Sadly these moments do come across as just that. Thankfully, there is enough character in the writing to still deliver a strong and entertaining story, even if it falls on the unsurprising end of the storytelling spectrum.

Di Meo’s art continues to augment this story with all the cool I’ve come to expect over the last couple of issues. The fight scenes continue to pack the panels with a commanding sense of speed and power. While the action moments take center stage, the slower moments are also handled well. Characters are shown with lots of emotion and depth. This helps reinforce the personality the writer works so hard to infuse into the story.

While the art as a whole is delivered with skill, Baiamonte’ s colors really stood out in this issue. The excellent color selection gives the art that extra pop. These colors add contrast to the images, giving making the characters really stand out. When all is said and done, MMPR/TMNT #3 continues to deliver a fun and engaging story. It has done a great job balancing so many characters and I am definitely looking forward to how things go down in next month’s issue.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 is available wherever comics are sold.