REVIEW: ‘Mighty Morphin,’ Issue #8

Mighty Morphin #8 is written by Ryan Parrott, illustrated by Marco Renna, colored by Walter Baiamonte (with assistance from Katia Ranalli and Sara Antonellini), and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. It is published by BOOM! Studios. Following up on the end of the last issue, the Rangers are presented with a choice: Lord Zedd will leave Earth if they surrender Zordon to him. While Tommy attempts to fight off a pair of Chaos Putties, the rest of the Rangers attempt to battle Zedd and his forces, alongside the Green Ranger. When the dust settles, the Rangers’ future remains uncertain.

Throughout his run on Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers, Parrott has slowly expanded the scope of the Power Rangers mythos. This includes folding in elements from other Power Rangers series including Power Rangers in Space and fully expanding upon the origins of the Rangers’ mentor Zordon. Fans will finally learn the origin behind the Morphin Grid that gives the Rangers their power-or rather, a myth surrounding it. The flashback sequence in the beginning also hints at Zordon’s ultimate fate as the Power Rangers’ sage mentor—a far cry from the warrior he once was.

Parrott’s script also expands on the secrets the Rangers have kept from each other-especially how Billy has been helping Promethea and the Green Ranger behind the others’ backs. This leads to tension with Zordon, though both sides have a point-Billy found an alternative to the possibility of the Rangers losing their powers, and Zordon is furious because he trusted Billy with power and now that trust is broken. Elsewhere, Zedd’s true motives are hinted at and they could spell doom for the Rangers, in more ways than one. I enjoyed the fact that this book crisscrosses between wrapping up its current invasion plot and setting up a new set of challenges for the Rangers to face in future issues.

Artwise, the issue is packed full of action thanks to Renna and the colorists. Renna cuts between Tommy’s battle with the Chaos Putties and the other Rangers’ battle with Goldar and Zedd. The Chaos Putty battle is massive and earthshaking, with Tommy’s Tigerzord punching in the Putties’ faces and gaining assistance from Aisha’s Unicornzord and Matt’s Dragonzord. Meanwhile, the other Rangers manage to take down wave after wave of Putties, using their martial arts skills and signature weapons. One of the most striking images in the issue features Rocky moving at an intense speed while fighting Putties, which makes him appear to be a multitude of Red Rangers.

The colors from Baiamonte, Ranalli, and Antonellini continue to be eye-grabbing in all the best ways. In addition to the Rangers’ signature colors, the background colors often vary between pages. Sometimes there are sunny oranges and bright green; other times it’s the omnipresent blue of the Rangers’ command center. The villains themselves are extremely colorful, including Zedd’s blood-red flesh and Goldar’s shining golden armor.

Mighty Morphin #8 wraps up its current story arc while planting seeds for the future and unraveling the mysteries of the past. This book continues to be one of the best Power Rangers stories out there, and I can’t wait to see what future issues bring.

Mighty Morphin #8 is available wherever comics are sold.