REVIEW: ‘Mighty Morphin,’ Issue #12

Mighty Morphin #12 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. Picking up after the events of Mighty Morphin #11, the Power Rangers learn of Zartus’ deception and race to gather what allies they can: Aisha convinces Billy to talk it out with Zordon and contact the Omega Rangers. At the same time, Zordon meets with Lord Zedd after learning that Zedd was once his friend Zophram.

The last few issues have been sewing seeds for the upcoming “Eltarian War” storyline that will take place in this book and Power Rangers, and those seeds begin to bear fruit in this issue. Though it’s light on action, the story still packs in an emotional wallop by having its characters engage in different conversations. Renna stages these conversations like acts in a play and draws attention to his characters’ emotions; shock, rage, and even grief play out between the collective cast of characters. And the settings help sell these emotions, whether it’s in Lord Zedd’s fortress or the Power Rangers’ Command Center. Baiamonte and his team of colorists also help set the mood; many of these conversations are lit with different colors, such as a bright blue for the Command Center, the familiar setting turning tense when Zartus confronts Zordon.

Of the conversations in the issue, the three most significant are between Matt and Tommy, Zedd and Zordon, and Billy and Zordon (and then eventually Zartus). Parrott lets the characters get a lot off their chests, and he makes it just as engaging as any fight sequence. Tommy accuses Matt of not seeing that his strings are being pulled as the Green Ranger, while Matt counters that Tommy still has hangups over his time serving Rita Repulsa. Billy pours his heart out to Zordon and apologizes for going behind his back, but he and Zordon don’t have a chance to reconcile as Zartus appears in the Command Center. And Zartus’ heartfelt plea for Zordon is undercut by Zordon rightly pointing out that his plans have led to the deaths of innocent people.

However, the most significant moment comes between Zedd and Zordon and adds a layer of tragedy to each character. Zordon is rightly horrified that his friend has become a malevolent conqueror, and Zedd feels that Zordon’s morality has alienated him from others. This dynamic is highly reminiscent of the one shared between Magneto and Professor Xavier in the X-Men mythos, and as far as I’m concerned, it makes both of them deeper characters. The Power Rangers comics have always excelled at taking a realistic approach to the series while still keeping all the elements fans love, and Parrott is one of the writers who’s fully excelled at it.

Mighty Morphin #12 brings several plot points to a head via character interactions, setting the stage for the upcoming Eltarian War storyline. The biggest Power Rangers storyline since Shattered Grid is on the horizon, and I hope my fellow Ranger fans pick up the following issues because I have the feeling they’re in for something special.

Mighty Morphin #12 is available now wherever comics are sold.