2023 has been filled with different ways the Power Rangers franchise has been celebrated. From the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Netflix special to all the toys and comics, this has been a fun year to be Power Rangers fan. Now adding to the list of celebrations is a new anthology one-shot from BOOM! Studios titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special. Not only is this bringing back previous Power Rangers writers in Ryan Parrott, Mat Groom, and Maighread Scott back but also the original Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson is writing a special story. We got a chance to have an early look at Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special. Find out how it turned out with our advance review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Ryan Parrott, Melissa Flores, Mat Groom, Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, Maria Ingrande Mora, and Maighread Scott
Artists: Eleonora Carlini, Hendry Prasentya, Marco Renna, Francesco Mortarino, Jo Mi-Gyeong, Daniel Bayliss
Colorists: Raul Angulo, Matt Herms, Sara Antonellini, Sharon Marino, and Joana Lafuente
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
SOLICITATION
“Between a spotlight on Ernie in Angel Grove, Alpha 5’s struggle to find his true purpose, a mind-bending “What If?” story about Tommy’s powers which introduces an all-new alternate universe, an additional tale about his marriage to Kat, and a deeper look at the Ranger Academy, this anniversary issue is truly packed full of content worthy of the 30-year legacy.” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special hits on all the notes you want from a giant anthology celebration. We see the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers honored in various ways as we get stories we never saw in the TV show and some content connected to the future of the franchise. It all comes together for a special reading experience with every creative team nailing what they set out to do with their celebration of the Power Rangers.
The structure of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary is something that you can tell is something that had thought put into it. We start with the first three stories that align with the continuity of the original TV show and then the sixth and final new story that hits fun kids TV show notes. Then in the middle of it all we have two new stories, one acting as a teaser for the upcoming Ranger Academy series and another that presents us with a teaser new continuity involving the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Most impressively is that while the six new stories each have their own creative teams the voices of the characters remain consistent throughout. This shows how well these creative teams know the Power Rangers franchise that they can work on their own individual stories that all work complementary to each other. Hitting this gave a natural flow between stories, which especially helped the four stories that are expand on things from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show continuity.
Each of the specific stories from the TV show continuity pull on all the nostalgia heart strings in the right way. Of all these stories the one that personally stood out was the one dedicated to Alpha 5. Mat Groom and Marco Renna do a great job at taking us on a journey with the original Alpha we grew up with. In the process we get a story that fans have wanted and only theorized about. If it was just this story alone it would’ve made this comic book worth it. Which speaks to the strength of how these stories hit so your fandom of all these characters you grew up watching on the show.
The other standout is the “What If?” story written by Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson and drawn by Francesco Mortarino. The story effectively follows the tradition of BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comic of both honoring the franchise while doing something new within the framework of the Mighty Morphin Era. When you finish this story, it leaves you hoping we don’t have to wait too long for the follow-up.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special is a morphenomenal celebration for the franchise. Every creative team delivered a story that made this anthology one-shot a must read for all Power Rangers fans. Make sure you do not miss out on this comic book.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10