One of the most hype announcements of the year was special collaboration one-shot Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Usagi Yojimbo. This is a massive crossover. The Power Rangers have become known for their comic book crossovers, including the Justice League and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Crossing over with Usagi Yojimbo is as big as any of the crossovers the Power Rangers have had. Usagi Yojimbo is a legendary character and series created by Stan Sakai. I had the chance to check out an early copy of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo one-shot from BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, and DOGU Publishing. Find out how it turned out with our advanced review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Shawn Daley
Colorist: James Fenner
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/USAGI YOJIMBO SOLICITATION
“During a routine Rita Repulsa attack, the Rangers’ morphers do something unexpected… send them back to the Edo era of Japan!
Using the Morphin Grid’s power, the mysterious Ogasawara pulls the Rangers through time and begs for help, but when the enemy they face isn’t what they expect, our heroes will face a painful revelation!
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo, discover the crossover between the Rabbit Ronin and the teenagers with attitude that fans have been waiting for!” – BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, and DOGU Publishing
REVIEW
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo read exactly like a Saturday morning cartoon and it is fantastic for it. Ryan Parrott, Shawn Daley, and James Fenner knew exactly the type of magic they had with this comic book. While there are moments where you feel the danger of the big conflict driving the story, this comic book leans on the fun of these two franchises crossing over.
With its Saturday morning cartoon vibe right away what stands out is Shawn Daley’s artwork and the color palette by James Fenner. The art style is at its best when the Usagi Yojimbo franchise is the focus. Luckily most of the story takes place in Usagi Yojimbo’s world. Daley and Fenner’s art is so fitting to bring this world to life with all the different types of characters that exist there.
The difference in where the artwork is at its best is even more noticeable when Daley and Fenner drawn the Rangers in their morphed form. They go with a design that is far to simple that does have the same detail of Usagi Yojimbo’s world. Luckily there are design choices that Daley and Fenner are able to adjust as the story goes on to have their strength as an art team is at the forefront. That leads to some very cool moments that fans will be very excited to see.
On the story front, the experience Ryan Parrott has working on so many different Power Rangers comics, including several crossovers, shines. Parrott also shows great respect to the characters and world Stan Sakai created by capturing Usagi Yojimbo and his cast voice well. That leads to some good adjustments to make this crossover work that while there are some character differences with Power Rangers it all still keeps to the core of all the characters.
What particularly stood out was how Parrott utilized having the story set in Usagi Yojimbo’s world to spotlight the Rangers and how they deal with their foes. Parrott makes a story choice that does a good job at having the Rangers superhero approach be what ends up setting the entire story off.
All of this ends up working because all of the characters from the both franchises all have natural chemistry with one another. The tone of voice that Parrott, Daley, and Fenner are able to hit as a creative team that they all fit well. It all leaves you hoping this becomes an annual crossover we get.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo is pure fun. Ryan Parrott, Shawn Daley, and James Fenner hit a home run blending these two franchises together for a story that will have you smiling from beginning to end. With how fully realized this story is you can’t help but want to read even more stories with these two franchises having even more crossover stories in the future.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Check out all the covers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo by clicking here.
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