Review – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #34 (BOOM! Studios)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Marguerite Bennett
Artist: Simone Di Meo, Francesco Mortarino
Colours: Walter Baiamonte, Francesco Segala
Lettering: Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 19th December 2018

A seventh Ranger has joined the team, but the Praetor is knocking at the doors of our heroes. With access to the Solarix our Rangers are all powered up, but with Praetor’s knowledge of all our heroes and their fears, will they falter, or will the Rangers dig deep and end this first arc with a victory to remember?

Okay, here we go. It’s time for the first battle with the new big threat to our Rangers: The Praetor. As such, we go all-out here with the Rangers summoning their Zords from Morphin Grid energy. Everything they do here is in attempt to protect the Solarix which, based on the reveal of its origins this issue, is looking to be the main plot device for these Rangers.

However, in spite of all the action, this series stays on top form with its strong focus on character above all else. The battle throughout the course of this issue allows Marguerite Bennett to put our characters in immediate danger, meaning that the character relationships thus far are really impacting the story. Especially (and I’m really happy to say this because I’m really enjoying it) Tanya and Mike’s relationship.

Tanya herself gets a lot to do here and it’s all well-deserved, but what Bennett does best here is deconstruct our heroes’ weaknesses, an approach which will certainly lead to some dynamic revelations down the line (Dark Ranger origins next issue, folks). Honestly, without the excellent work in character development and interaction this book would only be half as good.

Now it’s time to talk about Simone Di Meo and Walter Baiamonte, who continue to provide some of my favourite artwork in the comic book medium today. Di Meo really gets to push it here with the Zords in an epic space battle on the same scale as a Star Wars film. Hundreds of ships against our heroes, but despite this grander scale Di Meo still manages to fill each character with emotion, once again emphasising the reason this book works so amazingly. The action is great, the story is engaging but it’s the characters themselves who really make this book worthwhile. Completing our dream team this issue is Walter Baiamonte on colours, who really helps make the blackness of space contrast superbly against the bright colours of our Ranger’s Zords.

This year has been phenomenal for Power Rangers fans. Shattered Grid was a truly spectacular story and a complete love letter to the franchise. But somehow, for me, this new creative team has surpassed it. Bennett, Di Meo, Baiamonte and Mortarino have given us the Power Rangers comic of the year, and with this first arc over, I cannot wait to see where they take us next. Even if you’re not a fan of Power Rangers at all, if you like good comics, you owe it to yourself to give this one a read. It’s truly amazing.

Rating: 5/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK]