Review: MMPR: Pink #2

Our contributor, Darryll Robson is a huge fan of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Here, he takes a look at the second issue of MMPR: Pink from Boom! Studios.

Kim’s journey home has turned into a fight for survival. Facing not one but two super villains means it may be more than the Pink Ranger can handle by herself. Continuing the solo adventure of the Pink Ranger, creators   Brenden Fletcher and Kelly Thompson up the ante and broaden the narrative's horizons.

MMPR: Pink Review

Credit: Boom! Studios

Synopsis

Reeling from the shock of her mother’s fate and realising that the combined forces of Goldar and Verto are too much for her on her own, Kim turns to Zordon for help. Zordon explains that the current Rangers are off-world and out of reach but there may be another solution.

After Kim tracks them down Zordon uses the power of The Sword of Light to transfer his power to Trini and Zack who return as the Black and Yellow Rangers. Together they return to France to battle the combined forces of Goldar and Verto. Unfortunately for them a new Zord and an unexpected betrayal make the task that much harder.

Credit: Boom! Studios

Analysis

Warning: Spoilers for this issue of Pink follow.

MMPR Pink #2 starts off strongly, peters out in the middle and has a promising end.

The opening where Kim employs a strategic retreat and has to hide her secret identity from Serge has the same wonderful pacing that made the first issue so exciting to read. Thompson and Fletcher use the situation Kim is in to extend her character and show the reader her strengths and weaknesses. She has a moment of vulnerability but her intelligence doesn’t let her dive into an unwinnable fight. She knows when to step back for the greater good. This protective instinct is enforced when she lies to Serge and gives him a job to do that makes sure he’s nowhere near the dangerous action.

Then she turns to Zordon for help. It’s at this point that the story loses its pace and cohesion. The enlistment of other Rangers in this solo comic isn’t the main problem with this part of the narrative but it’s execution leaves a lot to be desired. When Kim teleports and collides with Trini it feels like the reader has started reading a different comic. The next five or six pages are reminiscent of the opening scene from a classic Star Trek movie where the cast all come back together for with big smiles and back patting. It’s cheesy and over long. Maybe it does show a little of the characters’ natures but there’s nothing that couldn’t have been covered in a few panels.

The Art work at least stays consistent and if there is anything to take away from the reunion scene it’s the energy expressed by Daniele Di Nicuolo. It also gives colourist Sarah Stern a chance to brighten the panels up with some daylight hours to play with.

Credit: Boom! Studios

The other flaw with this month’s narrative is the speed at which the three Rangers are captured and the Sword of Light falls into the enemy hands. From the moment Zordon says that they must be careful with the sword, after all it’s all his power, you know they are going to lose it but not half as quickly as they do. Kim turns to her fellow Rangers for help but their increased number seems to increase their stupidity, at least that’s how it reads. While the Rangers are discussing, loudly, where to hide the Sword they allow an army to sneak up on them. This doesn’t fit very well with the characters that have previously been set up; Kim is much smarter than this.

However, Di Nicuolo’s Art makes up for the shortfalls in writing this month. He gives the Rangers real presence on the page and the power of the characters literally breaks through the panels and crosses the gutters. The energy and pacing is with the art if not with the writing.

There are still four more issues in this miniseries left, so maybe this blip in the narrative may be forgotten in the coming months; the first issue, after all, was of a much higher calibre.

This issue isn’t the best but it’s not worth giving up on it just yet.

Darryll Robson is a Contributor to ComiConverse.  Occasionally he might use his Twitter account: @DarryllRobson

Source: Boom Studios