Rob Lake reviews Mighty Morphin #4...
The Unlimited Power era continues to pull no punches as Mighty Morphin issue #4 changes everything. The majority of this issue continues the battle between the Rangers and the Chaos Putty. This all leads to an ending that answers the growing question...who is the Green Ranger?
Much like the last three issues, issue #4 opens up with a look to Zordon's past. This time around the young Eltarian is sparing with his mentor - The First Guardian. We get a nice bit of two-and-throw as Zordon and his superior trade barbs in response to Zordon's recent supervision trip. Whilst the inexperienced Zordon feels as if the session is leading to his demotion. The First Guardian has something else in mind.
These flashbacks to Zordon's past have been great so far. It's great to see the Rangers mentor as the inexperienced person he once was. If anything it also shows how much Zordon had changed as a character over the entire Power Rangers run. Also, there are some seeds planted about an enemy to the Eltarian's, which could develop into why Candice is in Angel Grove...
Back in the present day, the Rangers are still under assault by the Chaos Putty. It's not looking good as Lord Zedd seems to have the Rangers beat. There's a lot of action in this one and Marco Renna treats us to some spectacular set-pieces. The Dragonzord's appearance is just great and oozes with style and flair that makes it a delight. Walter Baiamonte and Katia Ranalli also give us those bright colours that have come to symbolise the Power Rangers. The action is flashy and bright but doesn't ever feel too much. Throughout this whole Zord Vs. Putty fight, the whole artwork just flows with the sense that the Rangers are fighting an incredibly powerful foe.
There's also room for character building as Rocky gets down and personal. Rocky has up until Mighty Morphin been a bit of a blank slate. However, Parrott has given us a lot of work with Rocky over the four issues. Its been nice to see the young Ranger grapple with what being the Red Ranger means. He also fights an army of Chaos Putty outside of the Megazord, which is fantastic!
So this whole issue serves as a build towards the reveal of the Green Ranger. The reveal itself is done incredibly well and closes out this issue. What comes beforehand however was unexpected and pushes how much of a threat Lord Zedd now is. With the Rangers licking their wounds, Zedd places the whole of Angel Grove into lockdown - which then leads to the reveal...
Well, I won't personally spoil that surprise, but it's a fantastic full-page reveal. Both Parrott's writing and Renna's full-page art is bursting full of character. I can't say anything more without spoilers but it's a great piece!
Ryan Parrott has played an absolute blinder throughout Mighty Morphin. With everything building up to this reveal it's hard to see what's next. Thankfully the seeds have been planted for a much larger threat looming on the horizon, and with Lord Zedd running amok on Earth, there's still plenty to explore.
Whether this also ties into Power Rangers we will have to wait and see. But both series has been an absolute joy from beginning to now. And the Unlimited Power era has shaken up the whole Ranger dynamic.
Rating 10/10
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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