Rob reviews Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #101...
A new era for the Power Rangers starts here as Melissa Flores takes over the controls from long-standing Power Rangers scribe, Ryan Parrott. And after reading issue #101, with Flores, the Rangers are in great hands.
Kicking off the 'Recharged Era' Flores takes us on a trip back into Zordon's past - 10,000 years to be exact. Rita Repulsa has been captured and Zordon attempts one last time to appeal to the goodness that dwells inside. Ever the villain, Rita uses this moment to strike Zordon with the curse that will see him confined to the containment chamber.
Shocked awake in the present and it's this encounter that remains etched onto Zordon's mind. As such he tasks Alpha to continuously scan the Moon as he fears Rita's words of never-ending conflict could be correct.
Meanwhile, not content with trusting the Pocket Dimension (see Mighty Morphin #22), the Rangers are utilising their alliance with Grace Sterling to access Promethea's training facilities. In a somewhat light-hearted moment, we see the team bonding over a "friendly" session of Power Ranger paintball. Aisha, Rocky, and Adam Vs. Kimberly, Matt, and Tommy - with the female Rangers taking the gold for both sides. There's also a hint of romance as Matt confides in former flame, Kimberly his feelings for the Yellow Ranger.
Of course, things don't stay peaceful for long as the Moon suddenly reappears in the skies and the Command Center receives a distress call. Once the Rangers are reassembled, Zordon makes them aware that the distress call comes from Lord Zedd. Even as they debate the obvious trap they are walking straight into, the team gear up and head into space.
Utilising a new - and very cool - flying mode for the Dragonzord, the group approach the moon. However, in their approach, the Dragonzord is shot down by a new version of Putty that looks very familiar to the Chaos Putty. As Billy takes stock of the damage, the rest of the team is soon swarmed by a horde of this new Putty - with Goldar seemingly leading the charge.
In a bit of comic relief, it soon turns out that Goldar is running from the horde, and he begs his arch nemeses for help. As the Rangers get to work battling the horde of improved Putty, Rocky and Aisha head to Lord Zedd's throne room, while Matt and Kim head deeper into the hideout's basement in search of Lord Zedd.
As Rocky and Aisha encounter a very regal-looking Finster - who attacks them with a monster version of Zedd's throne. Matt and Kim come face-to-face with a very broken Lord Zedd who's been crushed by none other than Rita. But this isn't the Rita Repulsa we know. Oh no! She now goes by Mistress Vile!
As opening issues go, Flores smashes it out of the park. The small flashbacks to Zordon's past are always a welcomed sight, and here it's no different. Finally seeing the conclusion to the Eltarian's battle against Rita not only adds yet more light to both characters but also highlights just how full of regret Zordon still feels thousands of years later. It's also this regret, that comes back to haunt him with Rita appears as Mistress Vile
Away from this and it was nice to see Aisha and Matt have some time in the spotlight. While I'm all up for relationships between characters it does feel a little forced. After all, we've got Tommy and Kim, and I'm pretty sure there was a "thing" between Jason and Trini too. However, you could also say that if it does develop it's bringing some much-needed character work for Aisha. So fingers crossed either way. Matt also gets more character work. I love how he's not quite adjusted to superhero life, and not trusting himself to fly his Zord reaffirms his rookie status.
Writing-wise and the entire issue flowed pretty well. The pacing was spot on throughout with Flores using softer moments to let everything sink in. The tension soon rises once we switch to the Moon as everything gears up to Rita's return. The artwork is also of similar quality. Simona Di Gianfelice has a very similar style to Marco Renna and makes a great transition from what we've already seen.
Overall, I can heap the praise on this new creative team enough. Across this opening, Melissa Flores has already made her mark on the franchise. The introduction to Mistress Vile certainly came with a bang, and I feel it's only going to get worse for the Rangers as time goes on.
With so many questions that already need answering, I'm very excited to see what's next!
Rating: 9.5/10
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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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