Comic Book Review - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103

Rob reviews Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103...

We're just three issues into the new "Recharged Era" and Melissa Flores has not only firmly taken the Power Ranger reigns - she's steering the ship in an entirely new direction...

...and I'm all for it! 

In much the same way as the previous two issues, #103 has a lot to unpack. Not only do we get more relationship-building from Zordon and Lord Zedd, Kimberly and Tommy come to blows, Jason teams up with Bulk and Skull, and an even more sinister threat emerges from the shadows. 

Kicking things off is another flashback into Zordon's past. This time however we're still firmly in the present as the Eltarian utilizes his connection to the Morphing Grid to meld with a comatose Lord Zedd. It's using this connection that Zordon continues to appeal to Zophram, whilst simultaneously finding out just how Mistress Vile was able to retake the moon. Zedd then let's slip that Vile's mysterious partner seems to fight like an Eltarian - just without the honor

Elsewhere and tensions start to come to a head as the Rangers deal with leaving Matt on the Moon. It's quite a coup having the Rangers leave one of their own behind - especially when they all know just what Mistress Vile is capable of. After all, the team has seen it firsthand with Tommy. 

Even so, with the team seemingly on the verge of defeat, Matt did what he had to if not they'd all be captured. But, this self-sacrifice doesn't have to be liked, and no one else is feeling it worse than Aisha. Since #101 we've seen the Yellow Ranger take a shine to Matt. And while Aisha is coming to terms with deciding what these feelings are, she's now got to deal with Matt's imprisonment. Thankfully Adam is there and gives Aisha a much-needed ear to vent her frustrations to. 

Away from the Power Rangers and the effects of the Eltarian War are still being felt by some of the Angel Grove residents. Still pining over Candice, Skull decides to be something more and drags Bulk along for the ride. And within their sights just so happens to be Jason. Last time we saw Jason was in the aftermath of his duel with the Death Ranger. No longer having a connection to the Morphing Grid, the previous Omega Red Ranger is back on Earth taking care of his father, and needing some much-required time out. However, with Skull asking Jason for karate lessons - we'll hopefully see him back again soon. 

It isn't long before the monster of the week attacks, only this time it's swiftly dealt with by Kimberly. This abruptness brings the Pink Ranger into conflict with Tommy who reminds her that they have a way of doing things - and escalating the conflict, isn't it? Grace Sterling also happens to be back on the scene as she reminds Zordon about leaving his Rangers on the Moon. Naturally, the current situation with Matt mirrors Grace's own time as a Ranger, and it's certainly not hard for the Promethea head to see history repeating itself. 

To then make matters worse, Grace reveals that Promethea is unable to locate Matt and the Dragonzord - meaning Mistress Vile has fled the Moon. The shocks continue to build as Billy receives a message back from Trini which then has the Rangers heading off into space. 

However, what they find is a beaten and destroyed Red Omega Zord, and a long-thought-defeated enemy sitting within its chassis. 

Where do we even begin to start unwrapping this issue? Tackling the elephant in the room and let's talk about Jason. It was always a given that the character would continue to feature in some way, even though he's lost his connection to the Grid. While I'm pleased to see Jason back, could it possibly be too soon? After all, it has only been three issues. Either way and Flores seems to be cooking something up as Jason seems set to team up with Bulk and Skull. I'm interested in seeing just how Flores deals with Jason, especially when he hears about the danger his friends are in. 

Writing-wise and there's a great deal of emotional trauma dealt with within this issue. Flores brings a great degree of understanding as we see various sides to this spectrum. Again, this is mainly seen within Kimberly and Aisha, although Zordon and Grace also have their way of coping with recent events. For Kimberly, this has seen the youngster take on a more rebellious role. While with past events we've seen her question the team's fragility, she's now physically dealing with the loss of a teammate and as such she's taking no chances, the abrupt nature of simply destroying the "monster of the week" with the Firebird takes away the fun-factor, but it does answer the question as to why the Rangers don't do that every week. 

The set-to between Zordon and Grace also adds more to their relationship, and it was great to see Grace's pain from the past come to the surface. Even though we've not fully seen the history between the two, it's no secret that Zordon "abandoned" Grace and her team. While Zordon regrets the entire situation, Grace has never truly forgiven the Eltarian for his actions. Even with their fragile alliance, the situation with Matt, and Zordon losing "her" Ranger brings that conflict back to the forefront. 

Quite where we go from here is anyone's guess. The return of a character who's not been seen since Saban's Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers certainly throws an almighty spanner in the works. With the Dark Spectre's shadow hanging ever ominous in the background, could this be the next player within his mystery team of bad guys? 

And what's happened to the Omega Rangers!?

Either way, Melissa Flores continues to make this new era a real page-turner. The pacing flows from page to page with Flores utilizing the quieter moments to allow things to sink in. Across each character's dialogue and actions, you get a real sense of that uneasy atmosphere that's slowly building up around everyone. There's also that gut feeling that things aren't quite right and that the Rangers are going to be put through their paces before the end of this arc. 

Thankfully, I'll be here through it all! 

Rating: 9.5/10 

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