Comic Book Review - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1

Rob reviews Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1...

It's hard to believe that it's been three years since Ryan Parrott first treated us to a team-up for the ages. Across the 5-issue mini-series, the Ranger and Turtle worlds collided as Tommy went missing, and Shredder ended up with the power of the Dragon Coin. And that's before the Turtles became Power Rangers themselves!

The original mini-series was a stunning piece of work. Parrott tapped into the highs of both franchises to create a rollercoaster thrill ride that started at 10 and didn't cool down. It had everything that a Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan would want in a team-up between the two heavyweights.

Now back with a sequel it also begs the question of whether Ryan Parrott can top the previous installment. And while we're only one issue in, the answer is looking like a resounding yes!

So, let's dive in...

Opening up onto the rooftops of New York, Parrott jumps straight into the action. Still unaware of Shredder's whereabouts after he was seemingly abducted by Rita, Casey Jones is busy demanding answers. Who better to ask than Karai? As the duo jostles back and forth, Casey is blindsided and seemingly gets abducted by an unknown force.

Taking place three months after their previous outing and the Turtles are visiting Angel Grove. Due to some fancy hologram tech, Mikey and Donny can visit Ernies with Zack, Trini, and April, while Leo spars with Jason back in the Pocket Dimension. Meanwhile, Raph and Tommy are back in New York trying to determine what happened to Casey on the rooftop.

As the Rangers head to New York to lend assistance, we then shift to Goldar and Rocksteady as they orchestrate a daring prison break.

Naturally, there's a lot more to this tale, but to delve anymore into it heads into spoiler territory. If like me and you love both franchises, then this is ultimately best going into blind - you won't regret it.

Casey and Karai fighting on the roof tops

What makes this team-up series great is that it's easy to simply pick up and read. Ryan Parrott doesn't rely on the rich history of both franchises to tell his story. As such there's no mention of past events - aside from what happened in the last outing. While I'm not educated in the current TMNT status quo. For the Power Rangers it means that Tommy is still the Green Ranger, and Trini, Zack, and Jason haven't become the Omega Rangers. So technically it falls into the timeline of MMPR Season 2?

In keeping with the nostalgia there are quite a few fun moments between both hero teams. With both sides essentially being mirror copies of each other, it's natural that certain characters will gravitate toward each other. There's some great chemistry between the groups and it was nice to see Jason and Leo discussing their more troublesome teammates, while Billy and Donny properly geek out over technology - and Mikey orders a pretty strange smoothy with Zack. April also makes an appearance as she's propositioned by an extremely hopeful Bulk.

While the comic is a great slice of nostalgia, it's at its best when the fighting starts. The bulk of this takes place in the issues closing parts as the Rangers and Turtles battle Rocksteady and Goldar. Here Dan Mora utilizes an interesting page layout that has us following the villains as they work their way up to the roof of the prison. Reading from the bottom of the page upwards isn't something I'm used to, but Mora effortlessly keeps our attention with his flowing battle scene.

Overall Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 continues to be a love letter to both long-running franchises. It's a simple-to-follow story that takes place outside of the main continuity which is extremely accessible for anyone to pick up and enjoy. With page after page of gorgeous Dan Mora art (and Raúl Angulo colors), along with another classic Ryan Parrott script - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 is about to kick shell!

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, Hive, Facebook, & TikTok @GeekCultureRev

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