Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40 // Review
“Beyond the Grid” showed the aftermath of Boom's Power Rangers continuity following the climatic anniversary event “Shattered Grid.” An ambitious if not muddled storyline, “Beyond the Grid's” greatest weakness was the frustration it caused fans by being so removed from the state of events left at the end of “Shattered Grid.” But now with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40, the beginning of the “Necessary Evil” story arc, we see the beginning of an entirely new era helmed by fan-favorites Ryan Parrot and Daniele Di Nicuolo.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #40 begins with a re-cap, reprinting the final pages of the Shattered Grid #1 special. The Morphin Masters inform the Rangers they can rebuild the multiverse that Lord Drakkon destroyed but ominously noted that doing so might not create the universe they precisely remembered. The story begins proper with the Rangers battling a monster called Nefarious in a stylized re-imagining of the classic MMPR TV series. True to the Morphin Masters' warning, this rebooted universe has divergences from the earlier Mighty Morphin Power Rangers issues, but to go further would spoil the thrilling reveals.
The chosen direction for Parrot and Di Nicuolo's Power Rangers is on paper obvious but still comes with possible missteps. To the team's credit, issue #40 not only avoids these potential execution blunders with grace but IMMEDIATELY excels at a breakneck pace that might surprise the fanbase. Even for those who correctly surmised the plot of Necessary Evil, Parrot's script jettisons the reader in unsuspecting directions that rewards and engages them.
Parrot has something of a reputation as a "fan" writer thanks to his time on the Go Go Power Rangers title, which perfectly blended deep cut lore references and original character studies of the casts' personalities. Issue #40 cements this reputation by grabbing classic topics of PR fandom conversation by the throat, and immediately thrusting them into the readers face in an exhilarating unprepared way. This is the "world-building meets fulfilling storylines" approach that the fans have come to expect from the Boom line of books, done by the writer who possibly perfected the formula. But it's not only Parrot who brings his best, with the line work by Daniele Di Nicuolo showing as much energy and emotion to the pages as his work on “Shattered Grid.” Bringing to life every scene and line Parrot throws at him.
In some ways, Necessary Evil and issue #40 had even more pressure on its shoulders than Beyond the Grid. But that challenging fire has seemingly only strengthened the resolve of all the hands on it, creating the most captivating issue of the entire series since issue #1.
Grade A
