The identity of Ranger X is revealed, but the real question is: Is he brainwashed, or has he gone over to the dark side? Your Major Spoilers review of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2 from BOOM! Studios awaits!

MIGHTY MORPHIN’ POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II #2

Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Dafna Pleban
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 25, 2023

Previously in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Casey Jones finds himself at odds with his former friends… and allied with Rita Repulsa and General Krang! But has his allegiance truly shifted, or is he under some kind of spell that the Turtles and the Rangers can break?

NEW YORK UNDER SIEGE

The shocking news that their friend Casey Jones is actually Ranger X has left the Turtles puzzled and concerned, but the more distressing revelation is that Krang and Rita Repulsa have been collecting villains for WEEKS. The Rangers and Turtles immediately start digging while, in Dimension X, Krang orders Casey to prove his loyalty by kneeling at his feet. There is something very scary going on with Rita as well, as she doesn’t seem quite herself, threatening to punish, even kill her own idiot soldiers (and Baxter Stockman). Both teams head back to the Command Center, just in time for a dimensional portal to open in the sky. Bulk and Skull advise the visiting April O’Neil to run for her life, but Donatello and the Blue Ranger have a better idea: POWER-BUNGA! With a little tweak to the Morphin’ Grid, both the Power Rangers and the Turtle Rangers head into action against Rita’s army, led by Casey/Ranger X. Red Ranger Raph, acting on Tommy’s advice, destroys Casey’s hockey stick to free him from her mind-control…

…but he’s NOT BEING MIND-CONTROLLED.

MORA MAKES THIS ONE GORGEOUS

Parrott has a knack for making some of the wildest ideas seem perfectly logical, as he does this time around with Casey’s powers, revealing that there were Power Rangers in Dimension X… until Krang destroyed them all. Once again, my favorite moments of the story come in the back-and-forth between the two casts, with Kimberly and April discussing the female Ranger skirt conundrum, Donatella and Zack discussing how all reptiles aren’t alike, and Michelangelo trading puns with Trini. The most impressive exchange, though, comes when Zordon asks Splinter if he ever regrets forcing his teenage charges to fight in a war they never made, and Splinter responds that some wars MUST be fought and that it is a noble calling. It’s a near-perfect moment, giving Zordon a confidante to admit his concerns, Splinter a chance to explain his personal philosophy, and, best of all, a chance to poke holes in the “child soldiers” discourse that for some reason always seems to pop up around the Power Rangers. Dan More also makes the exchange of philosophies between a human rat and a floating blue head not plausible, but visually exciting.

BOTTOM LINE: WELL WORTH YOUR FIVE BUCKS

indeed, the beauty of the art makes Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2 a must-read, in my view, giving us note-perfect tokusatsu helmets, reimagined ’90s cartoon characters, and ELEVEN perfectly rendered, immediately recognizable protagonists, wrapping up for a well-deserved 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. The biggest complaint about this comic is paying five dollars for 20 pages of story, but when the story and art are this good, even that’s not a deal-breaker for me.

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