1993 saw the birth of a phenomenon and like with any phenomenon, the merchandising empire eventually has to include the obligatory tie-in comic. And so in 1994, the Bruce Hamilton company got the rights to produce a six-issue mini-series based on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and we’ll be looking at these issues every so often.
The common problem with these early MMPR comics is rather obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of the show; Lord Zedd, at the time a relatively new villain introduced in the second season, acts too much like previous season antagonist Rita Repulsa that it’s almost jarring. He would call upon Finster to make him a monster, he would have temper tantrums and headaches, and he would use his wand to make monsters grow… much like Rita would in the first season.
The reason for this was clear; if you had comics featuring Rita as the main villain while the TV show made her old news, the comics would be immediately outdated and behind the times. So they had to shoehorn Zedd in there. This problem will eventually become a bigger issue once the change in cast became apparent in the fourth issue, but we’re jumping ahead here.
The first issue is standard MMPR fare; the Ranger teens are participating in a Science Fair and Lord Zedd is inspired by the Dracula moth to create one of his fiendish monsters to attack the city of Angel Grove. The Rangers try to fend off the monster, only for most of them to be trapped in cocoons, forcing Billy and Kimberly to go find an antidote.
As a story, it’s basic fare that’s done well enough that it could fit in as a filler episode, anachronisms aside. The artwork isn’t fantastic, however; it tries to give a realistic vibe, but it just doesn’t work for me here. That having been said, at the very least, you recognize the characters as they bare some likeness to the show and it’s a pretty solid book as a result.
dtm666 