Let's Talk About MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #52
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #52 is available in stores today, and I’m intrigued. I have some thoughts based on the issue and we’re going to talk about them. If you haven’t read it yet, you can get physical copies through your local comic store or digital copies through various outlets including comiXology.
As tensions rise between the OMEGA RANGERS and the MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS over the return of <SPOILER>, Kimberly takes it upon herself to interrogate their new prisoner. Meanwhile, a team of Rangers on a crucial intergalactic mission come face to face with the herald of a new threat heading straight for Earth!
Let’s talk about the Omega Rangers first. They’re currently working on helping the empowered be safe and returning some of them to their homes. We first see Zack playing a game of Torono Ball with some new friends of his and he just narrowly loses because apparently the home team can make up the rules. Well, they then go to take these friends to their home planet of Gorvinos III. On the way to the planet, Trini and Jason are talking as he works out and he mentions going back to Earth after dropping the aliens at their planet. The way he sees it, they’re mission is complete and Xi can always call them if something happens to the bad guys trapped in the Vault.
Things get rough though when they arrive at Gorvinos III and it’s been practically demolished. Something has hit the planet with an energy attack that has destroyed the capital city. The Rangers go down to investigate and find some new foot soldiers that look like rock dogs but are made of bacteria and lifeless matter and can regenerate really fast. Eventually, they get defeated by a new powerful team attack by the Rangers, but before they can celebrate a new foe appears. I don’t recognize the villain, so I’m thinking it’s a brand new one, but if you recognize them, let me know in the comments below.
This part of the story is pretty typical set up for a new storyline. Nothing shocking there. Next, let’s talk about what’s going on with Drakkon. Drakkon is still imprisoned and crazy. Kim goes to “interrogate” him, but really it’s just her being mad and him riling her up even more. He talks about how he knows her secrets from Ranger Slayer and tries getting her to kill him. She almost does it, but ends up not doing it. She is really having a hard time with him being around and she talks a big game, but I’m getting a little worried for her. I’m still convinced that Drakkon is genuinely crazy though and he’s terrified.
Finally, we have the Adam storyline. This is a brief one, but I think it’s going to play a pretty big role. In class, Aisha and Adam are about to partner up for an assignment, but Aisha gets paired with Bulk instead and Adam meets a girl named Violet Arias. We learn that Violet is not the biggest fan of the Power Rangers, not because she doesn’t see them as a help, but because she’s worried about how independent they are and a lack of accountability on their part. This is actually a very interesting take and kind of refreshing. So often we simply see people revering the Power Rangers as the saviors of the world, but here we have a character who is a little more worried about the ramifications of even having Power Rangers. You can tell at the end though that she isn’t the most comfortable talking about this as she worries that Adam now hates her for saying things, but he does admit that she has a valid opinion for him to consider.
Now, this is what I wanted to talk about the most. We know that when we start Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers, there will be a new Green Ranger. Most people, including myself, have figured that it’s Drakkon. However, Violet poses a very interesting option. Based on what we learned at the Comic-Con@Home panel, we know that the Green Ranger will be a character that fans do and do not expect and it will be an organic growth into the character. I think there’s a good chance that they’re going to have Violet’s growth result in her becoming the new Green Ranger. So, I think we have three solid options for who the new Green Ranger will be: Drakkon (kind of doubting it now), Violet (my current top choice), and someone we haven’t met yet but from Grace Sterling’s team. After all, Grace has the Dragon Dagger at Prometheus.
What did you think of MMPR #52? Who do you think will be the new Green Ranger?