Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
Written by Ryan Parrott
Art by Simone di Meo and Dan Mora
Published by BOOM! Studios and IDW Publishing
Released January 8th, 2020
Tommy faces a shocking betrayal within the Foot Clan that puts him in the crosshairs of their leader – Shredder! But can the Rangers and Turtles put their differences aside before Shredder unleashes his ultimate weapon? No Rangers or Turtles fan can miss this shocking last page!
After a beautiful looking and intriguing first issue, can Parrot/di Meo and team keep the ball rolling by delivering another nostalgic yet mighty radical issue in this five part series?
Yes. Yes they can. And they did.
Tommy Oliver is part of the Foot Clan, the Power Rangers want him back and cross our beloved Turtle brothers. Issue two picks up after a rooftop fight between Rangers and Turtles, Channel Six’s April O’Neil reports and the Turtles return to the sewers with some Mighty Morphin’ accompaniment. Issue two fleshes out plot points while the action takes a bit of a backseat (yet there’s still plenty to be had). I don’t know if Parrott had fun writing this series, but from what I’m reading it seems like he certainly did. The Turtles are no strangers to crossovers (especially recently) but it’s important for these characters to do more than pose for some poster-worthy splash pages while beatin’ up the baddies. And Ryan Parrott knows his stuff. With the story starting to really take form, we begin to see some real fanboy imagination…in a great way of course.
As someone who grew up on these television shows, the universe we’re introduced to is familiar. The Turtles, their world, and surrounding characters in this series are clearly influenced more by the 1987 series with some 2003 thrown in for good measure. The MMPR and their lore are intact as well…straight from 1993. My favorite thing about this issue is each ongoing conversation between a particular Ranger and Turtle during a chaotic foot clan fight. Mikey and Zack talk about favorite pizza toppings, Leo and Jason discuss fighting techniques, Raph and Trini explain the types of goon they take on. It’s little things like that that make these characters feel real.
The direction we’re headed with The Shredder (classically purple clad once again) and Tommy Oliver is what makes this team up stand out. It shows that Parrott and team are truly going out of their way to make the elements of these franchises blend in a creative and satisfying way. And like the official preview states, the last page will make MMPR and TMNT fans throw their wallets at issue 3. Simone di Meo’s art and Dan Mora’s colors continue to give this series an artful and unique look. While IDW’s TMNT series has more of a basic earthy look, this series is vibrant and stylistic. With dramatic angles and a very “outrun” esque color palette. I really love it.
Overall, MMPR/TMNT #2 delivers nostalgia, yes, but is clearly making its own headway with a creative storyline that should satisfy both TMNT and MMPR fans. I’m sold. And I can’t wait for Issue 3!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 is now available wherever comics are sold!
