MMPR VS TMNT #1
Recap
An epic crossover calls for an epic review, Ken B. and Mike Johnson are BOTH coming at ya for this one!
Ken B:
MMPR/TMNT #1 is the crossover I think every '90s kid was waiting for, yeah we got the one Space Rangers/TMNT crossover once upon a time but let's be real: Mighty Morphin or get out!
This time writer Ryan Parrot and artist Simone di Meo get it right and bring the six Rangers you always wanted to see up against the original sewer dwellers. The opening premise is simple enough: The Power Rangers are busting up monsters causing problems in the wrong hood (Angel Grove Represent!) but something is amiss, Tommy Oliver aka The Green Ranger is AWOL from the action.
Soon we see that somehow Tommy has crossed over into TMNT territory, infiltrating the infamous Foot Clan by going deep undercover although we're not yet privy to what his end goal is. This of course brings him into conflict with the Ninja Turtles and sets the stage for a pretty one sided clash. Even at "base form" Tommy is able to hold his own against the Turtles and make his escape! The rest of the Rangers not being any sort of slouches in the investigation department, soon follow suit and arrive in the midst of a second conflict between Tommy and the Turtles, this time he faces them as the Green Ranger in all his Dragonzord Power glory. The stage is set for a wild war to be waged between the two teams and in the midst, the Shredder plots against both seeking to make the Dragonzord Power his own!
Mike Johnson:
If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you watched both Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on television. There are even better chances you had posters on your wall, action figures on your dresser, and had a shirt or 10. When BOOM Studios and IDW decided to get together for a '90s team-up made in nostalgic nerd heaven, for the first time in comics history we finally get Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1!
The book opens with a little back and forth, an introduction of sorts of the respective worlds of MMPR and TMNT, building up to what is a pretty decent reveal about midway through. The turtles have come to battle an old, yet familiar foe…the Foot Clan. Although there’s a bit uneasiness with this battle due to one particular member of the Foot seems to be a bit more skilled. Well it turns out, that the Green Ranger has joined the Foot Clan for unknown reasons, which brings him face-to-face with the turtles. Tommy activates his Morpher, so the other Rangers can locate him. Once both teams are face to face, the epic battle ensues.
Review
Mike Johnson:
Once both teams are face to face, the epic battle ensues. Now here’s where I may ruffle some feathers, but this first issue reads like a Turtle book with guests. I say that to the fact that I feel as Ryan Parott is leaning a bit Turtle-heavy on the first issue…and can you blame him? Absolutely not. The simple fact that a Power Ranger has come into the Turtle realm says all that I need to know, however, this leaves a huge question as to why Tommy is a member of the Foot Clan, and how did Shredder make contact with Tommy? This is where Ryan Parrot shines, he’s done MMPR books before, and you can tell his knack for a really good story.
Ken B.:
Ryan Parrott kills it here, he’s written the Rangers before and definitely/hopefully will again for some time to come. He’s supremely captured the personalities of the Rangers as well as the TMNT. The funny part though is trying to find ways to make this not a sweep, where the Rangers – who outclass the Turtles in all aspects from raw power to which team has the cooler costume themes – and then some. Fortunately though Parrott manages to pull this off convincingly! I mean let’s be real we all know who would win a full on war between the two teams!
Artist Simone di Meo does a top notch job as well, whether drawing the more bright and fantastical atmosphere of the Power Rangers on their home turf or showing them upstage the Turtles on theirs, every panel is superbly done. Walter Baiamonte and Igor Monti are a fantastic colorist tag team in this issue, making excellent colors choices to perfectly suit the bombastic nature of di Meo’s martial arts and sci-fi infused pencils. They knock home just how different and well-balanced the worlds of the Rangers and the Turtles really are.
Final Thoughts
All in all this is exactly what you want when you see a headline like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the front of a comic. The martial arts action is real, the competition is heated and there's mystery abound for the heroes to discover and solve. You'd be hard pressed to find anyway this crossover could have been kicked off any better!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vs TMNT #1: Colorful Chaos
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
- Color - 8.5/108.5/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10