SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

October 27, 2020 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

October 27, 2020 by J. Caleb Mozzocco   Leave a Comment

Cover of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artists: Simone Di Meo, Alessio Zonno, Walter Baiamonte and Igor Monti
BOOM! Studios; $19.99

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers mass media franchises actually have quite a bit in common, despite the vast differences in their starting points. The former began as a self-published black-and-white comic book parodying various trends of 1980s super-comics, of course, while the latter began as a live-action children’s superhero show based around stock footage from a Japanese television series.

When the Turtles got their second life as cartoon stars hawking a toy line in 1987, though, the similarities became more apparent: Both franchises revolved around groups of color-coded teenaged martial artists with one assigned personality trait apiece, and both concepts steadily conquered every conceivable form of media and merchandising in the United States and around the world. The two franchises even briefly combined in 1998, when the short-lived live-action Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation show crossed over with Power Rangers In Space.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It is therefore no surprise to see another crossover then, this time in the Turtles’ home media of comics. Never long absent from comics racks, the Turtles have been appearing in a series from IDW Publishing since 2011, while the Power Rangers returned to comics in 2016, this time at BOOM! Studios.

Refreshingly though, writer Ryan Parrott doesn’t get bogged down in the ongoing storylines of either of those books, nor does he seem concerned with it at all. Rather, he has constructed this five-issue miniseries-turned-graphic novel as a more-or-less standalone affair. Sure, you need to have at least a baseline familiarity with both franchises, a familiarity that anyone the least bit interested in the book would likely already have (or at least be able to learn by watching the opening theme songs of the original Turtles cartoon and the first season of Power Rangers).

Parrot and company basically produce their own versions of each of the two franchises and then begin mixing them together. The specific version of the Turtles is basically that of the original cartoon series, but a bit more influenced by the comics and subsequent iterations. The Power Rangers are essentially those of their first TV show. But in both cases, they are portrayed in a more sophisticated, less childish way. Which isn’t to say the book is geared towards adults, it just doesn’t badly pander to kids in the way the TV shows did.

Green Power Ranger Tommy has gone missing from the Rangers’ home of Angel Grove, California, showing up in a rather unlikely place: Dressed in the uniform of a Foot Clan ninja in New York City, where he’s fighting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The reason? He’s trying to infiltrate the clan in order to rescue an old friend of his, and he didn’t want to involve his new friends.

Things spiral out of control, however, when Tommy calls upon his super-powers to help him fight off the Turtles. This draws the attention of the other rangers, who show up to rescue their missing teammate and, well, comic book crossover rules apply: The heroes fight one another before realizing it’s all just a big misunderstanding and they are actually on the same side.

The real villain is, of course, The Shredder, who steals Tommy’s “morphin” abilities and stops the other Rangers from accessing theirs, ultimately allying himself with Rita Repulsa and combining their forces of bumbling, monstrous henchmen to launch an all-out attack on the heroes.

Parrott and company take advantage of the opportunity to do all of the mixing-and-matching the event allows for, like temporarily giving April O’Neil and the Turtles the Rangers’ powers and costumes, outfitting the Rangers as ninjas, and turning a Turtle robot into a giant robot capable of trading blows with giant-sized monsters and Shredder’s commandeered giant robot dragon.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Additionally, the book allows for plenty of comparing and contrasting  of the natures of each team: The flashier, public superhero-style Rangers and the shadowy, unknown ninja Turtles who never get recognition for their deeds.

Di Meo’s artwork, colored by Walter Baiamonte (and this is one comic where color is pretty essential), sticks quite faithfully to the Power Rangers’ designs from the TV show, although the monsters and vehicles are all infinitely less clunky than the suits and special effects of an imported children’s television show. As for the Turtles characters, though, Di Meo basically invents his own versions, which are a compromise between the cartoon versions and the modern comics versions.

The art is highly detailed and features a thin line, with much of the action seemingly defying gravity; almost all of the fighting and ninja moves involve figures suspended in the air, as if flinging themselves through space.

Decades after the two franchises took up a seemingly permanent place in global pop culture, they continue to reinvent themselves and find new spaces to occupy. By joining forces, they’ve added the inter-company comic book crossover to their lists of accomplishments. Luckily for readers, its not just an exercise in box-ticking: It’s a very solidly produced, very fun comic book series.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Boom! StudiosIDW PublishingMighty Morphin Power RangersRyan ParrotSimone Di MeoTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

About J. Caleb Mozzocco

J. Caleb Mozzocco is a way-too-busy freelance writer who has written about comics for online and print venues for a rather long time now. He currently contributes to Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog and ComicsAlliance, and maintains his own daily-ish blog at EveryDayIsLikeWednesday.blogspot.com. He lives in northeast Ohio, where he works as a circulation clerk at a public library by day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Review: Swim Team

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

March 2023

Review: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

March 2023

Review: Victory! Stand!

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

February 2023

Insomniacs After School, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

February 2023

Review: A Visit to Moscow

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

U.S. Gov: ‘All Books Must Have Round Corners’

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Swim Team

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Write What You Know. Read What You Don’t, a guest post by Lauren Thoman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Marvel, Scholastic To Launch New Line of Graphic Novels for Young Readers

Graphic Novels Extend Their Frontiers

SPONSORED

12 Essential Nonfiction Graphic Novels for Kids and Teens

Exclusive Excerpt of "The Baby-Sitters Club" Graphic Novel 'Jessi's Secret Language'

Author Jim Murphy Has Died; Kaepernick, Scholastic Publishing Graphic Memoir; and More | News Bites

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023