Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2018 Annual (comic) - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2018 Annual

Writers: Kyle Higgins, Anthony Burch, Caleb Goellner, Adam Cesare, Becca Barnes, & Alwyn Dale
Illustrators: Marcus To, Dylan Burnett, Patrick Mulholland, Hyeonjin Kim, & Simone Di Meo

Recent Release Date: April 25, 2018

Synopsis: Featuring fan-favorite teams from across the Power Rangers universe—Dino Charge, RPM, Time Force, Ninja Steel, Dino Thunder—the entire fabric of reality is under threat as Drakkon invades!

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Review: I have absolutely loved the past two Power Rangers annuals. They have shown little glimpses into stories that take place away from the action or delve into minor characters' backstories. This annual is a little different in that it is part of the Shattered Grid event, but each short story in this issue each follows a different team of rangers. 

The first story was my favorite, probably since it features the Zeo Rangers. I think that was really the last season I watched before falling out of Power Rangers as a kid. I obviously came back into the fandom since then. Kyle Higgins has done such a good job at finding interesting emotional points from the tv show and actually letting them happen. In the show, there isn't much shown about leadership dynamics or tension between characters that can't be resolved in a half hour. The first story takes place right after Jason lost his Gold Ranger powers. 

Lord Drakkon is at the center of all these stories, trying to harness different Ranger powers. The second story shows the SPD team. The third has RPM, with Drakkon trying to persuade Dr.K to join his cause. The fourth story is In Space. This is another example of a great emotional conflict that wasn't accurately shown in the show, in my opinion. TJ goes from being the leader to just another ranger. The last story showcases Ninja Steel, which I am not familiar with, but I still enjoyed the story.

There are different art styles for each of the stories. I liked seeing Drakkon drawn different ways. I'm interested to see how each of these stories fits into the greater Shattered Grid story. I give this issue a 5/5.


--PAUL