Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9 Review
Welcome back to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Last time, things looked pretty bleak. Rita Repulsa, aided by the mysterious Black Dragon, had taken control of the Zords and gave the entire world a day to surrender to her. In a last ditch effort, the Rangers found a way to fight back by using Tommy’s remaining power, combined with the technology of the Black Dragon, to recharge their own powers, the only side-effect being, all the rangers are now Green.
We open with the military futilely trying to fight off the rogue Zords when the now Green rangers come in to help save the day. Each Ranger regains control of their respective Zords, but with Billy still trapped in Goldar’s dark dimension, they are unable to regain control of the Triceratops Zord. However, Tommy still has the Dragon Dagger and regains control of the Dragonzord to even the odds.
Speaking of Billy, he and Goldar are watching this whole thing from their prison in the dark dimension. Over the course of conversing with his cellmate, Billy learns that the Black Dragon is not one of Rita’s henchman, but rather, someone who reached out to Rita for reasons which remain a mystery, and Goldar doesn’t trust him. Billy also deduces that the Black Dragon may be a fully mechanical being as he spots an access hatch on his neck. Through no small effort on his part, Billy manages to convince Goldar to help him escape so he can help the others defeat the Black Dragon.
Billy teleports to Tommy’s location and after filling his fellow ranger in on the Dragon’s secret, the two make their way inside and start destroying the monster from within. Eventually, the Black Dragon explodes, seemingly with Tommy and Billy still inside. When the other Rangers recover the remains of the dragon, they notice that his parts seem almost identical to those of the Dragonzord.
Meanwhile, the “Dragon” contacts Rita who is shocked to learn that he is still alive. It is here that we learn that the Black Dragon was quite literally nothing but a puppet. The one pulling the strings is revealed to be none other than Tommy, or at least an alternate version of him, sitting on a throne not unlike Rita’s and sporting an costume that looks like a more evil version of the White Ranger costume.
Our comic ends with Billy and Tommy wake up in what looks like a ruined Angel Grove where twin statues of Tommy and Rita tower over the city.
What Works:
I’ll admit, I’ve suspected that the Black Dragon was an evil version of Tommy for some time, but even with that said, the reveal of the Dragon’s true nature was very well done. I like the outfit, even if it does feel like something off of deviantart. I look forward to seeing where this plot development goes. What’s more, I like the scene with Billy and Goldar. This series has actually gone a long way towards developing Goldar into a more well rounded character than he ever was back in the original series.
What Doesn’t: I felt the defeat of the Black Dragon felt a bit anti-climactic, but I can let that slide with the revelation of the Dragon being little more than a puppet.
Overall: 5/5
I am ultra hyped for the next issue to see where things with evil Tommy go. Right now it’s unclear if Tommy and Billy are in the future or an alternate reality, but I’m looking forward to finding out.