Power Rangers/Ninja Turtles II #5 Review

Welcome back my friends, to the grand finale of this epic crossover we’ve been looking at. Last time, The Turtles and a temporarily reformed Shedder entered Dimension X in order to replace the Command Center’s Power Node and restore the Rangers’ connection to the Morphin Grid. Despite Rita preparing an ambush for our heroes the Turtles prevailed and, as an added bonus, acquired the power of the Dimension X Power Rangers. Meanwhile, The Rangers, now mutated into anthropomorphic dinosaurs, stayed behind to defend Angel Grove and were doing an alright job until Krang revealed his trump card, The Megazord, now converted into his new body.

We open with the Turtles, still in Ranger form, returning from Dimension X and restoring the Power Node at the command center. Unfortunately, Rita herself is waiting for them along with a now truly brainwashed Casey.

Back in the city, the rangers are doing their best to fight off Krang’s onslaught, but there’s only so much that six human sized Dinosaurs can do against a freaking Megazord. The Dragonzord would probably be useful right about now, but Tommy cannot summon it in his present condition. That’s when Shredder shows up with a Shadow Morpher, allowing him to once again assume the Green Ranger powers. Reluctantly, Tommy hands over The Dragon Dagger, which Shredder uses to summon The Dragonzord from the ocean. And there’s more good news, Alpha and Zordon have arrived Piloting Metalhead, the android turtle who was converted into a zord during the last crossover.

Back at the Command Center, while Donnie, Leo and Mikey triple team Rita, Raph fights Casey one on one and tries to talk some sense into him. Rita blasts the turtles, and begins the process of brainwashing them as well, but fortunately, Raph has managed to snap Casey out of it and the vigilante takes out Rita while she’s distracted.

In the city, Shredder and Zordon have their hands full with Krang and his evil Megazord, Krang having boosted the Megazord’s power using Utrom tech. Both Shredder and Zordon are down for the count when the Rangers leap into action, distracting Krang long enough for Shredder and Zordon to combine their Zords into the Dragon Turtlezord, which proceeds to wail on Krang until he begs for mercy. With the villains out of commission, it looks like the day has finally been won.

One week later, April, along with her new interns, Bulk and Skull, report on the events of the battle as Angel Grove is being rebuilt. Rita and Krang are sealed away in Space Dumpsters, Shredder leaves in peace, but proclaims that his alliance with the heroes is officially over, Casey and April, the latter now sporting a Dimension X Ranger form of her own, head to Dimension X to return the Morphers to the people who were once subjugated by Krang and the Turtles and Rangers celebrate their victory at Ernie’s Juice Bar. It seems all is well that’s ended well

Except it’s not over yet.

In our final scene of the crossover, we see that Shredder has taken over Rita’s moon base and made her generals swear loyalty to him. At the moment, Oroku Saki is talking to someone standing off in the shadows. The mysterious voice is not pleased to have been contacted by The Shredder, knowing that Shredder was working with the Rangers just one week ago. Shredder says that the world is his and his alone to rule, but his recent experience with the space witch has convinced him that he may have been shortsighted and feels that an alliance between himself and someone of equal ambition could help the both of them conquer the entire universe. And so our comic ends with Lord Zedd stepping out of the shadows, reading to listen to Shredder’s proposal.

Hot Damn, this was one hell of a crossover, topping its already great predecessor in almost every way. The way in which it blends the elements of the two universes and builds upon that is simply brilliant. As a fan of both of these franchises since I was a very small child, this was exactly what I wanted and I loved this story from start to finish. I especially loved the idea of Shadow Morphers, an idea so good that I’d love to see it used in a proper Power Rangers series. And naturally, the promise of the third crossover which features an alliance between Shredder and Lord Zedd has me hyped like you wouldn’t believe. I give this comic my stamp of recommendation as well as a standing ovation. Thank you for joining me for this series and stay tuned for more reviews in 2024!