In the final issue of the first Power Rangers/Ninja Turtles crossover event back in 2020, Shredder and Rita Repulsa disappeared in search of Dimension X. Now, we finally get to see the results of that search and the unholy alliance created between General Krang and Rita Repulsa.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2!
The meat of the issue is an old fashioned alien invasion of Angel Grove. Rita Repulsa is joined by her usual minions, Rock Soldiers of Dimension X as well as some heavy hitters from the Ninja Turtle universe like Slash and Letherhead. The sheer numbers require both teams of heroes to give it their all and through the power of shadow morphing, the Turtles are able to morph into their Turtle Ranger form. The battle is fierce in Angel Grove, and there are some excellent action sequences. The quips and puns of the Turtles and Rangers are enjoyable without being too cliché.
BOOM! Studios/IDW Publishing
We find out soon enough that this invasion force is a distraction, and the real objective is taking place at the Command Center, where Scorpina, Baxter Stockman, Casey Jones (in his Power Ranger form) and Bebop are attempting to breach. It turns out that Stockman spent his time in prison devising a way of neutralizing the shields around the Command Center, hence the reason for his breakout in issue #1. Fortunately, Tommy, Jason and Raphael remained behind and are able to slow the interlopers down, but when it looks like all hope is lost and Bebop is about to missile Zordon, two throwing stars jam his weapon, and who else is there to save the day but the Shredder!
MMPR/TMNT II #2 has everything that fans of both franchises could ask for: Villains teaming up, heroes teaming up, and a shocking ending that leaves us thirsting for more. There’s even some quiet contemplation by Splinter and Zordon over a game of chess – the proverbial calm before the storm. Dan Mora’s artwork is top notch; it was like he was born to draw both of these franchises. Raúl Angulo’s colors are fantastic – the contrasting yellows, pinks, purple and reds on a lot of the backgrounds keeps the comic fresh looking with an almost vaporwave aesthetic.
There’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered, like is Casey Jones really being controlled by Rita? And who’s side is the Shredder actually on? Hopefully we’ll get some answers in issue #3.
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