Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, eclipsed only by Christmas and the week of San Diego Comic-Con. (I take a week off work to cover that con and it’s chock full of many of my favorite things; it absolutely counts as a holiday.) Anyone who’s visited AIPT knows that I also love the Power Rangers, so Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Halloween Special #1 is definitely a comic that’s up my alley.
It doesn’t hurt that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Halloween Special #1 is packing four different tales within its pages, and features the return of monsters that are perfect for Halloween – especially the Pumpkin Rapper, who, true to his name, speaks in nothing but improvised rap verses. That’s the exact kind of ridiculousness that fuels the world of Power Rangers, and this special has it in spades.
The best example is “Terror Toad’s Trick-or-Treat Takeover” by Meghan Camarena, Zachary Sterlin, and Joshua Jensen. It features the Rangers being turned into pieces of candy by the titular Terror Toad, while retaining their consciousness. Camarena takes this crazy and runs with it, as Zack and Trini find clever ways not to be eaten while Jason pulls off a move so stupid it could only work in…well, an episode of Power Rangers. Sterlin rises to the challenge, drawing chibi-fied versions of the Power Rangers who still have plenty of expression.
If you think that the Power Rangers getting turned into candy bars is wild, “Candy Cornered” by Nick Marino and Juan Romera takes things a step further when Rita Repulsa enchants the candy corn that the Rangers are eating on Halloween Eve, literally turning them into popcorn. If that wasn’t ridiculous enough, Romera designs a new villain named Colonel Maize, who is a walking corn cob, and you’d better believe Marino brings the corn puns. It’s utterly ridiculous, but also entertaining.
BOOM!
“Pumpkin To Sing About” by Danny Lore, Jodi Nishijima, and Andrew Cramer comes close to capturing that spirit. It even has a similar setup for a story, as Jason and Zack, alongside a bus full of younger students, are ambushed by the Pumpkin Rapper. To get the kids’ minds off the impending danger, Jason and Zack tell the kids stories about their near defeats as Rangers, obviously leaving out key details. Or at least, this part is implied since the readers don’t get to hear these stories, which is a shame. Lore does have a gift for writing witty dialogue with the rest of the Rangers, and it’s a treat to see Nishijima’s artwork after the insanely underrated work she did on Marvel Unlimited’s House of Harkness.
The opening story, “Putty For Your Thoughts,” is surprisingly emotional. Sina Grace weaves a tale in which Rita takes over Kimberly’s body, transforming the Pink Ranger into a Putty. This is a great chance to explore the mindset of a Putty. They’ve been mostly obstacles for the Rangers to punch, yet they’re also living creatures, which leads to Grace delivering a sucker punch of a ending that no one was expecting. His artwork is also laced with horror elements; Kimberly’s Putty body is constantly melting, while Rita-as-Kimberly rocks an outfit that looks like it was designed by Edward Scissorhands.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Halloween Special #1 offers more treats than tricks, letting its creative team run wild with the idea of the Rangers celebrating Halloween. It’s probably no surprise to anyone, but I hope this becomes an annual tradition for BOOM! Studios. I’d absolutely read a Power Rangers Prime Halloween Special!
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