by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #2 from BOOM! Studios is now available at your local comic store!
For those of you who are just joining us, Power Rangers takes the WHAT IF… approach for a unique exploration of the original team in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, a special 4-issue series from BOOM! Studios. The original Pink Ranger herself, Amy Jo Johnson, teamed up with co-writer Matt Hotson (Titans), Artist Nico Leon (Ms. Marvel), Colorist Dono Sanchez-Almara (Captain America), and Letterer Ed Dukeshire (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) to form a new creative team with attitude.
The second chapter shifts things into turbo high-gear with an action-packed and emotional thrill-ride. There is so much packed into this morphinomenal installment, and we are pleased to once again do a deep dive with co-writer Matt Hotson.
SPOILER ALERT! This is a SPOILER HEAVY DISCUSSION for MMPR: The Return #2.
May the power protect you.
Matt Sernaker: During our last conversation, you and Amy Jo made a point about how you wanted to subvert expectations with the remaining issues, and I think you did just that with this second chapter.
Matt Hotson: Thanks! We love the first issue, and the somber tone of the world the (former) Power Rangers are in when we find them in that chapter… but we always knew we wanted to go and pull the rug out from under everyone’s feet with issue two!
MS: Let’s start off with the flashback to 22 years ago and the final battle on the moon. Can you talk about crafting this action-packed series of events? Were there any particular elements that surprised you while building this sequence?
MH: I think one of the strongest elements of issue two is the pacing, especially in how it contrasts to issue one. A lot of that credit goes to Amy Jo, and our editor Dafna. For a long time in the writing stage, this issue was set almost entirely in the past – everything but like the last two pages. And while it worked (to an extent), and was fun trying to sustain the action for that long – we’re dealing with a 4-issue mini-series here, and we really need to be driving the story forward with every single page.
Amy Jo and Dafna were both intent on getting to that big character introduction on the final page in this issue (instead of issue three), which meant condensing a lot of the action, and getting back to Kimberly in the present day that much sooner. In the end, that makes it feel like the moon battle sequence is moving at 100 miles per hour, which only makes it hit that much harder!
The first page was also originally written to be a big splash page close up of Trini’s Yellow Ranger, saying “Go, Go! Power Rangers!” (which we now see on Page 2, albeit smaller). Dafna suggested potentially seeing the villains on the first page, and it was a great idea. For anyone who hasn’t read the prelude in the MMPR 30th Anniversary Special from last August, these villains definitely have a reason to be celebrating, and starting things off with them provides a pretty fantastic intro to this issue.
MS: The shocking twist about Kim “taking the shot” to save Tommy during the battle was a pretty big moment for her and the story as a whole. When did you guys determine that she would be crossing the line and how did this impact your take on Kimberly years later?
MH: Power Rangers don’t kill! Well, aside from when they blow up those giant monsters at the end of every episode – does that count as killing? That aside, Power Rangers aren’t supposed to kill! But in this moment, Zordon is dead, Alpha 5 has been destroyed, the Command Center is in ruins, and the enemy has been stockpiling a huge wave of monsters. These Power Rangers have been pushed to the edge, and Kimberly is not going to stand by and watch her husband Tommy get killed too. So yup, she “takes the shot,” without hesitation (though not without some shock after the moment has passed).
For Kimberly in the present day, you can bet this still weighs heavily on her, especially because she lost Tommy anyway – and we still haven’t seen all of the fallout from this moment!
As for the art in that particular panel – Nico Leon saves the day. We wrote into the script that the arrow pierces through Rita, knowing full-well it would never actually get approved. We always figured it would have to end up as an “arrow piercing the body but not piercing the clothes somehow” (Elektra & Bullseye, anyone?), but Nico was the one who offered up the arrow being an energy-based projectile so it could pierce all the way through Rita, but not be too graphic – which means we can be in front of Rita and see her face for such a huge moment, which is key.
MS: Beyond the fact that this was “the final battle” with Rita & Zedd’s forces, it was interesting that you got to incorporate something that was never shown in the show: the destruction of the original Zords. Obviously the timeline is very different with your story (Tommy is still the Green Ranger, the original 6 are still together, Dino Zords are still in play despite Zedd’s arrival, etc.), but the visual of Goldar tearing the head off the Tyrannosaurus wasn’t something I was expecting. I know that you said that Nico liked to surprise you with his knowledge and creative choices, so I was curious to know how much of that was his artistic selection versus specific story outline?
MH: Amy Jo and I always wanted to destroy the Zords, partially because of what you just mentioned: as far as we knew, it had never really been done before. Sure, in the season two premiere, the Dino Zords get taken out by Zedd, but if I remember correctly, they get replaced with new Zords a few minutes later. We really wanted to set the stakes high for this battle. Sometimes it takes the combined might of ALL of the Zords to defeat a single giant monster… so what chance do only FOUR Zords really have against an army of monsters, and thousands of putties?
Two issues in, I’ve learned to stop being surprised by Nico, because the guy goes above and beyond on every page. When he’s done working on this book, I hope he reveals some of his behind-the-scenes process to everyone. He builds these Zords and the cockpits in 3D, which I’m sure is painstaking, but his consistent strive for authenticity is surpassed by no one (side note: imagine Nico on a Transformers book!).
Even when things are scripted, any time you get the pages you can’t help but have a giant smile on your face. The Sabertooth Tiger Zord biting a giant Baboo on the butt, or the aforementioned chaos of the bad guys destroying the Zords, which really has a ton of impact for just one panel – these are all stellar moments, moments when you write just enough information for Nico to know what we’re looking for, then you get out of his way and watch his genius at work.
For the monsters themselves, we put in the script that Nico could and should include his favorites, so it was fun seeing who he picked overall, and which monsters he picked to do what!
That said, Pudgy Pig is nightmare fuel and I wish I had done more to keep him out of this comic. Look at him in the background there, just waiting to eat someone. And why do his arms come out of his mouth?? Go away, Pudgy Pig, nobody wants you here!
MS: What were your favorite Easter Eggs from the moon? Were there any panels in particular that stood out as favorites when you received the art during the development process?
MH: I mean, having a big fight in Rita and Zedd’s marital bedroom is pretty great. The background of the double-page spread on pages 4 & 5 is interesting too – it’s not quite as scripted; Nico chose to do this big wide shot of the palace, which has a few hundred putties on guard, ready to attack the Rangers if the first massive wave falls in battle. It’s a pretty eerie illustration, which conveys just how steeply stacked against the Rangers the odds are.
Nico showing Kimberly getting the “heeby jeebies” as she stares at Rita’s bed also earns him a gold star!
MS: And let’s talk about the big twist. Kim recaps the final battle for Selena’s benefit, and then moments later she stands revealed as…(maybe) Rita…? I loved how you managed to build to the reveal and would love to hear about the importance of this deception.
MH: I’m so excited for readers to see this moment! When the “Once & Always” reunion special came out last year, I was personally a little worried that people would read our first issue (which was written a long time ago) and think that we were doing something very similar with Trini’s relative Selena as the show did with Trini’s daughter Minh… and I did see a few people comment last month about just that.
But man, that actually ended up really working in our favor! Anyone who read the end of issue one and thought they knew where we were going with issue two will be very surprised with where we take Selena. As for who “(maybe) Rita” is and how she came to be? Well, you’ll just have to wait for issue 3!
One more shout out to Nico – it was his idea for “Selena” to blow out the lights and the windows during her big reveal, so the scuffle with Kimberly could be in the dark, lit only by the fireplace. It had such an impact on the mood and tone of that fight, and really contrasted it from the big, bright colors in the flashback fight. Thanks, Nico!
MS: You managed to fit in another first for Power Rangers: the villain didn’t wait for the Morphin sequence to finish before attacking! We’ve all joked about that aspect for years, but it was such a satisfying moment to see it play out in this way. Was this how you originally envisioned it?
MH: Yes. Yes! A thousand times yes! Ha ha, I’m stoked you brought this up! This moment was written so long ago, and I’ve been picturing it in my head for a looong time. I thought it had the potential to be very cool, but it’s one of those things you have to see to really know if it works. And, in my humble opinion, it really, really works! It’s one of those moments when you get art back, and it’s exactly how you envisioned it. We instantly knew it was gonna be a special moment, and one that, like you mentioned, we haven’t seen before!
MS: Are there any other elements that you’d like to highlight?
MH: It’s hard to believe that the series is already halfway over, cuz there’s still SO MUCH to be revealed! Thanks to everyone who has been reading, and thanks to ComicsOnline for letting me chat about this issue!
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Our ComicsOnline coverage of the Power Rangers 30th Anniversary continues below!
Check out our Exclusive Interviews with Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson for MMPR: The Return #1:
It’s Morphin Time!
We’re getting back to action as new installments in our Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Interview Series are now online!
Join host Matt Sernaker as he catches up with the Ranger family for a unique series of conversation. This series currently features Walter Emanuel Jones (Zack), Catherine Sutherland (Kat), Steve Cardenas (Rocky), Nakia Burrise (Tanya), David Fielding (Zordon), Ron Wasserman (Composer), Richard Horvitz (Alpha 5), Tony Oliver (Supervising Producer), Melissa Flores (BOOM! Studios’ MMPR & Power Rangers Hyperforce), and Meghan Camarena (Power Rangers Hyperforce & BOOM! Studios’ Power Rangers Unlimited: Hyperforce).
More installments will be released throughout the year, so make sure you check out our social media links below.
Part 9 of our interview series featuring Tony Oliver:
Part 8 of our interview series featuring Nakia Burrise (with special appearance by Catherine Sutherland):
Part 7 of our interview series featuring Richard Horvitz:
Part 6 of our interview series featuring Melissa Flores & Meghan Camarena:
Part 5 of our interview series featuring David Fielding:
Part 4 of our interview series featuring Steve Cardenas:
Part 3 of our interview series featuring Ron Wasserman:
Part 2 of our interview series featuring Catherine Sutherland:
Part 1 of our interview series featuring Walter Emanuel Jones:
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