As cheesy and full of heart as to be expected, and it brought me right back to my childhood.
'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink' is a blast. It's what a comic for kids ought to be: Bright, colourful, action-packed, but it doesn't talk down to its audience. Anyone at any age can read it and enjoy it. It's a near-perfect blend of friendly nostalgia and up-to-date storytelling and characters, who have enough depth to keep the reader invested and excited until the last cathartic page.
The first pink Power Ranger, Kimberly Hart, has quit the team and is devoting her time to gymnastics. But when her mother and stepfather go missing and trouble seems afoot in a rural town in France where they were staying, she finds she may need to call upon Zordon once again for her ranger powers to return temporarily. And call her old friends for help - the other former rangers, Trini and Zack.
I adored Kimberly in this, she really is the star of the show. Even as a kid I've always thought of her as more than the pretty teen valley girl of the ranger team. She has hobbies, she has dreams, she has meaningful relationships. In a way I looked up to Kimberly, making me unashamed to love the colour pink; she even has brown hair like me. She grows and develops overtime. This comic celebrates her strengths wonderfully, showing how she can be a great leader as well as a ranger. Kim is charismatic, brave, tenacious, determined and well-prepared, while showing she's still a teenager with lots of experience behind her. She can pilot a Megazord by herself! She reminded me strongly of Kitty Pryde; they even look alike. I'd have liked to have seen her use her bow more, but never mind.
It was quite tearful and bittersweet to see Trini and Zack as well in modern media. Kim's relationship with Tommy is also handled very well, and they don't appear on-panel together once in the comic. Everyone is treated with respect; there is no "it's for kids so let's not try" cynicism at work. There's the standard "Power of Friendship and Teamwork" message here, along with the classic "Great job, guys!" and "Thank you my friend, I couldn't have done it without you" vibe throughout, that is rather corny, but that's what makes it 'Power Rangers'. 'Pink' is a 'Power Rangers' love letter to its fans, with new and improved girl power that is much needed in children's entertainment now.
Spoiler:
It features a girl red ranger, too! And Rita Repulsa cameos in this, with Lord Zedd getting almost no lines!
Spoiler End.
Because we all need to remember the power of seeing strong women in media. Young girls need to see talented female characters that they can look up to, who don't need to be the cheerleaders and love interests of male characters to be worthy to exist. The nineties was a good decade for providing visible girl power, I think, avoiding the Smurfette Principle for the most part.
'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink' recognizes how important an impact Kimberly Hart must have had on little girls in the nineties (and Trini, too, for little Asian girls; she should also get her own comic, as a tribute). This nostalgia trip is for them as much as everyone else. If it was merely a cash cow product in the midst of eighties-nineties franchises growing in popularity again (published around the time the new 'Power Rangers' movie reboot is released in theaters), I don't think they'd have bothered trying to appeal to a female audience, since the general Hollywood consensus tragically remains that women don't make money, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
(And yes I just made an unequal pay jab. It is warranted.)
The team behind this comic cared. They paid attention, they saw the potential, and they delivered. (Amy Jo Johnson herself writes the introduction to the volume, 'nuff said). Nothing stereotypical or lazy is present - they knew that girls love a fun adventure ride as much as boys. Girls can work with and be friends with other girls, and with boys, too, if we give them the chance to prove themselves, with or without power.
'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink' gets four stars out of five because I thought the ending could have been stronger and clearer, and I presume the story is meant to take place in the mid to late nineties - around the time the original television series aired when Kimberly left - yet the characters use smart phones and internet message boards. But I recommend it to any girl and boy who grew up watching the show.
A great piece of entertainment, Saban or no.
Final Score: 4/5
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