#MMPR x TMNT II

[seagull-scribbles]

Some doodles from my 6th read of MMPR X TMNT II

[qkmlh]

Your honor Casey’s rangersona has the same damn energy as Red X

[72stars]

[MMPR/TMNT II spoilers?] Dimension X Ranger Raph doodle, playing with brushes

[thecomicsnexus]

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS / TMNT II #1-5

December 2022 - May 2023

By Ryan Parrott , Dan Mora, Raúl Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire.

It's the sequel for the miniseries that was successful enough to have action figures!

The Turtles and the MMPR band together to stop Krang and Rita Repulsa, but a betrayal by their human ally leaves them without powers. And then things get creative...

SCORE: 8

I just want to put in writing that true leaders admit when they are wrong, so the dialogue above is not worthy of Leo.

Alright, let's move on to the actual story...

I was running against two challenges while reading this story.

I am pretty ignorant about Power Ranger lore. I have watched some episodes, a movie and the horrible reunion special, but other than that, I may miss some references.

It has been a long time since I read part one, so apart from certain elements of that story that I remembered, I was kind of constantly catching up.

And you really need to have part one fresh in your mind to read this one... they are basically the same story.

A thought occurred to me while reading this... what is going on with Casey Jones?

He used to be the not-very-bright American hero (think of Jack Burton from "Big Trouble in Little China." And that kind of adaptation used to be the case. But lately, Casey has been a little less temperamental, and sometimes smart enough to avoid getting into conflicts (think of the Rise movie, the IDW version and its spin-offs, like this one).

Classic Casey wouldn't have gotten himself in this situation. But given how much this universe borrows from the IDW continuity, I guess that Casey would behave like this.

Isn't it great when you find four morphin' devices that match the colors of the turtles?

The Turtles and the Power Rangers being able to morph all at the same time was already great, but the book manages to surprise with yet another creative twist... that I'll explore after the break...

Although, if you have already seen the covers, then you know what's coming...

I think the book really came together at this point. With (a very 2012 inspired) Splinter coming in to teach the new mutants how to fight with their new bodies.

And then this happened... man, those toys will sell themselves.

In general, the art in this book is stunning. It may not be high art, but it does what it needs to do, beyond expectations.

Shredder also gets a chance to morph again (it would be a crime if he didn't).

The zords in general look amazing. I guess if you are a MMPR artist, you really need to know how to draw robots... and humans.

So yeah, it seems like part 3 is to be expected... and I am okay with that.

The only thing that felt weird to me, is how the Turtles and the Power Rangers seemed to hang together all the time, despite this story taking place weeks after the first one. But given that this is a different universe, I guess anything is possible?

Reading this story made me think hard on why I decided not to buy the crossover figures... maybe if there is a wave for this sequel, I may consider getting some dimension X power rangers... we'll see...

[kimberlyannharts]

I think between the Omegas in Ultimate Power, the Casey Ranger X plot in MMPR/TMNT II, and now this whole Billy thing, it turns out I just really hate plots that are like

"I'm a hero, and I have to deal with this problem. I think I have to do something bad to solve the problem. But I'm going to do it by physical violence against my friends who have done nothing but try to help me solve this problem and even presented alternate solutions to this problem. Because I just HAVE to do it my way! Sorry guys! But you just don't understand! You don't get my inner turmoil! Shooting you while you're unarmed and defenseless or calling you slurs is just what I HAVE to do! You'll understand in the end and absolve me of my wrongs!"

Like idk obviously Billy is being portrayed as irrational here in some ways but this is why the issue really needed like. an actual breaking point for him rather than everyone just ignoring the fact that THEY HAD A PLAN TO FIX THINGS and just kind of deciding this had to be done based on just Kiya's account of Shattered Grid's events. Something like they heard Ranger Slayer didn't make it to the Zeo Crystal Planet. Or the corrupted Rangers were starting to break through the barrier. idk, just SOMETHING to make me understand why he thought this was justified

(I think part of this is him breaking down over Grace's death but like............sorry, I'm not feeling that either. Shattered Grid again did that much better by having EVERYONE feel the weight of Tommy's death, not just Kim)

[scienceninjaturtle]

MMPR TMNT II #4 (OF 5)

(W) Ryan Parrott (A / CA) Dan Mora

The penultimate issue heats up as the Mutant Rangers are in dire straits, but a familiar mentor brings new allies to turn the tide!

But the battle also rages in Dimension X, where the hero and villain roles continue to blur as they fight old foes and unfamiliar monsters.

The Mutant Rangers shouldn't celebrate too soon though, as their worst enemy arrives in a monstrous new form!

[graphicpolicy]

Shredder vs. Ranger X in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3

Shredder vs. Ranger X in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3 #comics #comicbooks #tmnt #powerrangers #mmpr

[thirdeyecomics]

Love this dope #variantcover on the new #mmpr x #tmnt II issue 1!!! In stock now! #comics #comicbooks #comiccollector #comiccollectors #boomstudios #tmnt #tmntcollector #tmntcomics #powerrangers #mightymorphinpowerrangers #buythirdeyeordie #somd #southernmd #southernmaryland #lexingtonpark (at Lexington Park, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwVIgYrOtT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cultfaction]

Preview: MMPR TMNT II #3 (of 5)

Preview: MMPR TMNT II #3 (of 5)

It’s SHREDDER vs. RANGER X as the battle goes underway and Rita’s armies are a powerful match for our de-powered heroes! Unlikely alliances and unlikely sanctuaries abound as the Rangers and Turtles, specifically Billy and Donatello, put their heads together and create a secret weapon. But the problem is… it might change them in ways they can’t come back from! Written by Ryan Parrott with art by…

[westofwonder]

Pull List (05/03/2023)

Avengers: War Across Time #5 The Flash #798 Immortal X-Men #11 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5 Poison Ivy #12 Radiant Black #24 Shazam! #1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen #2 Batman #135 (Legacy #900) Scarlet Witch #5

Avengers: War Across Time - Should’ve kept up with this one. Still, fun to see Paul Levitz do a Marvel comic.

The Flash - Baby West! And a Time Heist apparently.

Immortal X-Men - Storm focus!

MMPR/TMNT II - I think the hype for this one wasn’t as much as the first, but still fun to see this happen. Hope to see it again.

Poison Ivy - Art still looks good!

Radiant Black - The colors here look amazing.

Shazam! - You can tell Sanchez does colors differently for Mora than when Mora’s on WF, but I think that’s gonna work for this book. So excited to see what Waid and the creative team have in store here. Grabbed the Samnee cover as well.

TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo - This just looks fun!

Batman - Surprised there isn’t more fanfare for the 900 issue of Batman, but maybe that’s just me. Grabbed the Artgerm cover, btw.

Scarlet Witch - Dauterman on interior.

This post is later than intended but oh well.

Happy readings!

[seagull-scribbles]

Published another Raph and Casey drabble

[seagull-scribbles]

Idk what happened! One minute I’m Reading the MMPR x TMNT comics and admiring how pretty the style is, laughing at how openly gay these two are- and then suddenly, my hand slipped

[kimberlyannharts]

LAST TIME ON MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS AND THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: Casey decides to take a leaf out of Tommy’s book and betray everyone to work for Rita, because apparently everyone thinks they can be Tommy nowadays.  The MMPRs and their new besties, the TMNT, are combining their mouthful-named, rainbow-colored teen powers into one to get to the bottom of this.  It’s MMPR/TMNT II #2!  

- HEYYYYY SCORPINA it’s been ages!!  This was obvious but I guess this confirms the MMPR/TMNT crossover books are in their own “canon” since at this point, Scorpina should be in Drakkon’s dimension

- Boom is truly like if we can’t give Rita a new outfit every story arc we’ll die

- since last time I was distracted by Dan Mora Tommy’s beautiful hair I’m gonna take the moment to nitpick that.  This is not how Green With Evil went.  Unless we’re retconning the Sword of Darkness into Tommy’s childhood sword

- but speaking of beautiful hair FLUFFY KIM!!!!!!!!!  It was NOT that long back in the first issue but [Kim voice] you know the helmet really does mess with her hair

- wow nice color scheme these Dimension X morphers have.  Surely that’s not going to play into anything later

- everyone’s reading the Krang dialogue in this ‘87 cartoon voice, right.  If you’re not, you really really should.

- POWERBUNGA is extremely good

- Leo’s line in the final panel is genuinely very very good.  One thing I do like about this issue is we’re finally getting some interactions between the Rangers and Turtles that share their covers, rather than the assigned Turtle friend from last book.  There’s fun character dynamic potential to be had from switching things around  

- Except for Kim who still just hangs out with April but at this point I need to savor morphed April whenever I can 

- no comment.

- FREAK!!!!  FREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAK!!!!!!!!!!!!

- I know I just posted about this but. Casey.  You know Tommy didn’t beat up his friends, free hordes of dangerous villains, or call people slurs when he went undercover with the villains, right.  Maybe you just kinda suck

- Dan gave Alpha eyes in this sequence?  My impact, obviously (it was not my impact.)

- SHREDDER BUSTING THROUGH 

[kimberlyannharts]

I think my main problem with MMPR/TMNT II rn is it feels like it's trying too hard to be bigger than the first series, to the point where it's losing what made the first series so good - the personal stakes and focus on the characters themselves beyond just punching bad guys.  "Tommy joins the Foot Clan" wasn't a compelling plot because Tommy got a cool new suit, it was compelling because it gave some insight into his untold past and showed how he struggled helping an old friend while trying to protect his new friends.  So far I’m really not getting anything from this Ranger X Casey plot beyond “is he under a spell or not???” - did anyone even tell April that her maybe-boyfriend is evil now???

Obviously I'm here for the Mutant Rangers so I'll be seeing this through to the end, but the storyline for this series just isn't hitting like the first one did.  It’s kind of like Ryan’s later works, where he focused on flash and cool stuff over the real meat of the story      

[kimberlyannharts]

LAST TIME ON MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II:  Casey’s still being a little bitch but he has ~~~~good reasons~~~~~ which leaves us without ranger powers.  So how are we coping with this loss?  For the Turtles, it’s taking a field trip to Dimension X with our new best friend Shredder.  For The MMPRs?  WITH FURRY POWERRRRRRRR  - in MMPR/TMNT II #4!  

- I usually don’t post too much in the main recaps that were already covered in the previews but since the previews basically had all the Mutant Ranger content in this issue (boo hiss) you get them again

- I love them sm and I hope they actually get the spotlight in the finale

- uh huh yeah i’m sure this is super necessary SKIP

- sorry Casey but you’re nothing next to the power of the girlboss

- On the one hand this is the most engaged I’ve been with Rita in years because she’s pointing out how stupid this whole Casey subplot was but on the other hand........she’s pointing out how stupid this whole Casey subplot was 

- Dimension X really did have their own rangers!  And they’re exactly in our colors!  That’s convenient.  Give Leo orange just to be funny  

- YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN RANGER X ARRRRRGGGGHHH YOU’RE ALREADY SHOWING WAY MORE INTEGRITY THAN STUPID CASEY 

- recognize these guys?????  I’m pretty sure Dan Mora can draw these guys with his eyes closed at this point

- Though admittedly, while I love them, always picking the same six MMPR monsters is getting a little tiresome.  Godzilla vs MMPR giving the spotlight to Rhinoblaster is feeling like a radical choice at this point

- yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah Ryan doesn’t understand Pumpkin Rapper the way Kyle did.  Ryan.  Do you know how many rhymes I made from “shell” off the top off my head just in the process of writing this passage.  It’s not hard

- Karai sweetie I am so so so sorry you were nerfed this entire series for dumb old Casey you would have rocked the Ranger X look so hard and actually did things of importance

- also I already talked about the Dimension X Turtles in other posts so I won’t repeat what I’ve said here.  We’ll see plenty of them in the final issue, don’t worry 

- I need you to look at this panel again.  Romance is beating the shit out of mutant alligator men  

- I hope the deep shadows here further making Dan’s Splinter design resemble the 2012 Splinter were intentional 

- okay now take notes, guys.  THIS is a cool alternate Zord design

[kimberlyannharts]

IMMEDIATE first thoughts on MMPR/TMNT II’s finale - 

- as expected, pretty rushed.  lots of fighting, not enough downtime.  Not enough closure for the non-fighting stuff (being unable to reverse the mutation was....not an issue lmao.)  Dan’s pretty art almost makes up for it

- MMPR/TMNT I’s sequel hook was honestly pretty subtle compared to this book practically swinging a hammer right into your face

- on the plus side it also telegraphed pretty clearly that if there’s a third one, we’re definitely getting the Mutant Rangers back.  And in general I wouldn’t mind a third one just to close it out on a trilogy

- brainwashed Casey is somehow more loyal to the heroes than non-brainwashed Casey.  love how he accomplished literally nothing this whole series except make everything worse

- NO RYAN YOU CANNOT MAKE UP FOR SIDELINING APRIL THE ENTIRE SERIES BY THROWING IN A RANDOM YELLOW DIMENSION X MORPHER FOR HER OUT OF NOWHERE 

- “what would April think” IDK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT TO GET HER THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON EVIL CASEY BACK IN THE SECOND ISSUE??????????

- my babies.  Tommy can finally feel the rush of being held by a woman