Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37
“Beyond the Grid”
Walter Baiamonte (Colours), Marguerite Bennett (Writer), Simone Di Meo (Artist), Ed Dukeshire (Letters)
BOOM! Studios
27 March, 2019
One would think finding an entire planet filled to the brim with Zeo Crystals would make the Power Rangers happy, but that is not to be. When the Solarix sent the Rangers to the geode planet, the Rangers assumed the Solarix’s intent was noble—now, they’re not so sure. In the wrong hands, this amount of raw, unrefined Zeo Crystal could destroy universes.
Why did the Solarix bring them here? What does it mean that the Void has no access to the Morphin Grid despite this planet’s presence? And worse, with so much power in one place, can the evil Praetor be far behind?
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37 does an unexpected about-turn from issue #36 in terms of tonality. Gone is the positivity of the previous installment, replaced instead by an unyielding darkness. The Void is clearly a place where happiness goes to die!
I really enjoyed the unpredictability of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37. The cliffhanger in the previous issue pointed to a more positive resolution, and it was certainly surprising to see that the Rangers did not feel as upbeat about finding the Zeo Crystals as I did. Writer Marguerite Bennett has certainly been keeping readers on their toes—there is always an unexpected twist around the corner that makes you sit straight up and pay attention.
I had surmised following the last issue that we would see the Power Rangers eventually turn on each other. I am surprised at how quickly I was proven correct. The Praetor’s influence has been strong throughout the “Beyond the Grid” arc of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but we see just how powerful he can be in this book.
And I also like the target that the Praetor has chosen. Mike has been one of the more laid-back characters thus far. To see him fall to the Praetor’s manipulations is unfortunate, but also sets up the narrative for a more shocking turn of events. Suffice it to say, the Rangers will not be recovering from the events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37 very soon, and that makes me very excited!
Anyone who has been reading my reviews of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will know how much I’ve been enjoying Simone Di Meo’s art. His landscapes and interiors have been to die for, but in issue #37, it is his character work that truly stands out. There is a lot more dialogue in this issue, and very little action, unlike the previous issues in this arc, and Di Meo captures a range of expressions that makes the conversations come alive.
Walter Baiamonte’s colours create that other-worldly feel to the geode planet, but his work on the Praetor is magnificent and terrifying. Baiamonte’s palette gives the Praetor that larger than life and overwhelmingly evil look that resonates far beyond the page. The Praetor has been lurking on the edges of this story for a while, and between Di Meo and Baiamonte, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37 perfectly displays the menace that the Power Rangers are up against.
Generally, the heavier aspects of the “Beyond the Grid” arc of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are off-set at the end by Ryan Ferrier and Bachan’s “The New Adventures of Blue Senturion & Ninjor,” but sadly, not here. This issue, by far one of the darkest of the series, really needed some levity but alas, it seems that the Blue Senturion and Ninjor storyline has taken a break.
Despite my need for a two-page interlude from the grim events depicted in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #37, I have to say that the impact of the final page of this book would have been lost if there was another story following it. In that sense, I am glad that the Blue Senturion and Ninjor story did not intervene.
This story has been building to a showdown between the Praetor and the Rangers, but with our heroes now at an immense disadvantage, I wonder what deviousness Marguerite Bennett has planned for them? The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series has been such a roller coaster ride and I have no doubt that the succeeding issues are going to be devastating and extraordinary.
