by Stefania Rudd. Writers Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl, Black Canary, Gotham Academy) and Kelly Thompson (Jem and the Holograms, A-Force) are no strangers to writing strong, intelligent, and decisive characters who also happen to be kick-ass women. So it should go without saying that having these two established writers team up to take on a spinoff mini-series of the best Power Ranger ever is ideal. (Okay, okay, that’s a personal bias on my part, but she is very much a fan favorite.) Their story, Pink, starts off with a bang… and some high-kicks and punches too.
We catch up with Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, after some time leaving the Power Rangers. She has moved on with her life, joined a new team (this one comprising of athletes), and is competing in the Pan Global Games in Amsterdam. Conveniently, her mother and step-father don’t live too far away (they’re stashed away in France), so things jumpstart when — weird — they don’t show up for her competition, and she knows it’s out of their character to miss it. Instead of moping about, she hops on her motorcycle like the badass she is and heads over to the small town of St. Moineau to see what’s going on with her folks. Turns out not only are her parents missing, but all of the townsfolk have *dramatic pause* vanished! Like all good debut issues, Pink leaves us with more questions than answers.
There are so many wonderful things about the way this issue is executed. Fletcher and Thompson narrate the story via Kimberly’s thoughts, giving us all the backstory we need quickly before moving on to the good stuff. Visually, Daniele Di Nicuolo’s artwork and Sarah Stern’s coloring are just as much of a part of the story. Di Nicuolo portrays Kimberly in a realistic way: she’s not overly sexualized and looks relatable, leaving the artist to tell the story through her lovely panel work without irksome questions about how Kimberly is presented. It’s fantastic to see the way Kimberly transforms into the Pink Ranger. Di Nicuolo & Stern’s visual cohesion (especially with Stern’s healthy use of pinks throughout) has a contemporized touch that doesn’t go unnoticed.
After getting a taste of the adventure that Kimberly is about to embark upon, I’m really looking forward to adding this mini-series to my list of regular books. With the strong creative team of Fletcher, Thompson, Di Nicuolo, and Stern to guide her along, it is most certainly Morphin’ Time indeed.
BOOM! Studios / $3.99
Written by Brenden Fletcher and Kelly Thompson.
Art by Daniele Di Nicuolo.
Colors by Sarah Stern.
Letters by Ed Dukeshire.
9 out of 10
