With the Justice League / Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic book mini-series joining together two of the most iconic superhero teams in all of nerdom, they’ll need an equally iconic supervillain to oppose them. Enter: Lord Zedd, the evil husband of Rita Repulsa who wears his muscles on the outside and wields some serious power.
Take a look at his explosive entrance to the crossover in Issue #1 as he infiltrates the Power Rangers’ Command Center with his Z Putty Patrollers:
>“Obviously we have one of the the Power Rangers biggest nemesis of all time,” writer Tom Taylor told us. “He is going to be causing of a lot of trouble. But there will also be a villain from the Justice League's dimension who will be part of the problem as well. That won't be revealed until about Issue #2.”
We can only guess which DC villain is big enough to cause trouble for the combined heroes -- Joker, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, the list goes on -- but we have enough to worry about in the first issue alone. We got to read it early and it wastes no time getting right to the fan-pleasing action scenes and Morphinominal splash pages.
>“I never want to hold back,” Taylor said. "When these two teams, these two Goliaths are meeting for the first time, I have far more ideas than I could possibly fit into 22 pages a month. I still look at the first issue and go, oh, I wanted to fit so much more in. Obviously you have to set up the whole premise and you have to teleport these people to the same dimension, but you really just want to get to the great bits. I have a bit of a motto whenever I'm writing which is ‘Death to exposition.’ I can't stand watching people talk about what we should be seeing, especially when you've got someone like Stephen who is just so incredible at delivering those shots.”
In a way, drawing this comic has been something artist Stephen Byrne has been training for his entire life. He shared with us some pages from a makeshift Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic he drew one day at a time during school lunch back when he was eight years-old.
>“I was drawing obsessively,” Byrne recalled. "Those Power Rangers comics that I made were the first time I started to draw stories. I started to draw sequences. I was very interested in the monsters and stuff that they'd come up with each time and I wanted to create my own monsters. … So this is very serendipitous, coming full circle that now I'm getting to work on this.”
While DC’s current Justice League comic and BOOM! Studios’ current Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic have a fairly seriously tone, Taylor and Byrne said they wanted to make sure this crossover was, above all else, a fun experience for fans. (DC and BOOM! are teaming up along with Saban Brands to publish this crossover comic.)
Byrne, who colors his own drawings, said he took cues from Ed McGuinness’s Superman/Batman, which has a certain degree of cartoonishness to it. But that’s not to say the comic will be light and silly. It starts on quite a dramatic note, as you can see by clicking through our exclusive preview of Issue #1 below:
Adrian Bennett
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Logan Edwards
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Brandon Collins
Zack the Black Ranger has always seemed a bit under cooked as a character compared to the rest of the team, but now he’s the main character of this big crossover.
>“It always seemed like there were less Zack stories. There's always Tommy. There's always Jason. Kimberly gets a lot. Zack seemed to be on the periphery and he was the guy to do a little cute aside. So I want to lean straight into him,” Taylor explained. “And I've also done a bunch of conventions with Walter [Jones] who played him. And knowing him and knowing how he talks it made it much easier to get into the voice of Zack because I've watched this guy Cuban dance at 2 AM and that helps get into the right headspace.”
Taylor first made a name for himself in the comic world by writing an unexpectedly dark, charming, and faithful story for the Injustice: Gods Among Us digital-first comic series. Fans were drawn to his penchant for creating unexpected character pairings, most notably Green Arrow and Harley Quinn, so we asked if we could expect to see any unexpected pairings in this series.
>“I can tell you that Batman and a pink Power Ranger is a great visual,” he teased.
If you can't wait to see that particular team-up, we have just a taste for you. Here's your first look at new variant covers, each featuring a Justice League/Power Ranger character team-up, including Batman/Kimberly:
The Justice League / Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 FOC date for retailers is Monday, December 12, 2016. The issue goes on sale Wednesday, January 11, 2017. Also, the first issue of Taylor's six-issue limited series The Deep will be on sale from all-ages imprint KaBoom! the same day. You can see Byrne's next upcoming work in the Love Is Love charity comic book for Pulse shooting victims, out December 21, where he contributed art for an Archie Comics story.
I'm hyped. DC has done some awesome crossover lately (especially the TMNT ones).
Evan Smith
>No collar >Red belt with the shield >Red boots
Fantastic. Why isn't this Supes design in the mainline books?
Logan Lewis
is Green Ranger pandering worst than Batman pandering?
Elijah Carter
He hasn't had the collar for a long time. And Gleason draws him with the shield in the belt.
Parker Roberts
literally the red boots are the only deviation from the current Superman design
fat chance but I really wish Dan Hipp gets intno Skottie Young levels of popularity, I really like his art,
Mason White
No because tommy is the best ranger.
Juan Mitchell
>No because tommy is the best ranger. go away JDF
Adrian Martinez
Damn, this Superman is a bro.
Henry Cook
>Green Ranger taking on Superman >Batman taking on all of the rangers at once
Oh boy here we gooo
Matthew Scott
Theeey have a power and a force that you never seen before.
Christopher Stewart
why do I get the feeling like Lobo should be in this as a hired goon for Zedd and whoever the DC villain is?
>hire Lobo to stop those pesky rangers >make my Czarian grow >giant shit talking Lobo >they beat him and he grows back to normal size
Nathan Taylor
>Zedd >Green Ranger
David Bell
It has its moments
Josiah Harris
any hope for the movie or the tv show?
Jose Hughes
Power Rangers still has Chip Lynn to make the show fun at least. The movie's a mess so far I'm not fond of MMPR pandering but it's a case like this where it's needed the most.
Oliver Rodriguez
>Power Rangers still has Chip Lynn to make the show fun at least. Super Charge was massively disappointing
Sebastian Rogers
I'm so sad. I want the movie to succeed and hopefully bring about a new age of Rangers and toku action in America but the megazord design choices are so atrocious that I want it to fail so the people behind their designs understand how garbage it is
Gabriel Foster
>damit
WHOA WHOA WHOA THAT IS NOT OKAY
Charles Hernandez
No, even fucking Tyzonn is better than him
John Ortiz
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Samuel Nelson
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Benjamin Foster
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Isaac King
See, that's the thing. If the movie fails, the studio won't think its because of bad designs or something. They'll think its because most people just don't care about power rangers anymore.
Luke Parker
I know, which makes it worse. I mean, who thought Bayformerzord was a good idea, the Dinomegazord is so iconic and their design it doesn't have an ounce of that same charm
Ryan Rivera
This crossover seems pretty fun. Hope we get to see the megazords (unlike the lack of batzords in Night of the Monster Men)
Mason Hughes
>A Black Bull
What did Japan mean by this?
Nolan Thomas
You're 19 years late for that joke
Adam Campbell
I've enjoyed the Power Rangers comics so far. I look forward to this crossover. Just wish they would have did a Marvel one instead for reasons.
Ryan Hall
Superman should always be a bro. Except when he's Superdad.
Nolan Green
Fuck, I didn't know how much I wanted this.
I'm predicting that the movie will do very well commercially, but it'll be a shit movie and a shitty PR movie. But it'll do well enough to green light at least two sequels.
Jordan Cooper
What is this? The next Super Sentai team?
I fucking love those designs. Holy shit. Those are pretty sweet actually.
Blake Butler
Power Rangers Dino Charge was on point. The comics have been on point. 2016 has been a good year for Power Rangers. Shame that movie is going to fuck it all up for next year.
Jace Jenkins
Yes, they are based on constellations.
Tyler Lewis
>the evil husband of Rita Repulsa Well we know who ever wrote this pull their information from a wiki page. Zedd isn't married to Rita in the comic and I hope he never does. That was done to soften his image because he was deemed "too scary" by a bunch of sensitive parents.
Robert Gonzalez
Is the T-rex supposed to look like a creepy salamander with no eyes?
Ryan Stewart
I hope we don't skip over those.
Nicholas Reed
I know this isn't pertinent to the conversation, but I loved Rita most of all.
Pissed off Asian lady is best antagonist.
Juan Barnes
Her character Bandora in Zyuranger was a great villain too. She was a mourning mother, full of vengeance because her child was killed by a Dinosaur. Unbeknownst to her this was because he was being a little shit and breaking open their eggs and he fell to his death trying to run away. So she spent millions of years causing chaos not knowing that her son was a little asshole who deserved what happened to him.
Brody Ward
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Landon Powell
>Blue Wolf
If there is going to be one time Saban brings back legacy shit, then bring back that fucking awful Dog suit from SPD
Liam Wilson
I would love if the movie succeeds, and instead of pulling from nostaliga, they just make their own Power Ranger team, with completely original everything.
But I know they wont. If it does succeed they will just continue to milk nostalgia and reuse ideas, and nothing new and exciting will ever come from it, and American toku will never become an industry, and I will cry
Brody Cox
>Cruger >awful It was objectively better than the Japanese suit
Liam Cooper
He was an incredible leader and bro for life. Don't you ever bad talk the furry boss.
Wyatt Hall
I know where you getting at user but I doubt Marvel could ever do a good crossover anymore after the Mouse. Remember that one AoT ""crossover""
Joseph Hernandez
>they just make their own Power Ranger team, with completely original everything. That's what I wanted them to do in the first place.
But I guess unoriginal ideas win out over original ones in an industry where pandering to nostalgic 25-somethings is so profitable.
>and American toku will never become an industry, and I will cry Hey man, we have all these modern superhero shows that are kinda in that vein.
Then she cooled her tits when Grifforzer and Lamie had a baby
Blake Mitchell
>Saban >SPD
It was sad how his mouth could barely even move. SPD really fixed him up.
William Turner
Nothing we have even comes close to the toku I truly desire. A bunch of young kids, transforming into masked stunt men and fighting rubber suits. That is what I desire. And it is something I will never get in this world.
Kayden Robinson
Dino charge was good, but super went down hill
Luis Thomas
Why Why didnt you just say Mystic Knights Of Tir Na Nog Why that abomination
Jason Smith
>Power fantasy >Power fantasy >Power fantasy >Power fantasy >Tits and vulva on display for all And you wonder why we want change in comics?
Jacob Harris
>American toku will never become an industry You know Tokusatsu means anything where special effects are the center piece of the show. The genre is far more broader than that. What you mean is henshin heroes in the US. Because shit like Flash or Legends of Tomorrow would be considered tokusatsu.
Brayden White
Never heard of it till now
Tyler Price
And the female variant wasn't bad, either...
Jaxon Johnson
I know that, but it's easier to refer to everything in the similar vein as Sentai, Kamen Rider, Metal Heroes and Garou as toku.
Joshua Cruz
That's Irish toku
Gavin Evans
Would you prefer she have a bulging penis?
Grayson Cox
it doesnt matter its still objectifying,either way. Why not, you know, draw her with panties and a bra for support. Jesus.
Isaiah Jackson
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Xavier Gutierrez
That's not Power Fantasy Rangers its Battle Fever J.
Andrew Johnson
Doesn't Zedd have a spaceship shaped like a dragon that blows up worlds and shit?
Benjamin Ramirez
>wearing underwear with spandex And have her panty line showing? That's tacky user.
Benjamin Adams
Serpenterror? If I remember correctly in show he had to reactivate it and they used some plot shit about it being unable to hold a charge because they didn't have enough footage from Dairanger.
Thomas Torres
Why would they do that?
Wyatt Harris
Because the female body is icky and should be covered up.
Easton Nelson
Cause it's a porn artist.
Landon Nguyen
He's saying the suit itself was much better quality in the Saban version, which it objectively was. He's bro in both versions >finish me >cuts off his other horn >And now they match
Sebastian King
When will we get "CW's Masked Rider"?
Ian Peterson
damn i can clearly see her vagina, no fucking shame.
Nolan Gonzalez
>>Tits and vulva on display for all That is a female power fantasy, though.
Chase Baker
>evil husband of Rita Repulsa Why are they still going with the whole marriage thing when that was the moment Zedds character was completely ruined.
Lord Zedd the master of evil gets turned into a spineless husband with a nagging Jewish wife.
Then he's reduced to driving around on the moon in an RV. Literally in an RV.
Even as a kid I thought it was terrible
William Baker
terrible handled maybe, but i think rita was a better villian than lordy, he is just edgy bait unlike rita whos geniunelly funny.
Jaxon Hernandez
Like one user pointed out the person who wrote the article or where ever OP got that was drawing from the show's story. The comic is different. As of right now Rita is still Zedd's underling.
Kevin Evans
The problem is they should have treated Zedd like the, "Straight Man," of the joke. They never did.
Lucas Lopez
MMPR after awhile was nothing but goofy. The monsters stopped being threats or causers of chaos and just became goofs who show up to be a nuisance then get killed for it. I remember as a kid I felt bad for a few monsters because what they were doing that week didn't warrant being destroyed.
Michael Nguyen
Though as a better character, I'd say deka's doggie was better
Nolan Parker
>parents complained that Zedd was too scary for their kids >how do we tone him down? >give him a wife! Of course >literally feed him a love potion >they have a legit Jewish wedding with the music and chairs Never made sense because marrying a Jewish woman would just make him more evil
Jack Martin
Mighty Morphin dragged on too long. Everything after Season 2 is a blur to me due to how forgettable it all was.
Zeo is god tier though
David Gray
And a Japanese Jew who changed her race to Filipino. Zedd was screwed over.
Connor Roberts
Wow its almost like it was meant to be goofy for kids!
Brody Smith
Don't get cheeky with me cunt. There is a balance. The monsters of the week should still be a threat to people's safety or even lives despite being a Tomato Monster. After a few season they forgot that bit of the show.
William Myers
>posts the one that was explicitly a parody in the Sentai version
You gotta balance the goofy with the heavy stuff. The best Power Rangers series always have.
Sebastian Barnes
You can do goofy without going full retard goofy.
Ironically you post Turbo which is so bad/goofy it almost killed the PR brand in America
Oliver Thomas
>Mighty Morphin dragged on too long. It went on so long that people always forget Alien Rangers which exists under the Mighty Morphin seasons.
