Power Rangers/TMNT #5 Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meets Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It’s the crossover dream of any kid who grew up in the 90’s and one fans of both series have been waiting over 30 years to see.
(And NO! The Power Rangers In Space crossover doesn’t count.)

The Story So Far

For those who have been reading feel free to skip this section. For those who haven’t here is a brief summary of the plot so far.
Tommy Oliver (the Green Ranger) goes undercover to rescue his childhood friend Tyler, from the Foot Clan. This of course, brings him into conflict with the Turtles and unintentionally brings the other Rangers into the fight.

While the Turtles and Rangers both try to figure why Tommy went rogue, Tyler betrays Tommy and hands him over to Shredder. Using tech from Dimension X, Shredder is able to reroute Tommy’s powers to himself, becoming the Shredder Ranger.

Rita then comes to claim the stolen power coin for herself. After a brief battle, the two decide to team up to defeat their enemies and then finish their power struggle later. With the aid of Rita’s magic, the two are able to strip the other Rangers of their powers. When Rita sends a monster to finish the de-powered Rangers, They have no choice but to give their coins to the turtles to save the city.

While the new Turtle Rangers fight the monster the ninja rangers infiltrate the Technodrome to rescue Tommy. With stealth and their own martial arts skills, they are barely able to get out Tommy alive.

We Need Turtle Ranger Megazord Power!

Issue five goes exactly how one would expect the end of such a crossover to go. The rangers seeming to now have the upper hand, Rita uses her magic to make both Beabob and Rocksteady grow to giant size. Still de-powered, it is up to the Turtles to summon the Megazord for battle. What follows is an epic three on one fight. The Turtles not only have to fight Bebob and Rocksteady, but Shredder summons the Dragonzord to fight as well.

With the Turtles outnumbered the Rangers manage to make the turtle’s robot Metalhead grow to mech size in order to help even the odds.

The fight continues back and forth until the Turtles use the Megazords adaptation abilities to combine with the now giant Metalhead, creating the Turtle Megazord. It is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

We won’t spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say the issue potentially sets up a sequel.

Why It Is Worth It?

If everything I just described sounds incredibly cheesy and silly, well, it is. If you were hoping for a crossover that gives a deep introspective dive into these characters and teams…. I’m afraid you aren’t going to get it. What truly makes this crossover, and many of Booms crossovers, worth it, however, is the interaction. From seeing Donatello and Billy geek out over their different tech, to Jason and Leo trade fighting tips, to Zack and Mickey bonding over pizza…. That is what truly makes this crossover shine.

The fun of the series comes from seeing these two different yet similar universes both clash and combine. Few things can invoke such child-like amazement at seeing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles morph into Power Rangers.

If you are a fan of either Ninja Turtles, or Power Rangers, and want to read a run a fun adventure involving both teams, I highly encourage picking up the entire crossover.