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Warning : Contains coddler for Mighty Morphin Power commando : The Return # 1!Amy Jo Johnson has formally made her return toPower Rangers , only this prison term , the original Pink Rangeris encounter a raw role inPower Rangerscanon : comic creator . Alongside her boyfriend and write partner , Matt Hotson , and serial artist , Nico Leon , Amy Jo Johnson has crafted an exclusively new earth for Kimberly Hart and the other original Power Rangers withMighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Return#1 .
This all - unexampled four - issue define serial is something of a ‘ what if ? ’ inPower Rangerslore , as it introduces rooter to a world in which the original Power Rangers never snuff it on the mantle to the next coevals . rather , thePower Rangers vanquished Rita Repulsaand Lord Zedd , unanimously settle to retire ( though not permanently ) , and break on to dwell their lives - for good or worse .
Johnson has brought a grade of genuine unassumingness , joyful nostalgia , and tragic realism to thePower Rangersseries the the likes of of which fans have never attend before .
Screen Rant was lucky enough to talk with Amy Jo Johnson just asMighty Morphin Power commando : The Return#1 hits store shelf , offering great insight into the creative physical process behind the new serial publication , as well as a few coquette about what fans can require moving forward .
Kimberly Hart ’s time as the original Pink Ranger has go down in Power Rangers history as fabled , especially thanks to the BOOM ! Studios comics .
Amy Jo Johnson Speaks on Returning to Kimberly Hart & The Power Rangers: Series
This is the first time Johnson has returned to the character in nearly three decades.
Johnson made her net on - screen appearance as the Pink Ranger in 1997’sTurbo : A Power Rangers Movie , after pull in the decision to leave the serial in 1995 .
Screen Rant : What ’s been the most rewarding part of returning to the character of Kimberly Hart , specially at this stage in her life story ?
Amy Jo Johnson : What just popped into my head , right now , is the excitement from my boyfriend and indite partner , Matt [ Hotson ] , who just literally come in to my house , criticize on the door with the first outcome in hand , because he conk to the laughable book shop that he ’d been going to since he was nine years onetime . So to watch Matt ’s pipe dream of becoming a comic book writer come true is one of the most rewarding aspects of this .
On top of that , I think that returning to Power Rangers as a author and count at these characters otherwise find so exciting . To be a part of the franchise still , in this mode , is just really rewarding and really cool . Especially now that all the kid who look on Power Rangers are adult . And the story [ for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Return ] is about the Rangers , who are now adults . There ’s just something that just feel really special about it . I do n’t live how to explain it , but I ’m really well-chosen .
SR : It seems like it would be average to say that theMighty Morphin Power Rangersseries grew with the lover .
Amy Jo Johnson : Yeah , so it ’s really neat to be able-bodied to revisit it in this way , as you guys revisit it in this agency . And flummox with just the original Rangers , and what would befall if they stayed on as Power Rangers , and there were no other Power Rangers after them .
Amy Jo Johnson is Making Dramatic Changes To The Original Power Rangers
The Returnfeatures the original Power Rangers in a whole new light.
It was at this item in the interview that we were interrupted by Amy Jo Johnson ’s two hombre , who , according to Johnson , seem to get a piece raucous when she sing on Zoom .
SR : The flushed , Blue , and Black Rangers ’ biography have all taken pretty spectacular turns in this alternate future . What was the inspiration behind their single fictional character developments ?
Amy Jo Johnson : That was a really fun part , imagining where these characters would be now if 22 years ago the whole lunation blew up and something very tragical happened , and Kimberly is adamant that there ’s absolutely no more Power Rangers . Where are they 22 years by and by ?
Billy , Zack , and Jason just have to keep on using that power coin for good , but not needfully as Power Rangers , which - as you read in the first matter - really make water off Kimberly , because whatever did happen ( that will extend as the story go on ) really upset Kimberly to her core . Kimberly has changed her name , move out of the area , and is super intransigent that there are " No More Power Rangers , " which is what the first subject is called .
As far as creating the character , we just looked at the existent characters of Zack , Billy , Jason , and Kimberly . And then there is a lilliputian bit of meta in there as well , because we all are who we roleplay . As an actor , you are a piffling bit of the fibre you play . So , there are a few aspects of the existent worker that played the characters as well that we ’re playing with , which is a mint of fun .
Did your former co - star lead to the character development fancy in this series ?
Amy Jo Johnson : A picayune bit with David [ Yost , aka the Blue Ranger ] , who I talk to quite often . And really , when Matt and I were primitively writing this , I remember FaceTiming with David and talking about the fib that we were developing , because he was also compose Power Rangers Quantum Continuum at that metre , and we were take certain that they did n’t collide or have like aspects .
So , a little bite with David , and then not as thoroughly with Zack and Jason , but just sort of taking real aspects of who they are today , and their Passion of Christ and loves , and creating it based off of that .
There are parts of this first issue that really abide by the bequest of Trini Kwan , which felt like a touching tribute to Thuy Trang . Was this a way of saying ‘ auf wiedersehen ’ ?
Amy Jo Johnson : I do n’t eff if it was a manner of saying ‘ goodbye , ' but maybe ‘ hello ’ in a circle of way . Thuy Trang was just such an important part of that original cast , there was no elbow room that we could revisit all of these characters without revisiting her fictional character as well .
So , seek to do that in a reverential , tasteful way while honour her and giving Trini a snatch of a life history where she became mayor , and guess what would have bechance with that character if they continued on as well . That was really of import , and very exquisitely approached by all of us .
Amy Jo Johnson Teases Kimberly and Tommy Oliver’s Daughter, Olivia Hart
Johnson first shared the news of this originalPower Rangerscharacter on X
Amy Jo Johnson admitted that she was n’t made cognizant that she was supposed to wait to reveal the identity operator of Olivia Hart , and that she inadvertently broke the news show a minute too too soon .
SR : Back in November , you beleaguer the presentation ofOlivia Hart , the girl of Kimberly and Tommy . What can you tell us about her ?
Amy Jo Johnson : I ca n’t say too much yet , but I can say that the impetus of this integral story came from an idea I had of create a television set series called Olivia Hart , which was about Tommy and Kimberly ’s child 20 eld afterwards . So , with the original inwardness idea I had - and then I pitched it and play with it with Matt - we determine maybe this would make a really fun comic . Then , with the thirtieth Anniversary , we sort of thought process : let ’s include all the original Rangers into this and have Olivia be a part of it .
I do n’t want to louse up the story that comes up , so I do n’t really want to get too much into that . What else can I evidence you about her ? Honestly , I do n’t want to reveal too much , because I opine it could advert to some of the surprises that are amount . The whole story takes some twist and turns and some unexpected avenues that you ’re not going to gestate , and that excites me .
Amy Jo Johnson Speaks on the Real World Impact Power Rangers Has Had on Her Life
Johnson also speaks on how thePower Rangers’ legacy is being honored inMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return
How ( if at all ) does Kimberly ’s post - Power Rangerslife mirror your own following the end of the original series ?
Amy Jo Johnson : Yeah , like we did with the other Rangers in bring a little scrap of meta into their evolution and where they went , it ’s the same with Kimberly . I now survive in Canada . I have not changed my name to Emma , but I think there are aspects , small bits of myself within the character .
I think , as we all cognize , in the last duad of years , there ’s been some real grief within the enfranchisement and in the residential area . There ’s a real emotional aspect to these four issue that I think have really been layered in there , and became even more impactful with the passing play of Jason David Frank , which we have been very frail with as well , but almost in a psychotherapeutic way .
How does this serial honor the legacy of the originalPower Rangersseries , while also driving that story forrard into a bold unexampled future - particularly Kimberly ’s character ?
Amy Jo Johnson : When we were writing it , we go back and look on the original episodes and found the correct jump - off percentage point where the story could become a ‘ what if ’ .
write this and doing this with Matt has just been such a playfulness journeying , and then ferment with Nico [ Leon ] , the artist , who ’s unbelievable and is such a rooter . To see Nico ’s excitement , and him diving into the project - seeing him actually wear out the costume when he ’s cipher out how to run these graphic symbol - just his dedication and elevating the story that we place to him has been such a treat . And then Francesco [ Segala ] , doing the food coloring and institute it to life-time in this cinematic way , it ’s just been a really coolheaded collaboration with all of these very gifted people .
I am just so activated to be a part of it , and to have all of these amazing artists aid me make this love varsity letter gesture to a whole genesis of children who are now adult . Hopefully the story that we are assure will be cathartic and also thirst quenching enough to really return what people are hoping and expecting .
While the interview ended with Amy Jo Johnson question whatPower Rangersfans unfeignedly require , pondering if she was capable to produce content the fans would love , it ’s obvious upon reading the first offspring of her new serial that she has no rationality to vex . Mighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Returnis a truly special experience noPower Rangersfan will need to neglect .
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Return # 1is available now from BOOM ! Studios .
Mighty Morphin Power Ranger : The Return # 1 ( 2024 )
