Exclusive: Writer Kelly Thompson Talks Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink

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Kelly Thompson is amazing at taking characters we think we know and reinterpreting them for a newĀ audience. She’s done stellar work on both Jem and the HologramsĀ for IDW (bringing those characters back to glorious life with artist Sophie Campbell) and A-Force for Marvel (with artist Ben Caldwell). Now, she’s doing it over at BOOM! Studios with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink, a six-issue limited series focused on the original Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart!

MMPR: Pink #1 finds Kimberly trying to move on from her time as a Power Ranger. She continues with her career as a competitive gymnast, but soonā€”thanks to a mystery involving her parents, who are now living in Franceā€”she gets pulled back into her pink uniform. It’s like the mafia. Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in! Here’s the official solicit info from BOOM! Studios:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #1 (of 6)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writers: Kelly Thompson & Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Cover artists:
Main Cover: Elsa Charretier
Incentive Cover 1: Marguerite Sauvage
Incentive Cover 2: Helen Chen
Incentive Cover 3: Stephanie Hans
Unlockable Coloring Book Variant Cover: Missy Pena
Morphing FOC Variant 1 (wraparound): GoƱi Montes
Glitter FOC Variant 2: Babs Tarr
Format: 32 pages, full color
Price: $3.99

Synopsis:
Whatā€™s to Love: Weā€™re so thrilled by the response to our Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic series that we wanted to focus on some of the individual Rangers and let them shine in their own stories. First up is a series centered around Kimberly Hart, the Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger, and who better than Batgirl and Gotham Academy writer Brenden Fletcher and A-Force and Jem and the Holograms writer Kelly Thompson to bring it to us!

What It Is: Expect new problems, new powers, and an all-new costume for OG heroine Kimberly Hart as she returns to the Pink Ranger mantle! But how? Why now? Discover firsthand in this exclusive story that spans the Mighty Morphin universe as never before!

Now, in an exclusive interview with The Mary Sue, Thompson gives us a little insight into the new series, what it’s like to work with the fabulous Brenden Fletcher as a co-writer, and what she hopes readers will take away from getting to know Kimberly Hart all over again.

kelly thompson

Teresa Jusino (TMS): What made you take on the challenge of diving into yet another popular licensed property?

Kelly Thompson: Well, itā€™s always an exciting challenge to take on beloved properties and try to update themā€”to find what still works about them years later and lean into those things to create something that can hopefully excite both longtime fans and a whole new generation. I was offered to pitch on Pink Ranger and told that I could really cut loose on what kind of story I could tell with Kimberly, so that was super appealing. Fortunately the excellent Brenden Fletcher and I had similar stories in mind! I do have to say that Power Rangers is far more challenging than Jem and The Holograms just in the sheer number of episodes youā€™re talking about before you can feel confidently up to speed. Fortunately we had great editors in Dafna Pleban, Alex Galer, and Matthew Levine to help us along the way.

TMS: What’s your personal history with the Power Rangers, if any?

Thompson: I think I was a little old to be one of the hardcore superfans, but I was definitely aware of Power Rangers and watched my fair share growing up. Moreover itā€™s certainly filled with all the superhero themes and elements I loveā€”dual identities, over the top monsters and villains, and of course lots and lots of punching and kicking.

TMS:Ā You’re working with the awesome Brenden Fletcher on this title. What’s it like workingĀ with him?

Thompson:Ā Brenden is a total dream to co-write withā€”heā€™s just such a smart, funny writer. The onlyĀ issue so far is that we get along so well and have so much we like to chat about that we reallyĀ have to force ourselves to stay on task. Brenden and I have both done a lot of co-writing, butĀ in my experience every collaboration is different. On Pink I was I think I was super lucky toĀ be working with Brenden not only because he has such a smart approach to his stories butĀ because he had so many great world building ideasā€”coming up with the story for Pink withĀ Brenden was way more fun than it would have been alone. And of course we have excellentĀ artist Daniele Di Nicuolo to bring it all to beautiful life.

TMS:Ā The Power Rangers have traveled all over, and aren’t even an originally AmericanĀ creation, but when we think of them here, we think of American “teenagers withĀ attitude.” :) Why was the decision made to start Kimberly’s story abroad? Why haveĀ her parents move to France? What do you think a non-American setting brings to theĀ story?

Thompson:Ā Kimberlyā€™s mom and stepdad actually move to France in the show, so we werenā€™t breakingĀ any new ground there, but just picking up on threads from the original show and expandingĀ on them. Kimberly is really unique to the Power Rangers story in a few ways, some of whichĀ I wonā€™t spoil here, but it seemed obvious that in telling a Kimberly story we should start thereĀ ā€“ the place in which her story both diverges from the Power Rangers and also one whichĀ establishes why she is so important to the Power Rangers and vice versa.

TMS:Ā This is a limited series, and we’re told that Kimberly’s powers are only temporary … butĀ comics are a place where characters written off on TV shows can be brought back intoĀ the fold! Can there be two Pink Rangers in this universe more permanently, like BuffyĀ and her Slayer Army? Or is it like the Highlander in that there can be only one? :)

Thompson:Ā I think to get into this aspect too much would spoil some really cool elements of the story ā€“Ā some of the things that make Kimberly distinctive as a Ranger and things that weā€™re hopingĀ to take full advantage of within our story. Suffice to say that other Rangers will appear evenĀ though this takes place at a time when Kim has technically left the Rangers team.

TMS:Ā Without spoilers, obvi, what can we expect from the rest of this Pink story arc? WhatĀ should we be coming away with about the character of Kimberly Hart?

Thompson:Ā I guess my greatest hope is that weā€™re telling a story that both feels quintessentially ā€œPowerĀ Rangersā€ while also striking out on our own with something a little bit different. Kim hasĀ always been a little bit different and so her story should reflect that. The Kim you meet hereĀ is undoubtedly ā€œclassic Kimberly Hartā€ but sheā€™s also grown up a little bit and changed someĀ since her time with the Rangers and the way that she interacts with the world reflects that.

TMS:Ā Just because I’m curious … can we anticipate any creator-owned Kelly Thompson workĀ in the near future?

Thompson:Ā Yes! Thanks for asking. Iā€™ve got a new creator owned book forthcoming with BOOM!Ā actually. I hope it will be later this year, but itā€™s possible it will be 2017 ā€“ the schedule isnā€™tĀ totally set yet. I canā€™t say much more just yet but itā€™s all-ages and a ton of fun. In theĀ meantime, if youā€™re itching for creator-owned work from me there is my graphic novel HeartĀ In A Box that I did with Meredith McClaren released in late 2015. Itā€™s definitely not all ages,Ā but still awesome! Other than that, for now at least, itā€™s all A-Force, Jem and The Holograms,Ā and Pink Rangers all the time.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink drops this week on New Comic Book Day Wednesday, June 1st!

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Author
Image of Teresa Jusino
Teresa Jusino
Teresa Jusino (she/her) is a native New Yorker and a proud Puerto Rican, Jewish, bisexual woman with ADHD. She's been writing professionally since 2010 and was a former TMS assistant editor from 2015-18. Now, she's back as a contributing writer. When not writing about pop culture, she's writing screenplays and is the creator of your future favorite genre show. Teresa lives in L.A. with her brilliant wife. Her other great loves include: Star Trek, The Last of Us, anything by Brian K. Vaughan, and her Level 5 android Paladin named Lal.
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