Tini Howard On Taking Over 'Power Rangers: Pink'

It's only a dim and distant memory nowadays, but there was a time in this country --- a terrible, terrible time - where if you wanted to know what happened to Kimberly after the events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you actually had to sit down and watch Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.

It was rough, but now, that era has passed thanks to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink, a comic book miniseries that catches up with Kim in the years after her tenure as a Power Ranger and pits her against a new threat from an old enemy.

Now, with the third issue of the miniseries, Tini Howard has taken over scripting. ComicsAlliance checked in with Howard to talk about her approach to the Pink Ranger, and why Goldar is such a great character, and we got to share a preview of her first issue.

ComicsAlliance: On the show, we don't get to see a lot of the Rangers in their lives outside of being Rangers, but Kimberly's one of the exceptions. What did you look at to get a handle on how she works as a character?

Tini Howard: It was fun to rewatch bits of the show and lay that alongside Kelly [Thompson] and Brenden [Fletcher]'s work on the character. I mean, Kim's grown up some, right? She's still the girl who loves fashion, gymnastics, her friends, but she's not all scrunchies and kickflips. She grew from that!

I can think of who I was in high school and who I am now, and some things will never change, while some couldn't be more different. Part of being a writer is looking at a character you love and helping them evolve and grow, so I'm glad to do that with Kim.

CA: Along those same lines, how did you approach the dynamic between Zack, Trini and Kimberly?

TH: I love those three. So, I think it's important to remember that those two are who Kim goes to when she needs help. And in all the great messages about teamwork, it's easy to forget that asking for help can be hard. It's important to me that Kimberly doesn't select them because they're useful to her — she knows plenty of useful people. She selects them because those are the people she loves, that she's comfortable with asking for help.

There's another aspect of that dynamic that I am having a ton of fun with, but you'll have to read issue #5 for that reveal.

CA: The story focuses on Goldar and his attempt to usurp power from Rita and Zedd. How do you go about making him a big threat, rather than just someone the Rangers fight every few weeks?

TH: Other than Kim, I think Goldar is my favorite character to write. He's both darkly brilliant and cartoonishly evil at the same time. It's like writing Darth Vader, but with heavy doses of Skeletor in there.

He's a threat in a way that doesn't often get explored in things like Power Rangers. Without spoiling too much, there's an "enemy of my enemy" situation coming up that really challenges Kimberly. How much are you willing to stand beside someone if your motivations and needs line up? And for how long?

I won't say any more, but I think you'll be intrigued by this question after this issue. And the next few. Ask me this again after this arc! I'll be able to say more.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #3 (of 6)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writers: Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, Tini Howard
Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Cover Artists:
Main Cover: Elsa Charretier
Incentive Cover 1: Emily Hu
Incentive Cover 2: Stacey Lee
Price: $3.99
Reeling from an unexpected betrayal, Kimberly must work with old and new friends to free her loved ones from Goldar’s clutches.