Morphenomenal

When it first appeared on American television sets in 1993, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was like nothing else on TV. The brainchild of Israeli music producer Haim Saban, the show stitched together segments from the Japanese children’s program Super Sentai with newly recorded live footage, and its unexpected popularity quickly anchored Fox’s daytime programming block and further cemented the network as a innovative pop-culture powerhouse. Garish, heartfelt, utterly strange, and bursting with irrepressible energy, the show was a dramatic departure from the animated fare that dominated children’s programming at the time, and came closer than any program before it to being a “live-action” cartoon.

Three decades later, Power Rangers is a pop-culture icon and a billion-dollar franchise. The show regularly premiered episodes on U.S. networks through December 2021, after which streaming juggernaut Netflix brought new airings under the “exclusive” umbrella on its platform. Netflix and Hasbro, current rights-holder of the Power Rangers brand, also announced in late 2021 the development of a Power Rangers TV and film “universe” spearheaded by Jonathan Entwistle, whose dramedy series The End of the F***ing World won a Peabody Award and British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series. Power Rangers, it seems, is trying to grow up.

In Morphinomenal, journalist and lifelong Power Rangers fan Joshua Moore will deliver readers a deeply researched narrative history of Power Rangers – from its inception to the present day – and offer comprehensive retellings and analysis of milestone moments for the brand and show, as well as insights into its still-thriving toy line and an adult fandom that yearns for its favorite spandex-wearing superheroes to share a bigger piece of the spotlight with the likes of Batman and Wonder Woman. Moore will tell this story through a combination of original interviews and existing news coverage, academic research and recorded audio and video appearances by cast and crew members from throughout the show’s 30-year run.

All heroes have an origin story, but the most compelling ones are the tales of the underdogs who brought them to life. With meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Moore transforms the behind-the-scenes history of the Power Rangers into a thrilling saga as dynamic as a classic Mighty Morphin episode. This book is essential reading for anyone fascinated by the real origins of this iconic pop culture franchise.-- "Scott Niswander, NerdSync"
Moore has put his energy, knowledge, and insight of Power Rangers history into Morphenomenal, and the result is a fun and invoking read for any fan of the franchise, young or old.-- "Shawn Pryor, author of Kaiju Unleashed: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts"
Morphenomenal by Joshua Moore is a wonderfully satisfying catalog of the creation and duration of the Power Rangers as a pop culture franchise. It's a comprehensively researched and entertaining record of modern media history and the way it can capture everything from television to toys to comics to movies and videogames. In an era where information is becoming harder and harder to find and verify, Moore has presented the ultimate document for Power Rangers fans and media historians (like me) to add to our libraries to make sure that this story is preserved and accessible for future generations.-- "Dan Larson, Secret Galaxy"
Morphenomenal is a meticulously researched love-letter to 30 years of the Power Rangers superhero franchise. Joshua Moore has crafted a readable and compelling story that will delight anyone interested in popular culture, whether Power Rangers fans or otherwise. Morphenomenal guides us through the brand's triumphs, hiccoughs and setbacks, from the perspective of a lifelong Power Rangers enthusiast. I couldn't put it down.-- "Simon Bennett, executive producer Power Rangers Dino Fury, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury and Mighty Morp"
Morphenomenal is a stellar look at the creation (well, re-creation) of a franchise that would become a household name. It's a wonderful deep dive into a watershed moment of pop culture and the surprising legacy it's had -- few expected Power Rangers to be more than a campy addition to early '90s children's television. Thirty years later, those naysayers have been proven wrong and Moore's book is the perfect gift for everyone that's stood on the side of those Mighty Morphin teens.-- "Daniel Dockery, author of Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All"
Nobody has told the Power Rangers story as comprehensively as Moore tells it, because nobody else has spent as much time immersed in the show and with people who helped bring it to life, as well as with the people--fans like him--who've kept it alive. Tenacious reporting, lively writing, and unrelenting passion make Morphenomenal an entertaining experience befitting the show whose history it chronicles.-- "Margaret Loesch, TV executive, former president/CEO Fox Kids Network"

Joshua Moore has been a fan of Power Rangers since it began airing in 1993 (according to his mother; he was 2 years old when it premiered). For almost 13 years he was employed by the Lexington Herald-Leader – part of the McClatchy Company, the second-largest newspaper operator in the United State, and the paper of record in Lexington, Kentucky. Over the last decade he has written about sports, business, the COVID-19 pandemic, movies, video games and Power Rangers for the Herald-Leader and a variety of media, including popular fan site Ranger Command Power Hour. In addition to regular appearances on local and regional sports radio shows, Moore has been a featured guest on podcasts dedicated to Power Rangers, Pixar films and Pokémon. He now is a marketer, freelancer writer and broadcaster, and runs Ranger Reader, a Substack about Power Rangers.

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