The previous issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers placed the main story of Mistress Vile’s invasion on pause. That pause happened so we could learn he truth about Vessel and how the body of Zordon was used to create the newest Power Ranger villain. What we learned added a lot of context into what went down between Rita Repulsa and Zordon in the distant past. It also provided us with more insight into Zordon as well. Now that this sub-plot has been fleshed out what will happen when we get back to the Mistress Vile story? Let’s find out with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Simona Di Gianfelice
Colorists: Raul Angulo and Jose Enrique Fernandez
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
SOLICITATION
“As fans eagerly await the epic 30th anniversary of the airing of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the horrifying truth of the Vessel finally revealed to Zordon and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but the last person they want to fight shatters their odds of success.
But it’s not only heroes that clash with each other-villains too, in a brutal battle that will pit former allies against each other, and ultimately unearth long-buried secrets that readers have been dying to know!” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109 is a comic book where you are just happy that our heroes were able to get a win. Because as things have been developing in the Recharged Era the wins have been few and far between for the Power Rangers. But even in getting one win there are so many other concerns because of the losses that they have suffered. It’s the impact of those loses that leave you wanting to find out what is next.
That feeling is something we get early on in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109 with Lord Drakkon and Kiya’s escape. Flores does an excellent job capturing how Lord Drakkon is an unapologetic asshole. Even when he is recruiting Kiya he is doing it for his own benefit. Everything he says and does is about corrupting others to his side and does it again with Kiya. The Omega Rangers showing up to stop them from escaping played right into his hand as it was the final thing he needed to fully tap into Kiya’s anger and pride.
With Lord Drakkon and Kiya making their escape through the Master Arch it does place a big question as to what role in the future they will play. Based on the upcoming Power Rangers Unlimited: The Coinless he will be returning to his universe. That does not mean he will stay there as we’ve seen how many of the Power Rangers Unlimited one-shots have played roles in the main series. It won’t be surprising if that Drakkon, Kiya, and more from the Coinless Universe appear during the Darkest Hour event that is being promoted to being on the level of Shattered Grid.
Having Drakkon and Kiya exit the current narrative for now is also a smart call since Mistress Vile has been such a big threat. The threat of Mistress Vile is only getting bigger as we see that even in his Ranger form Lord Zedd was only able to fight the former Rita Repulsa to a tie. Flores tapped into how this battle between Mistress Vile and Lord Zedd wasn’t just a battle of two powerful villains. Rather this was as much a battle of two of the biggest egos.
Them battling to a standstill once again emphasized how much of a difference maker Vessel is for Mistress Vile. While Vessel is now an even bigger unknown after their meeting with Zordon its clear they are at least still working with Mistress Vile. While their alliance is intact and worked out for both there are signs Vessel is not bought in with how they turned down Mistress Vile’s request to kill Grace Sterling. That is something that makes Vessel a character to watch as we get to the upcoming Power Rangers event.
Given that Lord Drakkon and Mistress Vile made it out with what they were seeking to get the one victory our heroes got in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109 was made even more interesting. We see with the fight of Matthew Cook being turned into the new Evil Green Ranger that others experience came into play. This isn’t the first time the team has dealt with an evil Power Ranger. Seeing how they utilized that experience to be able to trick the overconfident Matt to get in a spot where they can disarm him and destroy the Sword Of Darkness.
This says a lot for the team as Matt pulled every bad guy tactic to mess with the Power Rangers. That included using the growing attraction between himself and Aisha before Mistress Vile corrupted him to mess with the Power Rangers. Kimberly knowing exactly what to say so Aisha didn’t freeze up in the moment. It continues to grow Kimberly as a leader and further builds on Aisha’s experience in a type of conflict we’ve seen many of the Power Rangers deal with.
While they were able to defeat the latest Evil Green Ranger this can’t necessarily be called a win. Because as we see with how Matt reacted the methods Mistress Vile used to corrupt him have had a negative impact on him. Whether intentional or not, the way Matt teleported away without a clue where he went is reminiscent to Lord Drakkon’s origin story in he Coinless Universe. What this means for the arc that Matt will be a sub-plot for Darkest Hour.
After all of that the Power Rangers are left in another unknown spot. While they saved Matt everything else in this story went as bad as they could. If that wasn’t enough it appears that some invasion, possibly Dark Spectre forces, are heading to Safehaven. How both the Power Rangers and Omega Rangers respond will be interesting to see.
Simona Di Gianfelice delivered on the big moments we got throughout Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109. The battle between Mistress Vile and Lord Zedd delivered on the power you expect these two to utilize in a fight fueled by revenge and ego. And while their helmets make it tough to emote Gianfelice got across how evil Matt sounded in his Evil Green Ranger rant and Aisha’s devastation over his words. That all made how the Power Rangers were able to efficiently disarm and destroy the Sword Of Darkness even better choreography.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #109 delivered an impactful chapter in the Recharged Era. Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice make every moment hit with the big impact you expect it to given everything the Power Rangers have been through. Now that leaves things in a spot where the interest in what will happen in the upcoming Darkest Hour event be raised even more.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10