BOOM! Studios Power Rangers Universe is about to enter its biggest storyline since Shattered Grid with Darkest Hour. Melissa Flore and company have done an excellent job building up to the Darkest Hour event that will be starting in August. The recent Power Rangers Unlimited comics in The Coinless and Hyperforce did a very good job at building two major angles for the Darkest Hour event. Now we got one last prelude chapter in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110 before the big, year-long event. Let’s find out how Darkest Hour is set-up with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Simona Di Gianfelice
Colorists: Raul Angulo and Jose Enrique Fernandez
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
SOLICITATION
“Zedd and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers working together? If they’re going to have a shot at defeating Mistress Vile, you better believe it! But Mistress Vile has an army on her side in the desperate fight for Safehaven, and as leaders and heroes collide, a well-kept secret on a mysterious island on earth houses the darkest consequences imaginable for the Grid itself…” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
When you look at examples of how to set the stage for a big event you don’t have to look further than Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110. This latest issue by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice acts as the final chapter in the Recharged storyline and prelude to Darkest Hour. The transition all works to payoff everything going on with Mistress Vile and builds hype for the upcoming big event in a seamless manner.
The tensions from every angle of the Recharged storyline run high throughout Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Whether it is the dynamic between our two Power Ranger teams, Mistress Vile and her minions, and Dark Specter’s latest move. There is really no time to breathe for anyone involved in this story. Even in moments where characters are discussing things there is an intense air around those conversations. Which goes to show the real impact Rita Repulsa’s transformation into Mistress Vile has had on the series.
What is so impressive about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110 is the understanding of scale every scene needs to have. We see that right out of the gate with the returning Dayne and Death Ranger leading Dark Specters forces to attack Safehaven. This attack by two of the most powerful villains the Power Rangers have faced was enough to know that this is a major attack that the Omega Rangers would struggle against
What took it to a higher level was the appearance of the Wild Force Power Rangers controlled by the Death Ranger. The visual of the Death Ranger controlled Wild Force Rangers team confirms what we saw in Power Rangers Unlimited: Hyperforce that the upcoming Darkest Hour event will span every timeline in the Power Rangers history. This is were visual clues play such an important role in the set-up for Darkest Hour as the appearance of the Wild Force Rangers immediately gives the upcoming event Shattered Grid level vibes.
This turn of events also works to show how far the Trini Kwan, Zack Taylor, Kevor Vrin, and Yale of Saard have come as the Omega Rangers. Previously this would be an overwhelming situation that made the surprise of other Rangers even tougher to deal with, as we saw in stories like the Coinless Saga and Shattered Grid. But having gone through Multiverse ending events already we see the Omega Rangers experience shine through as they do not hesitate in taking on Dark Specter’s upgraded forces. This not only shows a growth in their Omega Ranger powers but also their mental fortitude.
On the other end of the universe we get a different characterization for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team. In the previous issue, the Power Rangers got a big win by destroying the Sword of Darkness and breaking the full control Mistress Vile had on Green Ranger Matthew Cook. But even with that win things didn’t turn out as they thought as Matt appeared to still be under Mistress Vile’s control.
This is something confirmed in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110 as Matt continued to work for Mistress Vile. The way Matt acted in this issue shows that Mistress Vile learned from how she failed to control Tommy Oliver and likely used different methods to ensure her control of the Green Ranger wasn’t reliant on the Sword of Darkness. Which does create a question as to what role Matt will serve in Darkest Hour as his path is reminiscent of how the Coinless Universe Tommy Oliver became Lord Drakkon.
When you combine this with how Mistress Vile did not hesitate in torturing Vessel when she learned of his change after meeting Zordon. When you add this to her other acts, such as overpowering Lord Zedd in their fights, further elevates Mistress Vile as one of the most powerful threats the Power Rangers have faced. Which is all punctuated with the fact that the Recharged story ends with Mistress Vile successfully activating the Master Arch and tapping into the dimension Dark Specter is at. With this act we are completely in uncharted waters as Mistress Vile and Dark Specter appear to be the big bads for Darkest Hour.
With all that happens this does shine a bigger spotlight on how bad of a spot the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Omega Rangers are in. The Mighty Morphin team are shown to not be the most united. When it comes to Tommy and Kimberly. There has been growing tension between these two that may have been made worse with how they each led two different groups of the team. This caused them to experience the Recharged storyline from different angles. And we see hints that may continue during the Darkest Hour event.
Along with that they now have to live with knowing they were to late to stop Mistress Vile from using the Zeo Crystals to activate the Master Arch. Being witness of how late they were does also leave the Power Rangers in a spot where they could suffer even more losses at the beginning of Darkest Hour. The ending all creates many questions as to
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #110 accomplishes being both the conclusion of the Recharged storyline and acting as a prelude to the Darkest Hour event. The Power Rangers have never been in this tough of spot as Mistress Vile and Dark Specter appear completely unstoppable. Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice do an outstanding job at setting the stage for Darkest Hour to have Shattered Grid-level vibes from the very beginning. If you are a Power Rangers fan make sure you do not miss this issue or the upcoming Darkest Hour event.
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