Darkest Hour has rocked the Power Rangers franchise. This isn’t a story that is only impacting the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We’ve see how Darkest Hour is an event that is impacting the entire Power Rangers Multiverse. The second chapter of Darkest Hour was a tone-setter as we saw the Power Rangers deal with being split up and taking on Dark Specter and Mistress Vile’s forces. That led to a major shocking ending with Tommy Oliver sacrificing himself so his teammates could retreat to safety. With the Power Rangers leader seemingly taken out what will happen next in Darkest Hour? Let’s find out with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #113.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Simona Di Gianfelice
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
SOLICITATION
“The third chapter of the groundbreaking DARKEST HOUR event continues as the number of corrupted Rangers pouring through the Master Arch becomes overwhelming. But this time they’re taking captives!
As Trini seeks answers from the only beings who may be able to provide them, a powerful Pink Ranger flexes her powers to help Kimberly… but will it be enough as Dark Specter’s infectious corruption spreads out of control across time and space?” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
Right away Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #113 reminds you there is no one safe during Darkest Hour. No matter where in the Multiverse they may be, Darkest Hour is an event that will impact every Power Rangers team. That is what we see with how easily Dark Specter and Mistress Vile corrupt four of the six Dino Charge Power Rangers. It’s a strong statement to make from the word go by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice.
From there, it’s just constant movement as we see with the stakes being high that any ally the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers can get will be important. The Drakkon Rangers’ appearance shows this as Billy was overwhelmed fighting Elastique and the Chaos Putties while defending Promethea alone. The rest of the Power Rangers across the Multiverse will need to be active in going against Dark Specter. If not they’ll fall like the Dino Charge Power Rangers did.
Flores does a great job at using this angle with how Billy Cranston reacts to the presence of Lord Drakkon along with the other Coinless Universe characters. Lord Drakkon has done way too much that of course, it is on sight when it comes to fighting him for Billy and the other Power Rangers. Taking the rest of the Drakkon Rangers in Kiya along with the Coinless Universe’s Bulk, Trini, and Scorpina to hold Billy back shows the impact Drakkon has had as an antagonist.
This did give Zordon the chance to shine as the calming mentor that he is. It’s a role we haven’t seen him in a while due to becoming more active in recent storylines. This was a short but effective moment to establish Zordon in the mentor role again.
This transitions well into how we see the Hyperforce Rangers also joining the fight. Having both the Drakkon and Hyperforce Rangers actively coming to the present to help the Mighty Morphin team further pushes the Multiverse aspect of Darkest Hour. This emphasises that because of how Dark Specter and Mistress Vile have corrupted the Morphin Grid numbers won’t be enough. The threat is so big it’s going to take even more for the Power Rangers to overcome.
This makes the way Dark Specter exerts his authority to be even more frightening. Dark Specter is in full control of what is going on right now. His authority is not to be challenged, something Mistress Vile is reminded of. The way that Dark Specter treats Mistress Vile does create a sub-plot within the villains. Because we know Mistress Vile’s own power-hungry nature isn’t one that she will completely fall in line with. How Mistress Vile is developed will be interesting to see.
With how serious everything in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #113 is it was refreshing to see Billy get a chance to interact with the Coinless Universe Trini. We’ve seen throughout Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that Billy and Trini have a special friendship. Even if they are from different universes the strong bond they have is still there. Flores does a great job at tapping into their experiences in their respective universes to give greater depth to Billy and Trini’s interaction.
This interaction leads to dropping your guard as the reader which makes the appearance of the Phantom Ranger to be a real surprise. The Phantom Ranger is not a character that was expected to appear. But as soon as Phantom Ranger appears you immediately get hyped by his appearance. We’ve seen it in the Power Rangers mini-series. Now all of the Phantom Ranger’s history is getting the payoff the character deserves.
Simona Di Gianfelice once again delivers on the big event look of the story. From the fight with Elastique to Billy vs Drakkon, every moment in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #113 looks intense. Gianfelice does a lot to make sure that every Power Ranger looks like they did in the show. Which is not an easy thing given the amount of characters in this story. Gianfelice also does a great job at making Dark Specter the terrifying villain we know him to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #113 is a strong third chapter of Darkest Hour. The emotions run high as the Power Rangers across the Multiverse deal with the threat of Dark Specter and Mistress Vile. The story just continues to escalate and creates even greater excitement to find out what happens next.
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