When I first moved to Seattle in the tail end of 2015, I was hit with the news that BOOM! Studios would be publishing a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic book. Naturally, as a comic book lover and Power Rangers fan, I started collecting the series and haven’t stopped for the past eight years. I’ve seen writers jump from Rangers to creator-owned series; most notably, the Massiveverse at Image Comics. I’ve read and reviewed graphic novels and limited series that span the entirety of the Morphing Grid – and a crossover or two.
All of this to say that Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #1 is the end of an era. Melissa Flores and Simona di Gianfelice work their hardest to make it an end worth reading, as Dark Spector’s corruption of the Morphing Grid has infected Power Rangers across time and space. It falls to the Mighty Morphin’ team – and a select group of allies – to burn out the infection once and for all.
It only seems fitting that Flores is the writer to close out the current era of Power Rangers comics, since she was with this project since the very beginning. Her love for Rangers shines through on the page, as does her attention to the plot points other writers have set up, including the vastly underrated “Beyond The Grid” storyline from Maguerite Bennett and Simone Di Meo. Flores also gives each character their chance to shine, from Jason taking on Dark Spector’s minions even when he’s powerless to Billy making a major decision. Even Bulk and Skull have their moments!
Di Gianfelice truly wastes no time in showing off how epic this story is – the first page literally features Zordon tumbling through space, screaming as darkness envelops him. It then transitions to a two page spread featuring Dark Spector and the Rangers he’s corrupted, staring into a yawning abyss of darkness. This continues throughout the issue; no matter if it’s Angel Grove or the far reaches of space, di Gianfelice packs every page full of Ranger action or slows things down to have a heartfelt conversation.
Finally, the color work from Raul Angulo is simply stunning to behold. Space is depicted as a dark blue ocean, dotting with glowing white stars. When the Rangers enact their final morph, the page lights up with glowing golden light. Ed Dukeshire tops it off with bold lettering for the Rangers’ morph, concluding in a massive “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!” that resonates in your bones.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #1 caps off eight years’ worth of Power Rangers stories with an action-packed, emotion-heavy finale. But the final page serves as a reminder that even if this is an ending, the legacy of the Power Rangers will never truly die.
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