Something Dark Lurks Within — Reviewing ‘Power Rangers Unlimited: The Coinless’ #1

Darkness and the various realms of the Power Rangers are not strangers. Some realms though, are much darker than others. That would be the case with the universe that gave birth to the villain Drakkon, known as the Coinless Universe.

This is a world that was visited back in 2016 when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series launched at BOOM! Studios. Even after the defeat of Drakkon during the Shattered Grid event, it was a world visited a few times. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse. As Mistress Vile (Rita) works to unleash Dark Specter upon the main MMPR universe that darkness has already hit Drakkon’s old universe.

This one-shot is very interesting but also quite emotional. Essentially Adam Cesare, Moises Hidalgo, Arthur Hesli, and Ed Dukeshire are telling a zombie apocalypse story. Dark Specter has overtaken all but a handful of characters (Ranger Slayer/Kimberly, Scorpina, Trini, Jason, Bulk, and Finster 5) who are the last remaining big of hope for life on the world. Because it’s that type of story there are losses both in the past that we learn about and before the issue closes out.

Cesare does a great job at bringing life to these older seasoned versions of characters we know, who have been through many horrific things. The Coinless Universe is so broken there wasn’t likely any chance that things could get brighter but there was hope the last time we saw them. Kimberly had returned and stepped up in that miniseries (Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn) to become a reluctant leader of those left.

This is a pretty rapid-paced horror story with Power Rangers elements, which works. It’s a tie-in to the main series as it’s setting up pieces for the upcoming Darkest Hour event.

Hidalgo’s style is one that fits right in the middle. By that I mean it has depth and detail that fits the overall superhero aspect but also has a rougher feeling which is great for horror. All the characters are very familiar, and we can feel the various emotions from them clear as day. One of the things that best establishes the overall tone is the great choices for paneling.

A lot of wide and close shots of the setting, some of them tilted which enhances that out-of-sorts feeling. All the Dark Specter-changed beings are creepy and move in unhuman-like ways. It pairs well with the color palate that Hesli employs. It’s colorful but also very toned down, playing into the idea that this is a dying world. Even during the height of daylight, this is a place that feels dark and overwhelming.

Creating a tone and feeling is another thing that we get out of lettering, outside of providing dialogue. Dukeshire does that so well. I love the way that whispering/muttering is perfectly clear with the smaller somewhat faded text. Same as how the Dark Specter being’s bubbles are broken and employ the creepy black/orange color pairing. There are numerous elements in play that make sure that every word upon the page carries energy and power to help enhance the story’s mood.

Power Rangers Unlimited: The Coinless is now available from BOOM! Studios