Heart To Hart: Reviewing ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ #116

As darkness continues to spread and more Rangers fall under its sway, an unexpected move could provide a possible salvation.

Peak character development wrapped in a real ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ style situation is what Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 delivers. Melissa Flores, Adam Gorham, Marco Renna, Joana Lafuente, and Ed Dukeshire bring some emotional punches as Darkest Hour reaches a halfway point.

Some pretty hefty spoilers ahead.

Okay, now that the warning is out of the way, wow. Just wow.

If you had told me I’d feel kind of touched by an issue with Lord Drakkon and the Ranger Slayer as the protagonists, I might not have believed you. Now if you told me that it was a Flores-penned issue that would have changed my belief to an “Oh yeah, I’ll buy that” pretty quickly.

One of the things I poke at every single review is how powerful the character work is here. On paper, this is a wildly massive almost bonkers type of event. It’s pulling Rangers from all over the multiverse, with a ‘main’ cast size that would make most established superhero team books gasp in shock. Yet, the way Flores maneuvers the characters makes sure everyone gets their moment, gets their beats, and even if we don’t see them for an issue it’s fine. Nothing feels extraneous or left to wither on the vine.

Here we get moments that showcase the complicated relationship of Drakkon and Slayer, a warped version of the Tommy and Kimberly dynamic that Rangers fans know and love. There is no denying that Drakkon is an evil being, the bodies and destruction behind him attest to it. With little bits sprinkled in here though we can see that some parts of what made Tommy who he was still are there. Gosh, the whole beat poking at toxic love and control is just something we don’t normally get with stuff like this.

Then we reach the point where Drakkon sacrifices his life to break Dark Spector’s control on Kimberly/Slayer. This evil man who did anything to survive and take down others gave up the ultimate prize, his life so that she could be free from all control. So that she can carry out the mission to find the Morphing Masters and hopefully help save everything from the darkness/control.

Look, I’m not shedding a tear for the guy, but it’s quite a big leap that showcases how much the character has developed since his initial entrance close to a decade ago (oh geez!).

Narrowed down to just two of the throughlines of the story, the issue turns to two different artists. Gorham and Renna have very different styles, and it works for the two stories we’re seeing. Our focus on Drakkon and Ranger Slayer is rougher, gritty, personal, and heavy which works with Gorham’s art which embodies many of those qualities. On the other hand, Renna has a smoother more heroic ringing style on display that works for the massive Ranger battle (and retreat) section.

All the Ranger-filled pages from Renna have a bit more focus on the surroundings because it’s a massive display. Characters are all over, fights in the foreground and background, bouncing between the Command Center and Safehaven. Giving each space its due and a feeling of depth, necessary to convey the bigger moments. It feels hopeful but overwhelming at the same time because that is where the Rangers currently stand in their fight with Dark Spector and his forces.

A perfect example is the double-page spread. Full of Rangers of all eras, and various painful panels forming a lightning bolt shape. It’s glorious and embodies that hope meeting darkness tone.

Sparse, mostly color-filled, backgrounds are the situation for Drakkon and Ranger Slayer. Their moments, both past and present, are not about what is around them (a world in ruins in fact) but about them. It’s a very personal emotional story and the way that Gorham sets that up allows us to live and breathe their moments. Close-up panels where nothing distracts from the body language, facial expressions, and everything else being unsaid by the combatants.

Lafuente is the connective tissue between the two areas. One would almost instinctively think there are two different colorists as well, but there is not. Smoother more vibrant soaking colors are employed for the Ranger pages while more toned-down heavier dark tones colors fill the other pages. Even as the colors change there is a clear feeling of them being from the same source that makes sure the changeover isn’t jarring. It all almost bleeds together while staying unique.

All these characters and a variety of voices have given Dukeshire even more room to get creative. Chiefly all of those mentioned voices flow smoothly through the pages, hitting every single emotional beat required of them. Allowing us to really hear every single crackling bit of energy. Those voices fill up bubbles that shift font, colors, size, and style freely to give characters a signature voice among the many.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 is now available from BOOM! Studios.