The Light Within — Reviewing ‘Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters’ #1

As darkness continues to consume dimensions, the Ranger Slayer embarks upon a perilous personal quest to bring back the light. Unfortunately for her, it might be a bit too late.

Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters #1 lays the foundation for the second half of the Darkest Hour event, picking up in the aftermath of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 game-changing climax. Ryan Parrott returns to the franchise once more, joined by Rachel Wagner, Daniel Bayliss, Arthur Hesli, and Ed Dukeshire.

It’s really awesome how much of its own language and lore that the BOOM! Studios era of Power Rangers has developed over the years. Multiple creators who have added their own flavor while also picking up the toys and foundations built by others. A character like the Ranger Slayer began as one thing and has grown tremendously since that debut, which feels like such a long time ago.

In this case one of the people picking up the next stage of her development was there at the beginning. After helping debut the character during the Shattered Grid issues of Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers series, Parrott is back to say more with her. He and Wagner worked on the previous Power Rangers series together.

We’re witness to a version of Kimberly that has a lot of the fire and feeling of the one we know but with a much darker and harder edge. A character who was controlled and used, trying to find her way, and doing heroic adjacent things in her own way.

Everything here is just really interesting, with three-fourths of the story being a journey full of dialogue and self-discovery beats. Sure, there are bits of action that are great, but the character stuff is what it’s all about. From the Morphin Masters who have lost all sense of reality, to the emissaries that are warped by Dark Specter, to Ranger Slayer’s declaration.

Visually there is just so much to take in.

We journey through various levels of the morphing grid itself, where Bayliss finds the way to bridge familiar and other dimensional mind-bending so smoothly. Tons of depth and intricate detail give each space and character life, their faces and body language calling their emotions out loud and clear. When artists can allow you to fully feel a character’s emotions despite them wearing a full facial mask it’s the best.

Vivid colors swirl through more toned-down natural palette choices, again bridging that normality and abnormality needed. Power Rangers is a color-based series and those colors need to be so vibrant they stand out no matter what. Hesli hits those notes, especially for the emissaries who are shifting between various styles and shades of the same overall power color.

Mask emotions are loud and clear, but so are all the emotions in the character’s actual voices. Dudeshire always manages to make voices unique, dripping with emotion, personality, and intent. Colors and darkness enhance what is there, making the words a visual as well as mental auditory treat.

Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters #1 is now available from BOOM! Studios.