Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 sets the stage for a grand comeback for Ranger Slayer, with drama leading to a tip in scales. The latest issue continuing Darkest Hour adds another tense instalment to the ongoing arc from writer Melissa Flores.
The latest issue adds a dramatic twist as the prelude to a synchronous chapter for two events. As the scattered and clumped teams of Rangers attempt to fight off their corrupted comrades, the past involving Lord Drakkon and Ranger Slayer is magnified once more. A dramatic instalment is now providing a grand new level of excitement as the latest Boom! Studios issue continues the 30th Anniversary story arc.
Darkest Hour is a huge new comic event for the Boom! Studios series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The event started with issue #110, which featured Empress Vile setting a way to release Dark Spector. The story mixes in the season 2 original team with the Omega Rangers, but the 30th Anniversary event also allowed for the Hyperforce Rangers and the newly established, Drakkon Rangers, to join the fight for survival. The first issue, released in 2024, was revealed to be a huge turning point as Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Master #1 starts a new concurrent spinoff featuring Ranger Slayer.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 Feeds the Division with Drakkon Facing His History
The latest issue of the Boom! Studios series concentrates on the desperate conflict occurring between different Rangers and their infected team members. The timeline is brilliantly twisted to bring a fantastic new range of combat between different squads of Rangers, with a range of representation. The release also does a fantastic job of bringing all the characters seen so far, while also raising the stakes for both sides. As the two battles end, fans are also treated to an epic teaser that brings the audience further into the darkness.
Drama Tying Shattered Grid Into Darkest Hour
The foundation of the latest issue focuses on the completed relationship between Lord Drakkon and Ranger Slayer. The intense flashback adds an even greater slice of emotion as Drakkon recalls his indoctrinated ally while fighting her corruption once more. The start was a great insight into the perception of Drakkon as he deals with the emotional backlash of using a spell to control Kimberly. However, seeing the same distortion against Drakkon was a great moment for the character by making him face his demons. This type of confrontation added a great amount of redemption for Drakkon while providing a heightened emotional cliffhanger for Ranger Slayer.
Glorified Action Featuring Various Characters
Melissa Flores has managed to perfectly mesh so much action and many participants into one issue. It’s fantastic to see so much representation in one release as the participant teams include characters from Dino Charge, Wild Force and Hyperforce. With the Omega Rangers and even the Drakkon Ranger included, this issue is one of the peak moments that fans never expected to see again after the Shattered Grid arc. The issue was made possible thanks to its previous instalments but it’s brilliant how many characters were able to equally feature, while also staging a major event between Drakkon and Ranger Slayer for it to surround.
Raising the Stakes and Adding to Suspense
Empress Vile and Dark Spector were also a highlight of the issue as the drama between master and minion continues to progress. Alpha 1 also provides another sliver of horror to the events as he reveals his new form, taken from Xi. The Rangers confronting the horde of foes had the right level of desperation and cunning. However, it added to the drama by featuring more captured Rangers that kept the balance, despite the destruction of the Master Arch by Kiya. A great use of lore was also featured as Rita gave Dark Spector Keeper’s sceptre as a new way to enter the grid.
Teasing Further Representation and Integration
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 also provides a greater glimpse of what could be included in the upcoming issues. This includes a preview of various Ranger teams that were not given the same time in the spotlight compared to other characters in Shattered Grid. This includes some teams such as Mystic Force, Megaforce and Dino Fury, which would enrich the new arc by getting a bigger slice of the pie. Including them as previews of the dramatic aftermath was a brilliant way to set the stage for a bigger instalment.
For adding a suspenseful cliffhanger for a bigger upcoming chapter for Rangers and Ranger Slayer, we give Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 a total of 9.5 out of 10.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 is now available at your local comic book store. The latest issue of the Boom! Studios series is also available as a digital copy from content providers like iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
For more comic reviews, keep an eye out for more upcoming releases. For more Power Rangers, keep an eye on social media and keep following The Toku Source for more news and announcements.
