One Ranger has made her way into the Morphin Grid. Can she survive long enough to find the Morphin Masters within? Your Major Spoilers review of Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters #1 from BOOM! Studios awaits!

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: THE MORPHIN MASTERS #1

Writer: Ryan Parrott and Rachel Wagner
Artist: Daniel Bayliss
Colorist: Arthur Hesli
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Allyson Gronowitz
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $7.99
Release Date: January 31, 2024

Previously in Power Rangers Unlimited: Kimberly has entered The Grid, searching desperately for the Morphin Masters and the answers they might possess. But as Dark Specter’s infection grows increasingly more dangerous, new revelations are uncovered that will shake the Power Rangers universe to its very core!

IN SEARCH OF: THE MORPHIN MASTERS

After a pitched battle with Lord Drakkon, the former love of her life, the alternate Kimberly Hart known as The Ranger Slayer has been purged of the corruption of Dark Specter. Sure, she had to kill him and be gifted the White Ranger’s Power Coin, but Kim has now entered the Morphin Grid in search of the Morphin Masters themselves. Fighting her way past Grid-powered energy avatars (including an orange scorpion, a gold praying mantis, and a red gorilla, which reference Rangers not yet seen or never adapted from Super Sentai), she finds herself guided by a mysterious voice that leads her to an unexpected ally: the heretofore unseen Pink Emissary. Ranger Slayer is not happy to see the living embodiment of her power in person, seeing as how Kimberly has lived a life of horror, death, and psychological enslavement, but ol’ Pinkie assures her that her struggles have all been for a greater good.

It’s only when they find the Morphin Masters that Kim realizes exactly what that ominous statement actually means.

“YOU DIDN’T GET THE HAIR RIGHT”

This issue is the latest chapter in the ongoing Darkest Hour saga, and though I’ve made the observation before, Power Rangers fans should know that this one earns its name. Not only does Kim have to kill the only man she ever got to love, but she’s also faced with the ghost of a tragically lost friend, and realizes that even having your guardian angel show up isn’t any guarantee that they’ll actually save you. Bayliss’ art throughout the issue is excellent, subtle in facial expressions even when the characters don’t have faces, while giving the action sequences a really impressive visual language. Ranger Slayer’s attacks even look like those of the classic Pink Ranger that she’s an alternate of, which is really amazing. Not only that, it stays consistent throughout the issue, which is truly amazing.

BOTTOM LINE: GREAT STUFF, BUT A LITTLE GRIM

This single-issue spotlight on Kimberly Hart is the kind of narrative that might have slowed the story down, but Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters #1 is s a strong issue, one that moves with urgency even when dealing with Kimberly’s unhealed trauma and ending with a gut-punch that’s the bleakest hopeful moment I’ve ever read, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. The body count keeps rising, and more Rangers are possessed by Dark Specter every moment, so if anybody knows that guy D.S.X. Machina, we might wish to give him a call.

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