Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers will officially end its run at Boom! Studios later this month with the release of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #1. The announcement of the pending end of the rangers’ 8-year run with Boom! Studios was made in April. Before the end arrives though, there is at least one more title on the way very soon in the form of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One. Set for release July 9, the 320-page story culls six issues each from the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #1-6 and Power Rangers #1-6 that will keep the most devoted Power Rangers fan engaged and entertained. That entertainment and engagement is due in no small part to the expansive story that spans its beautifully colored pages. That artwork in question plays just as much into the collection as the story itself and will be examined a little later. The bonus content that accompanies the collection rounds out its most important elements. It will also be addressed later. Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of this brand-new forthcoming anthology. All things considered they make the whole and its $25 price tag well worth it.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One, the forthcoming Power Rangers universe-spanning story from Boom! Studios, is a presentation that will engage and entertain Power Rangers fans across the board. The appeal of this presentation comes in large part through its story. Spanning more than 300 pages, the story follows the second Power Rangers team – Tommy, Rocky, Kimberly, Aisha, Adam, and Billy – as they face off against a brand new threat from Lord Zedd and his forces (as well as a new Green Ranger whose loyalties remain in question throughout). As if that is not bad enough, the new team also has to deal with the Omega Rangers (Jason, Trini and Zach) after they kidnap none other than Lord Drakkon after Zordon forbade them from taking him. They take Drakkon to deep space in an effort to find the Empyrians, a race of planet destroying beings that even Lord Drakkon fears. In taking him, the trio becomes interstellar outlaws, creating their own problems for themselves. Along the way, writer Ryan Parrott brings in some familiar MMPR figures including Astronema and Ecliptor (from Power Rangers in Space) and agents of Space Patrol Delta as dangers to the Omega Rangers. As if that is not enough, the new Green Ranger becomes his own threat to the new Ranger team as the story progresses.
On an equally interesting side note, readers learn something that was never delved into in the original Power Rangers television series in the form of Zordon’s history. Audiences find out about how his training and reluctance to take on a leadership role on his home world made him into the leader that he was for the Rangers. Not to give away too much, but a friend of Zordon’s on Eltar will become key in the second volume of Unlimited Power. That item will not be given away here. That story even involves a little bit of a shock discovery of something else that is directly tied to the Mighty Morphin’ universe; a certain palace.
On a related note, another Eltarian comes into the picture because of the threat posed by the Empyrians (and Dark Spectre), surprisingly and she ties in the Rangers’ story to – believe it or not – Bulk and Skull. Thanks to her introduction, readers actually see a more mature, human side from Skull and even Bulk along the way. This surprising turn from everyone’s beloved modern day Laurel and Hardy makes for its own interesting, endearing secondary tale. When this and its tie to the bigger story that spans Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One, the whole makes the overall collection a welcome read for any Power Rangers fans.
The story that spans Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One’s more than 300 pages is just one part of what makes it so engaging and entertaining. The artwork that pairs with the story makes for its own interest. The artwork is of note because it presents some familiarity and something new. The familiarity comes in the form of designs of characters, such as Goldar, Zedd, and Zordon. Even the look of the zords is familiar. However, the rangers have some unique designs. Trini and Zach definitely look little like their television counterparts, as do Jason, Billy, and even Kimberly. About the only character who looks like himself is Tommy. That is not necessarily a bad thing though. It is just illustrator Marco Renna’s own touch given to the look of the Rangers. On what is one of the biggest and best surprises is the look of the space vampires (known as The Horrid). They look, interestingly enough, like the infamous DC comics character Etrigan (otherwise known as The Demon). Whether that stylistic similarity in design was intentional is anyone’s guess, but it is regardless, an interesting look.
Just as interesting to note in regard to the artwork is the design of the Rangers’ Command Center. Rather than being the relatively well-lit facility audiences came to know from television, it is quite dark, looking more like the Command Center from the recently aired Power Rangers special, Once & Always. It is another intriguing but still interesting change that is certain to catch readers’ attention. Between this item and the others noted here, the artwork featured throughout Boom! Studios’ new Power Rangers anthology provides just as much for audiences to appreciate as the story therein.
The story featured at the heart of Unlimited Power: Part One and its rich artwork collectively give audiences reason enough to take in this anthology, especially at its $25 price point. It is only part of what makes the collection worth reading. The bonus content that accompanies the book puts the finishing touch to the presentation. The bonus content in question comes in the form of the cover gallery that has become common with so many titles from Boom! Studios. From a cover featuring the new Green Ranger facing off against Lord Zedd’s forces to a unique group shot of the Power Rangers and Omega Rangers to four even more intriguing covers that completely span the Power Rangers universe and more, the covers allow the most hardcore Power Rangers fans to have all of those covers in one place rather than spread out across so many standalone issues. It puts the finishing touch to the presentation, completing the enjoyment and engagement of this collection.
Boom! Studios’ forthcoming release of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One is a positive new, expansive offering for any Power Rangers fan. That is proven in part through its 12-chapter story that spans two separate Power Rangers titles. The story interweaves a number of story lines that are expertly tied together thanks to the writing teams on both titles. The artwork featured in each title makes for its own interest, too. That is due to the unique design that was given to the Power Rangers’ universe throughout its more than 300 page run. The bonus content that accompanies the collection puts the finishing touch to the presentation and completes its appeal. That is because of the happiness it will bring the most diehard Power Rangers fans. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of this anthology. All things considered they make Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One a welcome new offering for Power Rangers fans as they count down to the end of the Rangers’ run with Boom! Studios. The story’s continuation, by the way, is currently scheduled for release next month, with an exact date under consideration.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Unlimited Power – Part One is scheduled for release July 9. More information on this and other titles from Boom! Studios is available at:
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