
Boom! Studios 2020
Written by Ryan Parrott
Illustrated by Dan Mora
Coloured by Raul Angulo
Lettered by Ed Dukeshire
The Ranger Slayer -- AKA Kimberly Hart, the Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger from the alternate universe once ruled by Lord Dakkon -- returns home and nothing is like she expected. In a world that only knows her as a villain, can Kimberly show her universe that she's become a hero... and is that even the right thing to do? Confronted by a terrifying new version of an old enemy, and with her home in chaos, Kimberly will make a stunning choice that no Power Rangers fan can miss. This issue is also a perfect jumping on point for new readers -- and sets the stage for the next Power Rangers epic!
I don’t normally read the Power Rangers, they were after my time growing up, and I never really understood the appeal. Ryan however is a damn fine writer and I have enjoyed his work on these titles and it makes me want to read more. This is a take I have never seen and honestly I think I’ve been missing out because this is pretty darn amazing to see. There is this amazing amount of darkness balanced by light and the whole realistic attitudes I see coming from the characters just make this such a strong and amazing read.
I really like the way that this is being told. How we see the story & plot development moving forward through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. The character development we see is utterly amazing as we see little bits of information given over time to generate even more interest in the characters and the way we become so engaged and invested in them is pretty sensational. The situations and circumstances they find themselves in are so naturally presented and they seem to raise the intrigue factor exponentially. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way shows us how everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow.
The way that this is structured, how we see the layers within it and all the surprise moments that leave you mouth agape well it’s what we as readers’ live to experience. Ryan is probably the most underrated writer around now and it’s because he’s at Boom! Or elsewhere so folks you need to wake up more and find these series’!
Absolutely loving the interior artwork here. The linework is exquisite, the opening sets up what we can expect to see throughout and the varying techniques and varying weights of the linework we see being utilised enhances the detail work. The way that the panels are being utilised with the backgrounds and how full they look enhance the moments beautifully and bring us this amazing depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope of the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a sensational eye for storytelling. The colour work is gorgeously rendered. The choices are phenomenal and how we see them utilised to set the mood, tone and feel is perfectly done. The way we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is beyond amazing.
This story is really spectacular and how we see this makes it feel like a brand new franchise instead of something that’s a twist on a pre-existing one. There’s a delicious darkness and anger woven throughout and the intrigue of what we see and what could possibly come next makes me shiver with anticipation. Folks even if you aren’t a Power Rangers fan you are going to love this, I promise you this!