Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #114 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: Simona Di Gianfelice

Colorist: Raúl Angulo & Jose Enrique Fernández

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artist: Taurin Clarke; Björn Barends; Goñi Montes; Francesco Mattina; Carlos Dattoli; John Giang; Erica D’Urso & Igor Monti

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 22, 2023

 

Adam and Rocky are prisoners in Safehaven. To pass the time, the Earthlings call out to other cells. Rangers from other planets, times, and dimensions answer. Who put them behind bars and why? Let’s leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #114 and find out!

 

Story

Mistress Vile summoned Dark Specter and infected the Morphin Grid. The villains control interstellar travel via the master arch on Safehaven. On Earth, Billy tried to use Power Eggs to repair the arch in the Bermuda Triangle and mount a mission to Safehaven. Instead, he summoned the Phantom Ranger, who sought to warn the Emissaries before the infection trapped him.

 

Kim, Zack, and other rangers battle Finster’s horde at the Angel Grove Quarry. Their furry adversary has more than thralls up his sleeves. As he transforms a crane into a mechanical monster, Kim worries. With half their ranger gone, they can’t form a Megazord to defeat it.

 

Melissa Flores delivers a complex, multilayered story in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #114. Franchise newbies may have trouble following the epic storyline and long-form drama. Yet it’s easy to understand that Mistress Vile and Dark Specter intend to conquer the universe. In spreading their infection through the Morphin Grid, they can turn every ranger who uses it over to their side. Can Adam, Rocky, and the other captive rangers on Safehaven resist joining Dark Specter’s army?

 

Art

Simona Di Gianfelice’s characters leap into battle in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #114. They fight hand-to-hand and wield razor-sharp weapons. The thralls slash with fearsome claws, and spikes protrude from their heads and bodies. Despite his beguiling appearance, Finster’s poise and eyes radiate power and wisdom. An immense beast in the Distant Breach tantalizes. Will we see it again?

 

Raúl Angulo & Jose Enrique Fernández load their palettes with appealing colors. Red lasers bar occupants’ cells on Safehaven. Light streams through the dark cave in the Bermuda Triangle, illuminating the gray Phantom Ranger. Bright backgrounds enhance the action in closeups while the rangers battle thralls and Finster’s creation beneath an azure sky. An intense explosion in the quarry evokes a space traveler’s view from inside a storm-wracked nebula.

 

Black uppercase lettering inhabits white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Melissa Flores doesn’t stint on the dialogue. But thanks to letter size, line spacing, and contrast between print and backgrounds, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #114 is easy to read. Ed Dukeshire’s beautiful sound effects enhance the action. While some rangers get black dialogue balloons, Dark Specter’s words appear as red letters in puffy white clouds. Does that mean he's a thoughtful and contemplative guy?

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While the Power Rangers defend Earth against Finster’s thralls, and Mistress Vile and Dark Specter conscript heroes into their army, Zordon finds comfort in reuniting with an old friend.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.