COMIC REVIEW – Power Rangers Universe Issue 1

On Wednesday, December 29th, Power Rangers Universe Issue 1 will be released from Boom Studios. A first look of this issue was shown earlier this month.

What is the true origin of the Phantom Ranger? And what is his connection to the Morphin Grid? From the moment he first appeared 24 years ago, fans have wondered about the origins of the powerful and mysterious Phantom Ranger and how they tie to the greater Power Rangers Universe. These are questions which have never been answered—until now—in the game-changing series event that no Power Rangers fan can afford to miss! 

Host Eric (@trekkieb47) had a chance to read the issue in advance and shares his review:

“After months since the initial announcements, Power Rangers Universe is finally in our hands. This title intrigued me from the beginning since it’s not that often we a deep dive into the lore of Power Rangers, specifically for the Phantom Ranger.

The Phantom Ranger is getting a lot of focus this year, from Power Rangers Unlimited: Edge of Darkness to his own Lightning Collection figure. Now, Power Rangers Universe seems to be tackling his origin. Right from the start, we see the suit is colored white and referred to as the Morphinaut, speaking to a scientist named Chendil. The suit name is a play on the word “astronaut”, designed to go into the Morphin Grid itself.

The Morphinaut encounters a dark presence in the Morphin Grid, another connection to the show and comics – Dark Specter. Dark Specter has been teased the past couple of years in the comics and I wonder if this story also deals with his origins. In sacrifice the Morphinaut blows up the connection to the Proto-Arch, the prototype of the Master Arch, another concept pulled from Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers.

And those connections make the Power Rangers Universe live up to its name. The “A47 Galaxy” mentioned before in Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers and in the flashbacks of Mighty Morphin IS the Milky Way Galaxy. We see different Masterforges mentioned, devices seen and described in “Edge of Darkness”. Details like this used by different writers for the comics makes everything feel more interconnected.

We are then introduced to “Ori” / Orisonth, the new Blue Ranger and their brother Kartor. They try to power their Morphin Heart, previously since in Shattered Grid and Beyond the Grid as the Heart of a Master, which gave Drakkon his ultimate form. What follows in the rest of the story lays the groundwork and introductions for the 6-issue miniseries. Rhian is the Red Ranger, Phiro is the Yellow Ranger, Aleia is the Pink Ranger, Telosi is the Green Ranger and Xev could be the missing Black Ranger.

I list them out because this first issue throws a lot of alien names and locations at the reader. It’s a daunting task that writer Nicole Andelfinger balances gracefully with setting up the conflict for the rest of the miniseries. This issue definitely requires a few readthroughs to absorb everything that is presented.

Artist Simone Ragazzoni continues as the Power Rangers event artist from his runs on Drakkon New Dawn and Power Rangers Unlimited. His art really works for exploring the deep past, with a looser sketch feel – no hard line work, that makes the comic feel like a dream. Colorist Mattia Iacono makes Universe vibrant and pairs well with the continued lettering by Ed Dukeshire.

Power Rangers Universe Issue 1 is a lot to take in, but the setup is established for a miniseries that could be groundbreaking and live up to its name by opening a new universe of possibilities.”

POWER RANGERS UNIVERSE #1
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Retail Price: $3.99
Writer: Nicole Andelfinger
Artist: Simone Ragazzoni
Colorist: Mattia Iacono
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artists:

• Main Cover: Dan Mora
• 1:10 Virgin Main Cover: Dan Mora
• 1:25 Dark Ranger Variant Cover: Miguel Mercado
• 1:50 Negative Space Variant Cover: Goñi Montes
• 1:100 Incentive Cover: InHyuk Lee
• FOC Holofoil Variant Cover: Derrick Chew
• FOC Unlockable Holofoil Variant Cover: Derrick Chew
• BOOM! Studios Exclusive Variant Cover: Simone Ragazzoni
• BOOM! Studios Exclusive Variant Cover: Kath Lobo
• Jolzar Collectibles / 616 Exclusive Variant Cover: Bon Bernardo
• Frankie’s Comics / Golden Apple Comics / Forbidden Planet Exclusive Variant Cover: Ivan Tao
• The Comic Mint Exclusive Variant Cover: Karen S. Darboe of Magnus Arts
• Encased Comics Exclusive Variant Cover: Diego Galindo
• ComicsToAstonish.com Exclusive Variant Cover: Guillamue Martinez

POWER RANGERS UNIVERSE #1 features main cover art by Dan Mora (Once & Future) and variant cover art by illustrators Miguel Mercado (Magic), Goñi Montes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), InHyuk Lee (Wolverine), and Derrick Chew (Power Rangers).

Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season with, “Power Rangers Dino Fury” currently airing on Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon and streaming on Netflix in the U.S., UK, NZ, AU & CA.

POWER RANGERS is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; and Eve by Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Atreides from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; and Magic from Jed McKay and Ig Guara.

Print copies of POWER RANGERS UNIVERSE #1 will be available on December 29, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

Softcover and hardcover collections of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, and other Power Rangers releases from BOOM! Studios are available now, everywhere books are sold.

For continuing news on the MIGHTY MORPHIN and POWER RANGERS series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

For more on Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.