COMIC REVIEW – Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1

On Wednesday, March 31st, POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 will be released from Boom Studios. A first look of this issue was shown earlier this week.

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 – Astronema is one of the most popular Power Rangers villains ever and her true origin is revealed for the first time in a one-shot directly connected to the events of Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers! Before she became a Power Ranger, a young girl named Karone was kidnapped by bounty hunters and brainwashed into the assassin known as Astronema by two of the greatest threats in the galaxy – Dark Specter and Ecliptor. But what is Dark Spector’s true plan…and what does it mean for the new Mighty Morphin & Power Rangers teams? Acclaimed author L.L. McKinney (A Blade So Black) and artist Simone Ragazzoni (Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn) present a powerful new story that no Power Rangers fan can miss.

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

“Last week Power Rangers Issue 5 released and gave us a first look at a younger Astronema, before the events of Power Rangers In Space. The first in a new one-shot series, Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness, explores the rise of Karone as Astronema and leads directly into Power Rangers Issue 5 and next month’s Issue 6. 

The comic has a lot to live up to, but thankfully writer L.L. McKinney delivers. A longtime fan of Power Rangers and particularly of In Space, she fills the issue with clever references and ties into events we have seen in the show. Rivalries are explored as well as the motivations of Dark Specter, Darkonda and Ecliptor. Astronema is the center of it all and she has a journey throughout this issue to earn the title of ‘Princess of Evil’. Like me, you might be surprised at a reveal towards the end of the issue and leave you wanting to read it again.

In terms of the artwork, Simone Ragazzoni returns from ‘Drakkon New Dawn’. While the painterly style is back, the detail of the characters and action is in top form. I really enjoyed the style of Ecliptor and Darkonda which pushed their look from the series even more. Darkonda’s expressions in the issue are twisted. For the action, there are some beautiful spreads that take advantage of sharp angles and excellent panel layouts. Colorist Igor Monti makes the issue bold and colorful, a stark contrast to an issue focusing on villains. A lot of greens, oranges and purples set the palette for the issue. 

Overall, Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness is a pivotal and must read issue for longtime fans of Astronema. Even though it ties into the current arc in the comic series, this is a great standalone for those who haven’t kept up with all of the releases. Highly recommended!”

Stay tuned next week for a more in-depth review on the podcast as well as our interview with writer L.L. McKinney!

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: L.L. McKinney
Artist: Simone Ragazzoni
Colorist: Igor Monti with color assistance by Sabrina Del Grosso
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artists:
Main Cover: Dan Mora
Connecting Variant Cover: Junggeun Yoon
Villain Variant Cover: Vincenzo Riccardi
Variant Cover: Jenny Frison
Variant Cover: Dan Mora
Price: $7.99

POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 features main cover art by Dan Mora (Once & Future) and variant cover art by illustrators Junggeun Yoon (Spider-woman), Vincenzo Riccardi (Something is Killing the Children), and Jenny Frison (Wonder Woman).  

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 Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.

Print copies of POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 will be available on March 31, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.

Softcover 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.

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About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios was founded by Ross Richie in 2005 with the singular focus of creating world-class comic book and graphic novel storytelling for all audiences. Through the development of four distinct imprints—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia—BOOM! has produced award-winning original work, including Lumberjanes, Once & Future, Something is Killing The Children, Giant Days, and Mouse Guard, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly, WWE, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Cartoon Network, and The Jim Henson Company properties. BOOM! will also bring their original series to life through unique first-look relationships with 20th Television and with Netflix for TV. Please visit www.boom-studios.com for more information.

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