Review: Drakkon’s Shattered Universe Revealed In ‘Power Rangers’ #4
by James Ferguson
Overview
What happened to Drakkon after “Shattered Grid”? It’s enough to drive anyone mad as the Omega Rangers are about to find out. Top notch artwork meets compelling character development as this space adventure continues.
Overall
7/10As part of “Shattered Grid,” Drakkon created a whole new universe where he was a hero. The Omega Rangers now return to this broken world looking for answers. What they find are new threats and dangers, not to mention more reasons to stop trusting Drakkon.
Where Mighty Morphin is moving at a mile a minute, Power Rangers feels a bit more subdued. It’s not without action, however it feels more introspective. The Omega Rangers made some tough decisions and they’re in uncharted territory now without a backup plan.
Writer Ryan Parrott gives us a look at Drakkon’s fractured mind. This world he created says a lot about him and his mental state. He lashes out at some of the elements here. I’m stopping short of saying he shows remorse for the things he’s done, but there is some interesting perspective.
There’s a moment where Drakkon seems to open up a bit, revealing what he went through that drove him to this point. Letterer Ed Dukeshire captures the weight of this with some solid word balloon placement. The dialogue feels very impactful.
The Rangers encounter strange energy manifestations from the Morphin Grid. Colorist Raul Angulo gives these an eerie glow, giving them a mystical quality. This bright, almost paranormal light contrasts with the dreary tones of this shattered world.
Artist Francesco Mortarino provides some awesome shots of the Rangers in action. I love how you can see their eyes through their helmets. This is a major factor as it humanizes them more when they’re in costume. When it’s just a blocky helmet, you can’t always tell what they’re feeling.
That eerie tone carries over through most of Power Rangers #4. This world is literally falling apart so pieces of buildings and even Zords float in the air in this creepy way. It’s stuck in this kind of purgatory, not quite dead but not quite alive either.
This adventure has the Omega Rangers bouncing through space on a variety of treasure hunts. I’m anxious for them to get to the Big Bad of it all, but I realize that more of this has to be built up first. We’re getting some great character work on this journey.
Power Rangers #4 from BOOM! Studios is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.