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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Shattered Grid #1: Drakkon Wins

9.9/10

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Shattered Grid #1

Artist(s): Daniele Di Nicuolo, Diego Galindo

Colorist(s): Walter Baiamonte, Marcelo Costa

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Genre: Superhero

Published Date: 08/28/2018

Recap

Lord Drakkon, an evil Tommy Oliver from another timeline, has raged war against the Morphin Grid. Shattering it and splintering the timeline. Each Ranger Team being their own self-contained dimension. His mad quest for power slowly coming to fruition as he gains Morpher after Morpher. Adding to both his own power and his army of Ranger Sentries. During the final battle against Lord Drakkon, through the aid of Rita, they’re able to rapidly strip and weaken the Lord of his power. With the risk of defeat looming overhead, Drakkon uses all the remaining Morphers in his position simultaneously. Merging their power in a blinding flash of light that consumes the battlefield…

Review

We open up in the heat of battle before Lord Drakkon’s last desperate attempt to save himself. While some Rangers have fallen, others remain standing to do fight the good fight. The Rangers need to get to Lord Drakkon’s tower but the almighty Serpentera (which they name for the audience and any Rangers who didn’t meet the Zord) remains blocking the way. Taking out Jack (Red SPD Ranger), Shane (Red Ninja Storm Ranger), & Kira (Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger) in a single breath. Jason (Mighty Morphin Red) asks Billy (Mighty Morphin Blue) how they can stop Serpentera. Unfortunately, the Super Zord has no weaknesses and at best they can only hope to slow it down. But even then they don’t have any Zords remotely large enough to do that. But Carter (Lightspeed Red Ranger) brings up that some of the Rangers still have access to the Zords that are on standby. That maybe they could make a new Zord. Kendall (Dino Charge Purple Ranger) has no idea how to pull off such a feat but thanks to the power of being from the future, Jen (Time Force Pink Ranger) can. Quickly formulating a plan with Kendall, RJ (Jungle Fury Purple Wolf Ranger), Kat (Pink Zeo Ranger), as well as the Hyper Force Rangers to summon their Zords. Trini then being needed to use the Black Dragon Suit they designed for her too, in Rita’s words, make their Zord grow!

The Zord army doesn’t stop as Jason has Noah (Super Megaforce Blue Ranger) summon the Q-Rex Zord to aid them in their mounted attack. Lauren (Samurai Red Ranger) asks what Jason is doing when he decides to pilot the Q-Rex. His mission, to attack the tower while their new Super Zord deals with Serpentera. Unfortunately, Serpentera gets free and make a beeline for the Q-Rex. In his final moments, Jason returns Lauren’s feelings from before and fires at the Tower. While he’s successful and Drakkon’s forces begin to demorph, Serpentra eats the Q-Rex Zord whole. In revenge, the Super Zord destroys Serpentera. But before they can grieve Jason, Jen’s alarm system goes off. The same warning that went off when Lord Drakkon first shattered the Morphing Grid. The sky shattered once more, revealing Lord Drakkon in his third evolution, as we catch up to the events of the last issue. With a wave of white swooping over the battlefield.

Elsewhere, the Dark Ranger, Tanya (Zeo Yellow Ranger), & Ranger Slayer (Alternate Kimberly) help aid Andros (Space Red Ranger) in rescuing the captured Rangers. As Andros begins guiding the captives out, Drakkon’s Forces finally begin to demorph. But then space itself begins to shatter before Andros, Grace, and Karone (Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger) as they prepare to leave aboard Terra Venture. They attempt to flee before they too are consumed in the white light. When the light clears, we find Tommy at home with his “parents” Zordon & Rita. Both now human as they enjoy a pleasant family breakfast. Their Dog, Cruger, barks to draw Tommy’s attention and he leaves. He then morphs using a strange red gemstone now embedded in his chest. We then transition to the White Tiger Zord & Green Dragon Zord overlooking the ocean as the spirits of a White Tiger & White Eagle attack from the sea. Ranger Slayer, who’s piloting the Dragon Zord, wants to attack but Jen in the White Tiger Zord says they have orders to not engage. Moments later, Tommy arrives as Lord Drakkon and defeats the spirits in a single punch.

The world has been bent to Lord Drakkon’s whims and now he’s revered as a hero. Being interviewed like Superman after a heroic exploit by Trini & Zack. Zack asks if he’s worried about the constant attacks on the city and is annoyed to be asked such a thing immediately after saving the day. Saying that there will always be someone who tries to rise up and ruin what they have and that he’ll always be there to stop it. That there’s nothing to worry about and he’ll never let anyone hurt the people of his world. But then, a voice questions if he’d do that even if the world was a lie. Drakkon is confused by this when the voice says he knows it being a lie is true. Revealing it to be the original, heroic Tommy Oliver haunting him in the reflection of the cameras. Spooking Lord Drakkon into flying away. He returns to his personal mansion with Finster as his butler and Billy his valet. Finster informs Lord Drakkon that the aptly named Drakkon Academy is practicing on the lawn and requested his appearance. But Lord Drakkon remains haunted by Tommy and is distant at best. Lauren finishes the practice for Lord Drakkon alongside Jason, both of whom have a positive relationship with Drakkon. But he’s called away by another attack. The Tiger & Eagle spirits are back, but this time alongside a Bear Spirit. But unlike before, Drakkon’s one shot attack is deflected by the Bear Spirit.

Tommy continues to haunt Lord Drakkon. Saying that they both know this illusion won’t make him whole. That they both know what he really is. Lord Drakkon tries to ignore Tommy and calls himself a god but is countered that he’s a god with hallucinations. Something that enrages Drakkon and unleashes a wave of red energy to defeat the Spirits once more. The attack tires out Lord Drakkon and Tommy quickly goads him on being a god who got winded. Drakkon asks why he’s being haunted and Tommy answers that nobody should have this power. Drakkon claims he’s different and Tommy admits he is, but not in the way he thinks. Claiming he knows what they both saw in the Green Chaos Crystal that gave him the Green Ranger Power. That they saw the entire multiverse and all the Tommy’s within them. And the fact that in every single timeline, all are heroes. Drakkon tries to dismiss Tommy as the weakness he discarded. Tommy tears into him that he’s the weakness that killed every Tommy he saw and made the illusion world but kept the Rangers alive within it to worship him. That Tommy won’t let him be honest, that in all of reality Lord Drakkon himself is the flawed one. Something that pushes Drakkon into lashing out. With Drakkon slowly losing himself three mystery voices begin to make their move against him while the opportunity remained.

As the Rangers go about the end of their day they’re all visited by a mysterious unknown figure. Kimberly is visited at her Juice Bar and believes she’s visited by Lord Drakkon. But he touches her head, sending a green spark of energy into her, and returning all the old memories she had lost as well as her Pink Ranger power. Her savior was Tommy, the original Tommy who had been haunting Lord Drakkon. Kimberly is overjoyed to see Tommy alive once more and soon comes to the conclusion that Lord Drakkon made this fake world after getting into the Grid. She remembers everything up to the flash of white but also of her time in Drakkon’s fake world, which seems to have been a full life in itself. Luckily she’s not alone as the other Mighty Morphin Rangers and Jen come to see her. Their memories all returned as they embrace united properly once more. We briefly shift to Drakkon who returns to Finster and slowly realizes his illusion world is slowly crumbling around them. But Finster assures him it’s just because he’s working too hard. Noting they should go for a drive when Billy returns. Something that immediately gains Lord Drakkon’s attention.

Tommy then tells us how he had returned. That the arrow Ranger Slayer shot him with back in Go Go Power Rangers was a shard of the Green Chaos Shard. That when the future came and he was killed by Lord Drakkon he didn’t die but he was pulled outside of time Zordon style. Unfortunately, unlike Zordon, he didn’t have anything to keep him bound and he remained an observer of all the events of Shattered Grid…until Drakkon won. He then reveals that the three voices were the Blue, Red, and Yellow Emissary. Better known together as the Morphin Masters. After Zordon’s failed attempt to gain their assistance, they remained complacent. Believing Drakkon could never affect them. But then he entered the Morphin Grid and defeated all of them, taking the Heart of a Master. The red gemstone he was using being this Heart of a Master. This time, the Morphin Masters were forced to watch against their will as Drakkon annihilated the multiverse and left only this illusion world. But thanks to that, the Morphin Masters escaped the confines of reality and located Tommy. Together they regained their strength and finally made their return. But for all his power he’s still plagued with self-doubt and hatred which is manifesting as the energy spirits attacking the city. They agree to work as a team and Tommy plans to use the element of surprise against him. Unfortunately, thanks to Finster that opportunity is swiftly erased as Lord Drakkon arrives.

One-by-one Lord Drakkon takes down the Power Rangers until only Tommy remains to face him. His energy blasts keeping Tommy at bay. But in his fury and arrogance, Lord Drakkon forgot they aren’t the only Rangers. Lauren & Jen have come using the White Tiger & Green Dragon Zord to attack him. But with his godlike powers, all it does is stall Lord Drakkon and gain his wrath. Which is all Tommy needs to grab the Heart of the Masters, bringing both of them inside of it. Both are in control of the heart now which meant only the strongest will could command it. The pair fight with Lord Drakkon being in a blind fury. Questioning everything about Tommy when he’s superior. But Tommy brings up that the difference between Lord Drakkon and all the other Tommy’s isn’t that he stayed with Rita. It’s that he never had his friends by his side. That the reason he’s weaker and has an unfillable void in his heart is that he doesn’t have them. Because he was unable to open up and let them in. With one last punch, he sends Drakkon flying and retrieves the Heart of the Masters. But without the Heart of the Masters in his control, Lord Drakkon’s version of reality begins to collapse with only the Morphin Masters able to help them escape. Tommy offers for Lord Drakkon to come with them. That they can help him and despite all the atrocities he committed it’s not too late for a second chance and he doesn’t have to be alone. Sadly, the damage is already done. Lord Drakkon turns his back on the offer and remains in his illusion world as it collapses around him.

With Lord Drakkon defeated, the Morphin Masters take them inside the Morphin Grid which takes the form of their original Command Center. They try to return the Heart of the Masters but the Red Emissary explains they are only able to guard the Heart, not actively use it. But the Rangers could. That together they could reset everything back to how it was or make one of their own design. But if they returned it to how it was, that’d mean all their memories would fade with it. They want to find a third option and question what’d happen to the Coinless and Lord Drakkon’s world if they reset reality. The Morphin Masters explain that it’s not an outright reset button. That they’d return reality as best it could to its original form. However, changes WILL remain. The Yellow Emissary, in particular, using a fitting metaphor that like a broken pane of glass, even if you try to put it back together it will never be the same. Suggesting that some changes, both good and bad, can never be undone. But Jason reminds them that as Rangers they always do the right thing and make the hard decisions. That even if they don’t remember what happened, it all mattered. That they have to make things right for everyone regardless of personal cost. Jason admits he’ll miss Lauren and Kimberly and Tommy lament the end of their rather brief relationship. But this time they aren’t just saving their own world, they’re saving every world.

Final Thoughts

Sadly, with this, the Power Rangers Shattered Grid event is over. Tommy is back and now we got the setup for the new creative team and everything post-Shattered Grid with multiple Rangers crossing over. Suggesting that either some Rangers got stranded, it’s a sort of amalgam world, or they can travel between worlds easily. But with that future, let’s look upon Shattered Grid as a whole and of course this final entry.

As a whole, Shattered Grid was amazing. The way it tied into other mediums was also an interesting thing to tie into the series. The Beast Morpher Rangers early cameo, the appearance of the Hyper Force Rangers in both the prequel stream to begin the event and in the event proper, and Dark Rangers appearance in this issue which released the same day as his introduction in the 25th Anniversary Event were nice touches. On the flip side, most rangers didn’t fare so well. While a few Rangers got to stand out scenes and a few teams got spotlight chapters. It was really only the teams that ended up losing to Lord Drakkon or being keys to defeating Lord Drakkon that got these chapters. Teams that were just part of their army like Lightspeed, Jungle Fury, Ninja Storm, and Operation Overdrive were glorified cameos at best.

On one hand, it makes sense given the sheer number of Rangers that exist in total. It’d be insane to expect everyone to get time to shine. But on the other hand, it felt like they should’ve gotten more than just the background one-scene wonder treatment. That it would’ve been interesting to see more character interactions. We have the geniuses together working together but some team geniuses like Cam (Power Rangers Ninja Storm) or Gem & Gemma (Power Rangers RPM) MIA entirely. Not that I wanted a full-blown nerd scene but we didn’t get much cross-universe Ranger interaction for extended periods of time beyond the main set. It’s implied that we do but we sadly don’t get to see it. Same goes for the Zords to a lesser extent. We see tons in the lineup and a few in battle while most are implied to be there or on standby. But like their pilots, only a few actually get time to shine.

The end of Drakkon was a sad one. Normally, you’d expect him to get his comeuppance but then you remember this is Power Rangers. They aren’t killers and are reasonably angsty. It makes sense that they’d try to save him too in the end. Even if it ended up failing, they had to try because that’s what a Power Ranger does.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Shattered Grid #1: Drakkon Wins
  • Writing - 10/10
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  • Storyline - 10/10
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  • Art - 9.5/10
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  • Color - 10/10
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  • Cover Art - 10/10
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9.9/10
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