 This article is about a comic book issue in the Power Rangers comic sub-franchise by Boom! Studios.
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #117 is the eighth issue of Darkest Hour, a 12-month Boom! Studios Power Rangers event that celebrates the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers.
Synopsis[]
Things are desperate on Earth as the Dark Specter steps up an attack, with Rangers from different universes and civilians alike teaming up to keep the carnage at bay, but some special objects may be the key to keeping the planet safe... even if it won't last for long.
As Billy, Dr. Kendall Morgan, and the Phantom Ranger rush to repair the Master Arch, they're only able to pull a single ally from the heart of the Morphin Grid as Dark Specter's power grows...[1][2]
Plot[]
The planet Aquitar comes under attack by Dark Specter’s forces, with its citizens trying to flee for their lives as they advance. Dark Specter muses that Rangers are so predictable, every time they face a threat regardless of where they are from or the odds against them, they fight back and morph. Delphine of the Alien Rangers calls for her team to morph to defend their home, only for the Grid infection to turn them into corrupted Rangers and then aid Dark Specter subjugating Aquitar. Upon the planet being conquered, Dark Specter is bored with how little a challenge the Alien Rangers presented and pleased with how his power is growing.
Mistress Vile tries to remind him that it was her spells that increased his strength, but the arrogant cosmic horror states that she did nothing and he doesn’t need her magic as he conquered Aquitar without it, demanding that she hold her tongue next time or he will decide if she is utterly useless to him as he warps through a portal to conquer yet another world. Alpha 1/XI says that she should not take his abuse as she deserves as much credit for the campaign as he does, Mistress Vile submissively says it is Dark Specter’s right and privilege, but the robot rebuttals that a master who doesn’t appreciate the work of those in service to them doesn’t deserve to have any servants.
Vile knows Alpha 1 has had his share of being unappreciated, with the robot responding that he serves her, not Dark Specter. Mistress Vile is grateful to him for his loyalty, she has not forgotten their purpose, as Zordon’s day of justice is coming soon.
At the Command Center back on Earth, Alpha 5 blames himself for the massive amount of losses that the Rangers have sustained while he was deactivated, but Zordon reassures his friend not to blame himself as there is too much at the moment that is beyond their ability to control and he is just glad Alpha is operational again. Terona enters, who has uneasy feelings about being in the Command Center again since his 1969 mission, to give Zordon grave news from Eltar.
The sage thanks him for monitoring communications while Alpha was offline and asks to patch it through: Zelya reports that Aquitar has fallen and their Rangers have turned into more of the infected. Zordon thinks it is because of Mistress Vile’s spell, but Terona and Kendall confirm that isn’t the case as survivors who managed to flee relayed data to Eltar. The Morphin Grid connection around Aquitar became infected the very moment that Dark Specter arrived, once the planet is infected, any Ranger who tries to morph in an infected part of space becomes a servant of Dark Specter through that infection.
At Promethea, Taylor is starting a boot camp to train civilians to defend Earth. She is worried about the steep learning curve, since as a military veteran she understands that she is asking people who have never been in combat to learn what she was taught over the course of several months in a matter of weeks. Jason is helping and says everyone wants a chance to save their home and she would do the same even without powers. Taylor has a personal stake in this fight, as her Wild Force team has become part of the infected army through the Death Ranger’s involvement and Princess Shayla is still in a coma after being attacked. Jason understands how she feels, as they had influenced his actions once as well. Taylor sympathizes, but wonders if random civilians are enough to aid in resisting Dark Specter’s forces. Jason knows that the odds are against them but says that the greatest strength of humanity is that even if seems there is no chance, they never stop trying. They watch the civilians from Earth and Safehaven, including Bulk and Skull, line up to get Promethea battle armor and weapons and prepare for a simulator training exercise.
Moments later, Taylor is morphed and leading a squad of troops, coordinating them to handle civilian evacuation and rescue, giving them strict orders not to engage hostiles, as that is something the Rangers will handle.
Zack and Trini engage a mosquito monster, with the latter wondering why the simulated monster is hitting so hard. Aisha suggests that they target the mosquito’s wings while Chloe is freaking out and shooting at the monster with her Blade Blaster. The Rangers try to flank the monster but Trini gets caught by the bug’s proboscis. Bulk and Skull are running trying to rescue a baby and stop him from crying, racing past the Rangers trying to free Trini. They are surrounded by Thralls, only to be saved by Jason, who gives them a thumbs up and encourages them to keep going. Bulk wonders how Jason is always so cool with his buddy Skull guessing that it is just good genes.
At the Bermuda Triangle, Jack, Eddie, Vesper, Coinless Trini and Kimberly are defending the Promethea site from a platoon of Thralls. Inside the compound, Terona, Kendall, the Phantom Ranger and Billy are working to repair the artificial Master Arch and open the Power Eggs. They have been on edge because of the daily attacks of Thralls and Finster’s monsters, worried that they cannot hold out much longer. Phantom Ranger thinks that the reason Dark Specter has not come personally to deal with them is because he has amassed enough power that he no longer considers them a threat, simply just mice on the edge of a trap. Kendall uses a high powered cutting laser to open one of the eggs, saying villains often have a habit of underestimating them. The Power Egg opens to reveal a large glowing rainbow crystal, with their scans confirming the theory that the Power Eggs contain a crystalline version of the Morphing Grid and they have two of them far out of Dark Specter’s reach.
Kendall and Billy theorize that they can power the Master Arch with the crystals and recalibrate the Arch from a portal into a Grid energized planetary shield. Terona says secret tech stuff like that was Grace’s expertise, he is just Promethea’s security chief, but the Phantom Ranger, familiar with the tech, offers to help them refashion the Arch to their needs. He isn’t sure how long it will take though…
In the Y-79 Galaxy, Dark Specter tries to force the Psycho Rangers to work for him and invade Earth to finish off the Power Rangers defending it, but they are stubbornly defiant as they do not want to be slaves and resist him. Angel says they are servants of Astronema designed to destroy the Power Rangers and even Dark Specter should he try to usurp her plans of galactic conquest. Dark Specter is amused as that seems like an effective strategy. Mistress Vile tries to warn her master that she can tell the evil Rangers are far too wild and unpredictable and even if they are under his thrall, they will disobey his orders. She is once again told to be silent and Dark Specter tries to create a portal to send the Psycho Rangers to Earth, but they get flung back as the portal cannot be created. Dark Specter is wondering why he cannot use his portals and quickly blames Mistress Vile for doing something wrong.
Earth’s Grid planetary shield is now operational, creating an isolated secondary Morphing Grid. At the Command Center, Billy and Kendall explain that this is a temporary solution, with Eddie rightly pointing out that this cuts them off from the main Morphin Grid entirely. The Phantom Ranger explains that the other Power Egg will act like a backup generator, with Chloe correctly guessing their powers will run out at some point. The Phantom Ranger says while that is true, it will buy enough time to form a plan and create a safe point for Rangers to morph without fearing of becoming infected. Zordon gives the HyperForce team a special and urgent mission, get into their Hypership and round up as many Rangers and allies as they can throughout space and time and bring them to their Earth to protect them from Dark Specter’s infection and regroup.
Their first stop is the Envoy Galaxy, where Trey of Triforia and the Blue Senturion are battling Thralls and are then surrounded, only for Joe to save them and lend his aid in the battle.
They then return to Corinth to save Dr. K, Gem and Gemma from an infected Dillon and Scott before the three could test a new weapon that could incapacitate the Ranger Operators without harming them. Marv and Chloe become the unfortunate targets of their test, with the device exploding near them. Marv angrily tells Gem to stop bombarding them as Dillon and Scott detect their presence.
On Mirinoi, Jack wanders through “the Land of the Lost” in the jungles of the planet, only for the Pink Galaxy Ranger and the Magna Defender to question what he is doing here and whom does he serve with weapons drawn. Jack panics and says Time Force or the good guys, not knowing how to answer under pressure. The two Lost Galaxy heroes are satisfied with his response however and lower their weapons to hear him out.
In the future time of Dino Thunder, Reefside is burning from an onslaught by infected members of Space Patrol Delta and an army of Thralls, with Syd blasting an overwhelmed Tommy out of his Dino Thunder Black Ranger suit and preparing to finish him off, mocking the “old man” for being out of his depth. Vesper saves him and calls Syd rude for her old remark, as Tommy is only thirty years old. She has backup from her boyfriend Eddie and Trent Mercer, with the elder Tommy relieved that help has arrived.
At Safehaven, Dark Specter fumes as a terrified Rita kneels before him. He was assured by her that victory was within his grasp, and yet now the Power Rangers are being plucked away from his reach to a location where he cannot follow them. Mistress Vile tries to say she is going through her many spells to find something that can break the planetary barrier, but once again is shouted at to be silent, Dark Specter is fed up with her “excuses” and has lost all patience with her. This brutal and constant abuse brings Rita to tears, only for those tears to be replaced with absolute horror as Dark Specter throws the mangled corpse of Alpha 1/XI to the ground. He somehow heard the conversation that the robot had with her on Aquitar and gives her one final warning, give him absolute loyalty or he will show no mercy next time as she starts sobbing over the robot corpse when he leaves.
Back at the Bermuda Triangle compound, the Phantom Ranger looks at the rebuilt Master Arch and notices some energy briefly flickering nearby, but it disappears and he then has a talk with Billy. He lives with regret that Dark Specter being in their universe is because of him, he only created a Master Arch to study the Morphing Grid and save his people, the Morphin Masters, while hoping to use the powers of the Grid to also improve their lives. Billy says that part of the mindset of a scientist involves knowing the risks and weighing the factors to move forward sometimes and there are variables that you have no control over. Phantom Ranger disagrees, had he not built the Arch, they would not need to use it as a shield right now. Phantom Ranger imparts some advice to Billy while complimenting his brilliance, to learn from his mistake and understand that some actions are never worth the risk. A blinding pink light suddenly appears and the Ranger Slayer falls out from inside the Morphin Grid to give them Drakkon’s White Tiger Power Coin.
Mistress Vile stands next to Tommy’s cell, curious as he is “the incorruptible Ranger, unbreakable and pure of heart” yet she knows that his legacy is one born from evil. She then asks an unusual question: Is redemption possible for anyone? Tommy is silent, with Squatt asking his mistress to hurry up as they are running out of time. She tells her subordinate to be patient as there is always time to reflect.
She then urges Tommy to give her his answer, which he does, saying redemption is always possible but it requires a commitment to mercy and the full intention to seek it out, something Dark Specter will never understand. She surprisingly agrees with him and uses her wand to release Tommy, stating that is why she will no longer serve Dark Specter and intends on Tommy cooperating with her to serve her interests.
To be continued…
Appearing[]
Featured Characters:
| Blue Ranger | Billy Cranston |
| Pink Ranger | Kimberly Hart |
| Yellow Ranger | Aisha Campbell |
| White Ranger | Tommy Oliver |
| Red Omega Ranger | Trini Kwan |
| Black Omega Ranger | Zack Taylor |
| HyperForce Red | Marvin Shih |
| HyperForce Blue | Eddie Banks |
| HyperForce Yellow | Jack Thomas |
| HyperForce Black | Vesper Vasquez |
| HyperForce Pink | Chloe Ashford |
| HyperForce Green | Joe Shih |
| Yellow Drakkon Ranger | Trini Kwan |
| Pink Drakkon Ranger | Kimberly Hart |
Supporting Characters:
- Zordon
- Alpha 5
- Terona Washington
- Jason Lee Scott
- Bulk
- Skull
- Ernie
- Phantom Ranger
- Blue Senturion
- Doctor K
- Zeo Rangers
| Gold Zeo Ranger | Trey of Triforia |
| Pink Galaxy Ranger | Karone |
| Magna Defender | Mike Corbett |
| Yellow Wild Force Ranger | Taylor Earhardt |
| Black Dino Ranger | Tommy Oliver |
| White Dino Ranger | Trent Fernandez-Mercer |
| Ranger Operator Series Gold | Gem |
| Ranger Operator Series Silver | Gemma |
| Dino Charge Purple Ranger | Kendall Morgan |
Antagonists:
- Dark Specter/Vessel
- Mistress Vile
- Alpha 1/XI
- Thralls
- Unnamed Mosquito Monster
- Angel
- Squatt
- Aquitar Rangers
| Red Aquitar Ranger | Aurico ► Dark Specter/Aurico |
| White Aquitar Ranger | Delphine ► Dark Specter/Delphine |
| Yellow Aquitar Ranger | Tideus ► Dark Specter/Tideus |
| Blue Aquitar Ranger | Cestro ► Dark Specter/Cestro |
| Black Aquitar Ranger | Corcus ► Dark Specter/Corcus |
| Psycho Red | Virgil |
| Psycho Pink | Nokrea |
| S.P.D. Pink Ranger | Dark Specter/Syd Drew |
| Ranger Operator Series Red | Dark Specter/Scott Truman |
| Ranger Operator Series Black | Dark Specter/Dillon |
Locations:
- Aquitar
- Earth
- Command Center
- Promethea
- The Bermuda Triangle
- Reefside
- Y-79 Galaxy
- Envoy Galaxy
- Corinth
- Mirinoi
Covers[]
Reprints[]
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Recharged Volume Five
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour Deluxe Edition
Errors[]
- To be added
Notes[]
- To be added
References[]
Footnotes[]
