 This article is about a/an comic book issue in the Power Rangers comic sub-franchise by Boom! Studios.
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- For the Ranger Slayer, see Kimberly Hart/World of the Coinless.
Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 is a one-shot comic published by Boom! Studios. It takes place after the events of Shattered Grid and Beyond the Grid.
It was followed by the three-issue sequel limited series, Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn.
Synopsis[]
The world is divided amongst multiple villainous factions with Kimberly Hart trusted by no one. However, she must unite the Coinless and Lord Drakkon's Empire together when an old foe returns from the dead and plans to remake the planet in her image.
Plot[]
Kimberly Hart awakens after reality was reborn to find herself in a corn field on the World of the Coinless. Feeling regret from her actions as the Ranger Slayer, Kimberly regrets coming back to life in the new universe but decides to make the best of a bad situation when she hears rifle fire.
Nearby, a lieutenant Sabertooth Sentry fires her gun into the air and demands everyone get inside as part of a curfew under order of Lord Drakkon or be "re-educated" (taken away to prison). A Mastodon Sentry (with the rank of private) approaches and questions their somewhat extreme actions since they had been sent to protect the people and not recruit them with the lieutenant rebutting by stating that this amounted to insubordination and that being so sensitive would only come back to hurt him in the long run. Kimberly hid in the bushes and prepared to fire an arrow but a bunch of glowing green Red Rangers come out of the woods, attacking the Ranger Sentry patrol and killing the lieutenant. Luckily, Kimberly killed the leader with an arrow through the eye and and cutting the rest down although the leader managed to escape to inform his mysterious leader of the Ranger Slayer's return. Taking command, the private unmasks and says he can escort Kimberly back to Drakkon's palace but she declined and told him to take the citizens to safety to which he agrees. Kimberly then walks into the woods before passive aggressively telling him to stay out of her way.
Sometime later, in Lord Drakkon's palace, Finster 5 has come back to life after Drakkon snapped his neck albeit with no apparent memory of that happening aside from a sore neck. He is working on a strange invention under a sheet, and planning to go on vacation only for a mysterious figure to enter and tell him he'd better finish the invention soon or he'd be in even more pain. He then apologized to the figure, revealing it to be the main comics universe's Scorpina. It is revealed that, after Shattered Grid, Drakkon has vanished after the multiverse was recreated (when in actuality he had gone to the main comics universe) and that they had been losing territory to the Coinless and the mysterious Rangers (now revealed to be Spirit Rangers). The private then enters and reports that the Spirit Rangers had attacked their little group only to be saved by the Ranger Slayer much to Scorpina's confusion so she questions him just to have him reaffirm his point. Finster-5 believes that this could be the key to turning the tide in the war but was unsure of Kimberly's movies.
Elsewhere, in the Coinless' hideout, Kimberly has arrived and reveals that she came back to help overthrow Drakkon's forces to Trini, Zack and Bulk. Considering that she had been a murderous enemy whilst controlled by Drakkon, everyone was understandably sceptical of her motives and Zack suspected that Scorpina's forces were about to attack and this was to lower thier guard. Kimberly countered that she came back to answer for her mistakes but her former allies took um-bridge with her somewhat euphemistic language used since she was a war criminal. Trini even stated everyone present wished her dead and thought that they could take her Power Coin and create their own Ranger Sentries to counter Drakkon's but they'd have to take her out first. However, Bulk (ever the optimistic member of the group) came to Kimberly's defence and said he'd have to die with her much to Trini's surprise. Bulk countered that she had been brainwashed and couldn't be blamed and that they believed in second chances which made this argument somewhat hypocritical since they wanted a peaceful world but were unwilling to give their former friend a chance. by saying that they were fighting for nothing if they refused to help their friend coming to them for help since this was the opposite of the Coinless' goals. He then closed his soliloquy by saying that they needed her help anyway, revealing the mysterious Rangers to be the undead. Trini countered that they had no proof of their nature but Bulk pointed out their resemblance to "ghosts in body armor" with Kimberly stating she fought some earlier just for Zack to cut her off by saying how lucky she was to have survived that encounter.
Zack tells Kimberly that the Rangers had appeared some months ago and were so ruthless that they would attack anyone they encountered whether they were Coinless or Ranger Sentry before revealing that they had been tracked to the remains of the Command Center which Drakkon had destroyed before he took over the world. However, they had no clue what was inside since no one had ever lived to come back and report to them whilst Bulk tells them that Kimberly's presence gave them a fighting chance although Kimberly tells him that her actions had destroyed any chance of them trusting her. She then steps forward and offers her Power Coin and herself up for trial when it was all over but Trini just storms off, leaving the decision to Zack. He allows her into the organisation but reminds her that there was no way in safely but she had an idea.
That night, the so-called Spirit Sentries are patrolling the Command Center whilst the Coinless looked on and a shadowy figure wanted to go in alone which Zack refuses outright because he was done burying his friends. Before the argument could persist, call sign "Lion" told them to get ready to enter at which point the Gravezord (piloted by Kimberly and Bulk, the latter excited to finally get to pilot a Zord) flies in and bombards the Spirit Sentries. With the enemy distracted, the other Coinless enter the ruins where they notice a significantly more Gothic atmosphere to the place than before. They eventually entered what would once have been the main chamber, fully alert only to be confronted by Rita Repulsa. Zack was understandably struck dumb by her presence since Drakkon had killed her straight after the Power Chamber had been destroyed whilst Rita gloated about how they had outrun death for so long yet they had been forced to face it eventually. Zack told Trini to leave and Rita seals him inside the chamber with her to their horror. Zack tired to energy slash Rita to death but this failed since she was a ghost. She then referenced when she tried and failed to convince Zack to become her new Green Ranger which led her to recruit Tommy and eventually her death. She then threw him down, revealed that Trini was why she had returned from the dead, and declares that she will not hurt them because it would "ruin all the fun." She then turned to where the Gravezord was making mincemeat out of the undead and enlarges a resurrected Goldar who had now been reduced to a mindless snarling creature. The Gravezord mops up the last minions but is tore apart and destroyed Kimberly's Zord although her and Bulk manage to escape from it in the Firebird Thunderzord. Zack and Trini are shocked but Rita lets them go, convinced that they would no longer pose a threat to her as she prepared for the final attack after which she could then recreate the Earth to her own designs.
Later, the Coinless have regrouped at the Mastodon Warehouse where they were based but the organization had splintered since many had given up after finding out that Rita had returned. Kimberly walks over to Trini whilst revealing that Bulk was grieving over the Gravezord and Trini apologized for doubting her motives only for Zack to enter and confront Trini since Rita had revealed that his friend was responsible for her return. Kimberly was shocked but Trini rebutted that she was trying to save them all and made the assumption based on Zordon saying before that Rita wasn't truly evil. Trini had naively assumed that she could be redeemed but she was wrong and was too ashamed to admit it before. She reveals to Kimberly that, when Drakkon ruled, every alieh invasion was quickly stomped out to the point of other villains such as Master Vile and Lord Zedd skipped over the Earth for fear of their own lives. With Drakkon gone, there was a massive power struggle over Drakkon's Empire and the various alien factions with Scorpina eventually coming out on top. However, the Coinless were caught in the middle of the fighting and were considered enemies of every warring factions so were getting subsequently wiped out. In the remains of the Command Center, Trini resurrected Rita as a ghost using her wand (which she stole from Drakkon's palace after the events of Shattered Grid) to try and defend Earth from the invaders. At first, she was amiable and hid them from detection but quickly turned on them and started resurrecting an army of the dead to invade and take over the world.
Understandbly angry, Zack asked why she made a deal with one of their worst enemies with Trini's response hankering back to his earlier comment about hating to have to bury friends. Any further arguing was cut off by insane laughter from Kimberly who lightened the mood by wondering what Zordon would have said had Drakkon not have killed him. With the mood lightened, and Kimberly reminding them of their old days as a team, Zack wonders how they could save the world without their powers. Trini said they could destroy her connection to the mortal plain which would make her army disappear but to do that, they would need an army to distract the Spirit Sentries although Zack had a very bad solution to that. Sometime later, a Mastodon Sentry stands guard in the city when an energy arrow strikes near their head. They look at it and looks back to see the Ranger SLayer aiming her Slayer Bow at them and demanding to talk to Commander Scorpina.
Maybe an hour later, Kimberly stands before Commander Scorpina in front of the entire army of Ranger Sentries whilst the Coinless leadership stood in chains behind her. She talks about their former allegiances and saying that she wanted to save Scorpina and all of her allies from evil. Scorpina mockingly said it was inspiring but then revealed she didn't trust Kimberly's intentions since she was brainwashed whilst under Drakkon so had no actual loyalty to him so her act of having apparently captured The Coinless was just a ruse. Kimberly reminded Scorpina that she was just weakening the Drakkon Empire by being its leader and that she needed to act selfless in order to regain lost territory. She may have been Drakkon's brainwashed and unwilling slave but motivations and rivalries didn't matter because Rita Repulsa was coming and did not care about allegiances. Whether they were Drakkon's army or Coinless, Rita did not care and would butcher both in order to conquer the world and the only way to stand against her was together otherwise they would both be subsequently wiped out. Scorpina doesn't buy the "enemy of my enemy" argument and orders the Ranger Sentries to execute Kimberly for treason but they do nothing so she shrieks at them to kill the entire group. However, the Ranger Sentries apparently have more common sense than their leader and swore their allegiance to Kimberly which forces Scorpina to aid her enemy.
The next morning, Rita enters the city with Goldar and orders him to start demolishing buildings whilst ordering her right hand man to begin the attack on the city. Scorpina watches the advancing Spirit Sentry army whilst still having her misgivings about Kimberly's plan since she believes they were just prolonging the inevitable. Kimberly mockingly thanks her for the moral support before telling her army to fight with passion since this fight was for the entire planet and their loved ones before ordering her army of Putties, giant Zord like machines, and Ranger Sentries to attack. Near the start of the battle, the Mastodon private (who was actually the World of the Coinless equivalent of Adam Park nearly gets impaled by a Spirit Sentry but it is vaporized by Aisha Campbell who had arrived to join the battle. As bat winged Spirit Sentries swarm the skies, the Red Ranger Sentries fire into the sky where Bulk meets up with Skull (back from the dead after his self-sacrifice in Shattered Grid) who now led the Red Ranger Sentry army as a brigade leader. As they blasted the undead, Bulk joked that he piloted the Gravezord which impressed Skull and they commented over how amazing it was to be fighting to save the Earth.
Whilst the majority of the forces clash in the remains of Angel Grove, Scorpina and Trini fight their way towards Rita whilst Scorpina reminded Kimberly that this alliance was meaningless. It was simply an alliance of convenience and they would return to being mortal enemies with their common enemy was defeated. They then spotted Rita floating in the sky and Scorpina, realising that this mighty be her final battle, admitted that the Coinless had proven to be a worthy enemy but Trini refused the backhanded insult. In the meantime, Goldar is still demolishing buildings and annihilating the Ranger Slayer's army but she calls in Finster-5's creation which turns out to be a hybrid of Lord Zedd, the Dragonzord and a lizard. The Zord is able to almost immediately overpower Goldar, taking him to the ground with an energy blast to the face and beating him to death with its bare hands. With Goldar gone, the battle begins to turn in the favor of the Ranger Sentries.
Meanwhile, Scorpina confront Rita but are forced apart by an energy blast between them and Rita openly mocks Scorpina for associating with a Power Ranger. She then fires on her former ally only for Trini to seemingly sacrifice her life by getting in the way of the blast. Enraged, Scorpina leaps at Rita but was backhanded so hard that she went flying back into the ground. As per usual, Rita gloats about her apparent ultimate victory, stating that they could have been incredible had they teamed-up only for Scorpina to reveal that she had just been distracting Rita. Trini had managed to survive the blast and comes up behind Rita, stabbing Rita's wand with a spear which sucks Rita back to the underworld once and for all. With their leader gone, the magic keeping the Spirit Sentries in the world of the living ceases to exist and they return to the underworld which saves the Earth for good. Trini was apprehensive that the Spirit Sentries wouldn't disappear but they did so although the remaining forces realized that they were still at war with themselves.
Later that day, the two armies meet up inside Drakkon's palace and Trini tries to force a surrender in exchange for leniency but Scorpina refuses since she was the one supplying the soldiers who allowed for Rita's defeat. Trini then reminds her that they aren't her army which Scorpina rebuts since they were loyal only to Drakkon, not the Coinless and thus this was a means to an end for them in keeping Drakkon's empire secure. Zack tries to leave since all this arguing was just resulting in them spinning their wheels but Scorpina swears personal revenge until Bulk realizes that they needed a new common leader or they'd just tear the Earth apart in their never-ending war. Much to Kimberly's immense surprise, he suggests her as "the next Drakkon" and she tried to suggest he was joking only for the others to agree since the troops see her as Drakkon's successor and are loyal to her since she just won them a major victory. Scorpina is about to object but Finster-5 tells her it might be a good idea to have her as a placeholder of sorts until they could find a better idea. Kimberly tries to refuse it but Scorpina reminds her of her speech from earlier about the greater good and personal needs vs societal needs. However, she does say to Finster-5 that Kimberly needs to look more imperial and he has some ideas about that.
The comic ends with Kimberly's coronation as she says that they had survived an invasion by the dead and that, despite the fact that the Coinless and Ranger Sentries had different methods and allegiances, they both lost loved ones and they all had the goal of the common peace. She decides to forgive all past crimes committed and clean the proverbial slate. The Ranger Sentries now bow to her as she concludes the speech by saying that they had to fight to save the Earth together and that "today is a new beginning." The final page then shows Kimberly in the Ranger Slayer suit on Zedd's giant throne, wearing a Dragon Shield-esque chest plate and a headpiece.
Covers[]
Errors[]
To be added
Notes[]
- Given that the comic starts with Kimberly waking up after the universe was rebuilt, this comic likely takes place sometime between Shattered Grid Finale Issue 1 (the final part of the Shattered Grid event) and Issue 51 (which was when Drakkon appeared in the main comic universe).
- Also, although it is unnamed here, the Lord Zedd-esque Zord is called the "Zerrzord" in that series by Finster 5 although the other characters did not like that name,
- The fact that the Zerrzord contains part of the Coinless Universe's Lord Zedd seems to suggest that Zedd had been killed during his attack on the Earth and Finster-5 used his body as spare parts.
- The coronation of Kimberly as the "next Lord Drakkon" is similar to what happened with Emperor Claudius I of Rome in that she is chosen by the soldiers as the emperor.
- However, there are some major differences such as Claudius being chosen after the murder of Gaius Julius "Caligula" Caesar whereas Drakkon was still alive (not that the World of the Coinless knew that) and Rome not being post-apocalyptic like Coinless Angel Grove.
- Rita mentioning how she tried to make Zack her willing Evil Green Ranger is a reference to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Issue 5. The World of the Coinless presumably had its own version of that comic prior to Drakkon's takeover.
References[]
Footnotes[]
