Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1 Review

Writer: Paul Allor
Art: Kath Lobo, Anna Kekovsky Chandra, Fabi Marques, Sara Antonellini and Sharon Marino
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $7.99
Release Date: August 31st, 2022

Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1 tells a story of the ancient Omega Rangers as they battle grand cosmic threats like Sister Supernova (awesome name) and The Galactic Maw. Amidst the action, there are themes of death and grief, as one of the Omega Rangers dabbles in dark magic to resurrect the dead! It’s a great story fusing science and magic, and Andros and Zhane of the Space Rangers even pop up (though not how you think)!

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The Story

The Power Rangers universe keeps expanding across space and time, and in Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1, the story takes place on the edges of the universe thousands of years in the past. You might say it takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Where have I heard that before?

The original version of the Omega Rangers team is here, and after a battle in space with Sister Supernova (a monolithic monster as huge as Galactus with spider-like arms) the team returns to their base, where we immediately see the close friendship between Blue Omega Ranger Haza and the Death Ranger Spa’ark, as they talk of some metaphysical concepts (including death and dying).

What happens after that is another epic confrontation, followed by tragedy, and that tragedy is dealt with for the rest of the issue.
I really liked this group of Rangers. Since they’re from alien worlds, they each have different looks. Two of the Rangers, Apophee and Haza, reminded me of Timber Wolf and Shadow Lass from The Legion of Superheroes. Apophee is by far the most annoying of the team, always seeming to be raging. Haza is quite the opposite, very sweet and mellow, and the scenes between her and Spa’ark are very touching, especially Spa’ark’s fondness for her.

One of the other Rangers, The Puram, is also a great character, though we get to see little of her during the story. She’s mostly confined to sitting at computer terminals and is a supreme workaholic. The action is practically non-stop in the story and it’s thrilling, with lots of great battles with humongous creatures. If you love action, you’ll love this book! But amidst the action, we get a very touching story of grief and coping with the loss of a loved one. We also get to see some black magic and some bone-chilling scenes straight out of “The Walking Dead”. Yep, not even the Power Rangers universe is safe from zombies.CBookending the story are a prologue and an epilogue with Andros and Zhane that kicks off and wraps up the story perfectly.

The Art

The art on Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1 is bright and detailed, fully making you feel like you’re on various alien worlds. Each character is drawn so that their unique features stand out. Haza’s medusa-like hair whirls about her when she’s agitated, The Puram’s three eyes seem to almost flutter as she speaks, and her humble gentle nature shines through in her innocent features.

The team’s headquarters, including Xi (their robotic assistant), are drawn with a retro-futuristic style. Xi looks like he could have walked out of an old Weird Science comic, and it gives the book an almost movie serial-like feel. I enjoyed the art from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1 is a rollercoaster ride of a story, with tons of action, some great character moments, and a very touching story. It makes me want to see more of the Omega Rangers, Xi, and their continuing adventures on the edge of the universe.