One of a few of these books with a subtitle, Shattered Grid tells the story of the Power Rangers being confronted with an unfortunate future, and hopefully preventing it from ever occurring.
After a disastrous homecoming, the Rangers struggle to balance their personal lives with their obligation to protect the planet. Zack is trying to regain the trust of the girl he bailed on at the dance, Kimberly senses a distance growing between her and her real-actual boyfriend, Matt. And Jason has confronted his father as he’s learned that he’s been hiding a major illness from their family.
To make matters even more confusing, the Rangers are faced with a peculiar new enemy: Kimberly Hart from the future, using a new moniker - the Ranger Slayer.
See, this Kimberly comes from a future where society is ruled by an ornate Ranger named Lord Drakkon. Stalking has militarized the Power Rangers, deploying Black Rangers as police officers, Reds as royal guards. We learn that Jason and Billy have passed, and that Trini is currently in hiding. Future Kimberly serves the resistance alongside her only friend, Bulk, but she’s cursed under the spell of Lord Drakkon, who can brainwash her into hunting down whoever he is looking for.
So right away I want to point out that I mentioned how I was turned off by the multiverse, Drakkon stuff in the MMPR comics, but I don’t know. I completely loved it here? I think, rather than feeling like a whole separate thing, wedged into an already-busy story, this was used to endear us to our current team as well as an introduction to an iconic character: Tommy Oliver.
See, and spoilers ahead, but The Ranger Slayer is on a Terminator-esque mission. In the future, the team will recruit someone named Tommy Oliver, who will betray the team and overrule all of Angel Grove, before setting his sights on the world and becoming Lord Drakkon. I thought it was such an interesting wrinkle to add to Tommy! Especially since, in the original series, he’s just evil for 3 episodes and then becomes the star of the entire thing. I really appreciate how it seems like he’ll be a bit of a powder keg, and sort of a constant risk? Right on.
The story also moves a climactic battle to upstate New York, which was great. We’re one or two majorly destructive battles in Angel Grove away from a mass exodus. It also introduces some elements that are either new or I wasn’t familiar with. Future Kimberly uses an evil AI to pilot the GraveZord: a Frankensteined mech made from fallen team’s machines.
Jason is a deeply sympathetic character in this one - both Kimberly’s, too! Jason straight up asks Zordon if he could cure his father’s illness and Zordon has to say no and it’s complicated and cool.
Matt has gone from the coolest guy in school to a thrice-over victim to now being the only person who knows the true identities of the Power Rangers. It’s such an exciting wrinkle to add to the story, especially since he seems jaded more than anything.
So alright. I’m all in still. These have been great so far. As is tradition, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the spine and back of the graphic novel display the Blue Ranger. These, I’ve put together, mean nothing. But I think it’s fun to hone in on whose book this was, and to me it was inarguably Kimberly. She worries about her past with the group, having gotten Zack canned from his busboy job, and there’s plenty to worry about right now. But the shattered grid angle was fun fun way to inject some anticipatory dread.
I’d like to add that, as it stands, Rita Repulsa is an emissary of the great Lord Zedd. We have yet to see him, nor do we understand his true power. And I, for one, appreciate the restraint. 4/5!