Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn #1, written by Anthony Burch, illustrated by Simone Ragazzoni, colored by Raul Angulo, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire, is published by BOOM! Studios. After the events of Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer, Kimberly Hart-formerly the Ranger Slayer-has surpassed Lord Drakkon as the ruler of Angel Grove. While Kimberly tries to maintain the peace between the Ranger Sentries and the Coinless, a break-in into a hidden prison reveals one of Drakkon’s greatest secrets.
Burch is no stranger to expanding upon established canon, having written for video games including League of Legends and Tales from the Borderlands. Here he gets to showcase the turmoil Kimberly is under; not only is she dealing with the pressures of leadership (and her right-hand woman Scorpina outright planning to stab her in the back) but she struggles with the question of if she’s truly all that different from Drakkon. Ranger Slayer established that redemption isn’t that easy, and I’m glad Drakkon New Dawn #1 continues to run with that line of thought.
Burch also introduces a new element in the form of an armored Ranger locked in Drakkon’s prison. While we don’t know much about this Ranger, he serves as a testament to Drakkon’s cruelty and freeing him may have caused a whole set of problems for Kimberly and her forces. I look forward to seeing who’s under the helmet and if he’ll serve as a friend or foe to Kimberly.
If there’s one thing I wish the script would expand upon, it’s Zack and Trini’s roles. In Ranger Slayer, their reactions to their friend turned foe turned somewhat friend again were extremely compelling; we got to see Zack’s weariness of fighting a near-endless war and Trini’s desperation to end it. Given that the Ranger Sentries and the Coinless are at each other throats, it would have been nice to see how they dealt with that.
Ragazzoni’s art is a marked difference from previous artists who have worked on Ranger titles. While the others have a more manga-influenced style, Ragazzoni’s art has a grit to it that reflects the chaos that Kimberly lives in. He also gives Kimberly a new redesign; her Ranger Slayer armor now features sharp spikes and ornate gold plating. As one character points out, the differences between her and Drakkon are razor-thin and her costume only serves as a visual reflection. Angulo helps set the mood by using muted colors, with Drakkon’s castle and prison both shrouded by dark clouds.
Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn #1 picks up where Ranger Slayer left off, continuing to delve into the mind of the Ranger Slayer and her quest for redemption. Since this is a three-issue miniseries, I’m curious to see how Kimberly continues to deal with being a ruler and working with her former friends turned foes (and in Zack and Trini’s case, turned friends again). I also hope that this series will not be the end of this universe.
Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn #1 is available wherever comics are sold and through Comixology using our affiliate link.
