Welp, here we are at the end of January. The month just flew by, and February promises to be rather exciting for yours truly. I will announce more when I can, don’t want to jump the gun. Let’s just say this is gonna be a good year for your ole pal Henchie and making comics.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116 for actually taking me by surprise.

Meanwhile, I have cast aside the madness that was Project Zomboid and now I’m settling into Super Mario Wonder. I splurged on that game before Christmas but then got distracted. So hopefully I’ll have fun with that. Also, I just finished the second season of The Bear and I wish I’d watched it sooner because it definitely would have made my year-end list for favorite TV show. Hot damn that was good television!

Comic Reviews: G.O.D.S. #4 and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116.

G.O.D.S. #4
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

This comic is very hard to review, so I’m going to get a bit more metaphysical about it.

We learn the origin of Robert Forson, a kid that the In-Betweener took and put into one of its boxes and raised him to be a super scientist. But when he went out into the world, he didn’t have any social skills, and felt very alone, even after being recruited by A.I.M. So the In-Betweener came back and got him to invent a little device to destroy space time. He set it off in the Library at the end of last issue, but Dr. Strange and Wyn are there to stop him. They trace him back to his box and travel through it to a vast open chasm of boxes. It’s gonna be a problem.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I didn’t review the previous issue of G.O.D.S. and I was considering not reviewing this issue, but then that would mean I only read and reviewed a single issue this week. I try to avoid that. GODS is a solid comic, but it’s bigger than each single issue, and that’s why I don’t like to review these single issues. It’s the same reason I don’t review single episodes of a season of television. Sometimes these individual parts should not be reviewed on their own because the whole is the real prize. Jonathan Hickman is clearly going somewhere with this story, clearly has something to say and a story to tell. And each individual chapter is fun to read, in its own way. But man, it’s also a really heady comic book.

This individual issue is a solid read. Wynn, our protagonist, gets a few more chances to prove he’s charming and witty. Dr. Strange continues to prove that this all might as well just be a new Doctor Strange comic. And the other supporting characters continue to fill out this book in a nice, all-encompassing way. It’s a solid cast of characters, with top tier artwork, and a nicely growing story. It’s a pleasant, entertaining read that’s clearly going somewhere, and hopefully that somewhere will live up to all the good work being put into making this comic. It’s a bit weird, it’s a bit wild, and it’s a lot full of itself…but it’s ultimately a good comic. So I’ll for sure keep reading.

TL;DR: This is still a very complex, intricately woven comic, but that also makes it a little too obtuse at times, and a little too full of itself. Fun read, at least.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artists: Adam Gorham and Marco Renna
Colorist: Joana Lafuente
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Lord Drakkon has fled into the Morphin Grid in search of something, but he’s pursued by the Ranger Slayer, who is possessed by Dark Specter. They duke it out, until Drakkon pulls the sacrificial play to free Coinless Kimberly from her possession. Drakkon dies giving her his incorruptible power coin, sending her on a mission to find the Morphin Masters.

Meanwhile, the Rangers fighting Dark Specter’s forces flee back to the Command Center, though some get captured. Kiya destroys the Arch, preventing Drakkon’s return. And Mistress Vile informs her boss that he now possesses inherent Morphin Grid energy, so that he himself has the power of an Arch.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

Huh, I was legitimately surprised at the death of Drakkon at the end of this issue. I only hope it sticks. He’s outlived his usefulness. Put an end to him, and do it in a dramatic fashion, just like this issue shows. It’s a fitting death, and one that moves the plot forward. I only wish the Ranger Slayer had been a bigger part of this Darkest Hour story in general. The character has a long history, but it’s been a while since we saw her. Heck, I thought she was dead. But now she’s nicely positioned inside the Morphin Grid to go on the Hail Mary journey to save the day, with a dramatic, noble sacrifice from a previous villain to make it happen. This is a good swerve for Darkest Hour and I enjoyed this issue.

The rest of the issue isn’t as strong as the Drakkon stuff, but still solid. The Rangers are forced to beat a hasty retreat after encountering overwhelming odds, and some of the Rangers are left behind in varying degrees of captured. I’m a little disappointed that Dark Specter is that typical villain who berates and knocks down his subordinates, like he does to Rita in this issue. Not enough has been done to establish Specter’s own personality, whereas Rita is well-defined and far, far more charismatic. So he’s a bit of a dud as a villain so far, though he does still have a killer look.

And, as always, there are way too many Rangers in this story, with this issue potentially adding even more.

TL;DR: Some surprising story twists keep Darkest Hour going, though I still fear it’s getting too bloated with too many characters and too many story threads to follow.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I grab from Comixology any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments.

—————-