"Predator: Hunters #4" Comic Review
Written by James Ferguson
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Chris WarnerIllustrated by Francisco Ruiz Velasco
2017, 32 Pages, $3.99
Comic released on August 2nd, 2017
Review:
The Predator stands defeated, bleeding out on the jungle floor. Mission accomplished, right? Not really. It turns out the mercenaries had some bad intel. There wasn’t just one Predator. There were four of them. From the looks of things, they just killed the runt of the litter. Now they have to run for their lives as they were only prepared to handle one creature.
Predator: Hunters takes a group of survivors from various encounters with the alien warriors and puts them together to turn the hunter into the hunted. While this is a great idea on paper, the downside is throwing together a bunch of alpha males / females. They survived because they thought about themselves in one way or another, not because they worked well as a team. In the business world, they would be called “super chickens” pecking each other to death instead of working together for the greater good.
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The series started out as something different and this move puts it squarely in familiar Predator territory. Now we’re going to watch these warriors systematically destroy these highly-trained soldiers. I’m betting the unnamed ones with masks are going to die first.
You’d think with the time and money that went into preparing for this trip that they wouldn’t be picked off like cattle, especially since they’ve all faced Predators before. These are fierce creatures that carry an intimidating, terrifying presence. Artist Francisco Ruiz Velasco captures that frightening tenacity perfectly.
There is a gorgeous double-page spread showing the trio literally leaping into action, clad in homemade armor sourced from trees and vines. Each is sporting trophies from kills, such as skulls, ears, and teeth. They’re like native Predators.
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It’s this design that makes them stand out from a typical Predator. We’ve seen the space-faring hunter. This shows that even stripped of all technology and weapons, these creatures are born warriors.
The three in action is a sight to behold. Of course, we get their signature move of ripping out a spinal cord, but we get so much more. There are bludgeonings, stabbings, and dismemberments. This is some good, gory fun.
Predator: Hunters delivers on the over-the-top alien violence we’ve come to love from the franchise, but falls short on giving us something new. The human characters fill stereotypical tough guy roles and fall like cannon fodder in front of the enemy. There’s a nice twist at the end of the issue, however it comes a little too late to pack a punch.
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