Written by: Christopher Sebela
Art by: Ariel Olivetti
Publisher: Dark Horse
Issue 1 of Aliens vs. Predator: Fire and Stone was awesome and is, as of now, my favorite of the entire Fire and Stone shared universe. My only complaint, and it really was minor, was some ham-fisted dialogue, which thankfully only cropped up a few times. Issue 2 of AvP:FaS, however, is mostly filled with ham-fisted dialogue.
Here’s the problem: AvP:FaS Issue 2 is really, really good, but the dialogue is really, really bad.
If the entire issue had been nothing but silent pictures, it would have been so powerful and awesome. But Elden has to open his mouth in almost every panel and spew forth the likes of, “I’ve been harboring a lot of rage lately…now I get to let it out!” You know what would have been way more effective? If he had simply just said “Thank you.”
Alright, with that negative out of the way, let’s talk about everything awesome about this Issue, and there’s a lot to cover.
First and foremost, the art is as amazing as ever. I love this style. It’s so clean and vibrant. Everything looks good. I really can’t talk this up enough. Elden is creepy, the Predators look great, and the Xenos look so fluid and detailed at the same time. There’s a lot of emotion on every face, which is why the bad dialogue is so unneeded.
AvP:FaS Issue 2 is easily the most violent of all of the Fire and Stone comics, and it’s all so awesome! The deaths are downright brutal as the myriad of super-species tear each other apart. If you count a really nasty stab wound, there are three close-up shots of faces being brutalized. It’s…it’s exactly what I want from an Aliens vs. Predator anything.
The black goo that’s turned Elden into a crazy monster is also evolved here. As it turns out, Elden is less an Engineer and more like The Thing from John Carpenter’s famous movie of the same name. Elden’s constant grinning at his mutations is so perfect that…why does he talk at all?
The black goo also does some pretty interesting things to an injured Predator.
AvP:FaS Issue 2 sees the continued chase between Elden and Francis, and it is one hellova chase. It’s a real shame that the dialogue just comes off so poorly. Still, the comic is worth the read. It’s brutal, quick, and even manages to be creepy at parts. I have no idea how this is all going to end, and that’s also a plus. There’s nothing predictable here.
