Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Christopher Mooneyham
Publisher: Dark Horse
You know, I think I’m starting to get on board with this Dark Horse shared universe thing. It’s by no means perfect, but every comic has been entertaining, and I’m now eagerly awaiting whatever comes next, regardless of franchise. And after reading Predator: Fire and Stone #1, I gladly include that in the “I must know what comes next!” list.
P:FaS #1 takes place immediately after Aliens vs. Predator: Fire and Stone #1, though AvP:FaS #1 isn’t required reading. I respect a writer who can quickly and efficiently summarize what happened in a previous issue, and I feel that happens here. Research mission => monsters => running in terror => more monsters => more running in terror => stowaway.
All of that information is delivered in a three page dump that feels quite natural, all things considered. Galgo has plenty of personality, so listening to him talk for a few pages doesn’t feel boring or forced.
I went into P:FaS #1 expecting a generic Predator story, though I didn’t quite get that. To be sure, P:FaS #1 follows some of the generic “There’s a Predator out hunting humans” plot beats, but it makes enough changes to keep things fresh. For one thing, the humans know about him from page one, so there isn’t any sudden, unexplained deaths. This is a plus. The humans also decide to go hunt him right away instead of hide or worry about what to do, which is also a plus.
To shake things up even more, our beloved humans cannot use guns since a misfire could puncture a hole in the Greyon and kill everyone. We all know what that means for Mr. Predator who prefers his wrist blades, spear, and disk!
There’s a ton of action to be had here, though some fight scenes are a bit hard to follow. There are also a couple of bouts of very bad dialogue. Neither really hurt the comic, though the former slowed down the momentum some and the latter made me shake my head.
But the highlight of the whole comic comes in the last two pages, which deliver a twist I was not expecting and which made me smile like a maniac. Oh but I want to know what happens next!
