Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Chris Mooneyham
Publisher: Dark Horse
Dark Horse’s Fire and Stone shared universe is finally coming to an end. Prometheus: Fire and Stone had an open ending, Aliens: Fire and Stone had an ambiguous ending, Aliens vs. Predator: Fire and Stone had a strange, and slightly unsatisfactory, ending, and it looks like Predator: Fire and Stone has a happy ending…of sorts.
Like the others before it, P:FaS doesn’t have a true ending; that will come with Omega: Fire and Stone on February 11th, but of all the four endings, P:FaS’ feels the most satisfying. Though in respects, that isn’t saying all that much.
Happy ending or not, P:FaS’ main focus is one of action. The majority of the comic—perhaps 80% of it—is Ahab’s fight with the Engineer. And what a glorious fight it is! The two warriors duke it out in an absolutely brutal fashion, and it’s interesting to see the Engineer reduced to another savage alien when he’s forced to fight without any weapons. In some respects, the Engineer actually comes off as more primal than the Predator.
All of the technology, philosophy, and Godlike creation mean nothing when your life is on the line.
The sequence itself grows a bit hazy at parts, but that’s been an ongoing complaint since Issue 1 of P:FaS. I love the grainy artstyle Chris Mooneyham has going, and it works wonders for facial expressions, but perhaps it doesn’t yield itself to close quarter combat.
On the character front, Galgo has a bit less screentime here than in the past few issues, but what panels he is in really highlight his character and end what is a solid progression arc. Of the four protagonists, Galgo’s character development is the only one that truly feels natural. He’s been a highlight of the entire Fire and Stone shared universe, and I’m glad he’ll play a starring role in O:FaS.
I went into Issue 4 of P:FaS hoping for some kind of twist, but there aren’t any. There’s a fight sequence that plays a bit too heavily on some Predator tropes at points, and then the issue ends, somewhat happily but still open enough for the final installment in two weeks. I wanted a bit more substance, but I’m happy with what I got regardless.
Galgo and Ahab make a good team, and I’m honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed their arc. This was the series that interested me the least, yet it’s some of the best in the Fire and Stone shared universe.
