While the franchise has been up and down, the worlds of Alien and Predator is one of my favorites. Each does such a great job of taking various genres and giving them a slight twist. Horror, sci-fi, action, they do them all, and often have a bit of a message underneath. Predator #1 kicks off a new chapter set in the year 2056 and changes up the genre enough to stand out.
Written by Ed Brisson, Predator #1 follows Theta, a woman set on revenge. When she was younger, her parents and the crew they were with, were hunted and killed by a Predator. Now, for fifteen years she’s hunted Predators in hopes of finding the one that killed her parents. Having stolen a ship, she’s now wanted by many and of course the Predators would be happy to see her dead.
It’s an interesting twist on the familiar formula. Instead of an individual or team being hunted, instead our protagonist is the hunter. The motivations are simple, but there’s something here that makes the comic interesting and entertaining. It doesn’t completely excite but there’s more than enough for fans of the world. We get some interesting insights into Predators with a character that is entertaining enough. Brisson also knows this is just the introduction and setup with the real show to come starting the next issue.
Kev Walker‘s art is solid. The world feels alien but familiar and Theta’s armor is a nice take on the Predator look. With color by Frank D’Armata and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic captures the look of the world without if feeling too dark or grimy. There’s a nice subtle aspect to the visuals, especially Theta’s ship which both looks functioning and slightly off. It feels like it’s going to break down any minute but you just don’t know when. Theta too looks like an individual who has lost the sense of fun. She’s on the hunt and looks it with everything else being a distraction. She’s constantly pissed off in her look as she should be.
Predator #1 is a good start to the series. It doesn’t quite blow things away but it’s a good setup that introduces our protagonist and the mission. It also doesn’t drag things out too much getting to the point. Fans of the property should be happy with the start and where the comic ends, the second issue is where things should be getting really interesting.
Story: Ed Brisson Art: Kev Walker
Color: Frank D’Armata Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
