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Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War #6
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Randy Stradley
Artist: Rick Leonardi
Cover: Raymond Swanland

“Three World War pt 6”: In the final issue of Three World War it’s finally revealed how the Killer Clan of Predators are controlling their Alien pets. With this information relayed to Machiko, she comes up with a plan that includes her Hunter Predator comrades providing their Queen Alien for assistance in the fight on the planet. The military intercepts Machiko’s message to her team on the surface, and immediately sends in their drop ships to pick their guys up because they assume that Machiko and the Predators are going to nuke the site. Though there is one high ranking official who is more upset because of all the Predator technology that they won’t be able to salvage.

Machiko’s plan is put into action when she and the Predators land, and for the most part it’s working and the Killer Predators are losing control. However, things go pretty bad for all sides since the Aliens are attacking everyone they see, and Machiko and her comrades are being overrun. It’s a good thing that the man she loves decided to ignore her order and come to get her, but leaving in the middle of the battle would mean betraying the Predators. It’s decision time for Machiko and she doesn’t have much time, because the mission is going to Hell and the Aliens are killing everything they see.

After things began to heat up in the fourth issue and then progress and get better in the fifth, the ending seemed a bit anti-climatic, but at the same time it also comes full circle for Machiko. With that the story succeeds in a big way regarding her character, and if you know how her story began it definitely makes sense. If this series is your first introduction to the character then I suggest grabbing that Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus from Dark Horse and getting the other side of the story.

The big moment I was waiting for, when the Predators brought the Queen Alien to the planet, seemed like a rushed sequence as well. I’m not sure if it was because of Stradley’s pacing or how Leonardi moved the story with his visuals. Which at times looked rushed as well, and some of the human and Predator characters came out flat and angular during some of the action scenes. Leonardi’s work does shine during the less hectic moments, and the story moves perfectly fine at those points.

Stradley’s overall story is a good one, and it’s always cool when we get to see the Predators do more than just hunt and kill humans. He keeps elevating their character, and hopefully the next writer of a Predator series takes note and expands on the foundation that Stradley has laid out in the original AvP series all the way to AvP: Three World War. He’s also left the door open for a new character to step in and take the story to the next level by introducing the Killer Predators and their Alien controlling technology. There’s more of them out there and it’s a story worth expanding on if done right.

Someone who is new to the series may not enjoy this one as much as those of us who have been longtime fans of Aliens vs. Predator. Maybe by taking the stories in unfamiliar territory by exploring the Killer Predators, Dark Horse can grab the attention of new fans while pleasing the ones who already love the series.

Infinite Speech
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