Predator: Fire and Stone #1
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artitst: Christopher Mooneyham
Cover: Lucas Graciano
Have you ever read a comic where you can’t find one redeemable quality about the cast to justify any of them living at the end? The type of cast that makes you heartily cheer for whatever terrifying entity is hunting them down? Joshua Williamson delivers such a cast here in Predator: Fire and Stone, and while the cast isn’t too likeable it’s really for all of the right reasons. They make no allowances for who they are, and that’s quite refreshing when we’re constantly bombarded with the clear good vs. evil dynamic. Williamson writes characters that would do just about anything to make sure they come out on top. Which actually makes for a much more interesting story, giving it something of a twist to a formula that fans of the franchise have seen for some time.
The events of this issue take place after Prometheus: Fire and Stone, and around the beginning of Aliens: Fire and Stone. Now being that the former hasn’t even wrapped up yet, you would think that some things might be spoiled. Not in the least. This issue stands on its own, though there is a trio of familiar characters from the event. Williamson knows that most of the readers are here to see the Predator dispatching people, so he doesn’t waste time getting to the point, but he makes sure that this isn’t an average hunt either. There’s more going on that we get to see, but the set up and eventual cliffhanger pretty much dares you not to read the second issue.
Whenever Dark Horse puts out a new Predator story it’s always interesting to see how the artist is going to tweak their designs to make them stand out from a previous incarnation. Mooneyham doesn’t stray too far from what we’ve come to expect from the Predator visuals, but the subtle modification and personality he adds to the creature is welcome. The story is pretty fast and bloody, and Mooneyham makes sure to keep things looking pretty good along the way. Mostly when inside of the ship and during the character interactions, as some of the exterior shots of the ships and space things didn’t look as tight.
You shouldn’t worry that you’re reading a story that takes place after another that hasn’t even finished yet. Predator: Fire and Stone is just as fun as the other series dealing with this event, and it all seems to be leading to something quite big. It’s enough to make you wish that it all could have been shown on the big screen, but Williamson and Mooneyham make sure you’re in good hands here!
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