Humanity has reached its breaking point and it’s time for the Predator to become the hunted. Read on for our review of “Predator: Hunters” #1 but be warned, there are some spoilers within this review.
Written by Chris Warner
Illustrated by Francisco Ruiz Velasco
Space aliens have been coming to Earth for centuries-but not with any message of brotherhood or peace. They’re here to hunt the toughest, most dangerous humans they can find. Only now their former prey have teamed up against them. Predators, watch your backs!
Both the Alien and Predator franchises have lived long lives at Dark Horse, providing fans with stories featuring their favorite alien killers long after the movies ended. As someone who always like the more ridiculous Predator more, I haven’t really dived into the comics as much as I could have. “Predator: Hunters” #1 not only tries to do something different but is also very easy to dive into. It’s all set up but that doesn’t stop it from having enough substance to stand on its own.
“Predator: Hunters” #1 introduces us to Nakai, a gas station, sideshow attendant with a history with Predators. He is approached by a team of non government operatives led by Jaya Soames, a woman obsessed with destroying the Predators. This team has an offer for Nakai – help them finally make the hunters the hunted. Each person on this team has a personal past encounter with this alien race and has lived to tell the tale. Each one of them is forever changed by that interaction and so, Nakai decides to join them and take the fight to the deadliest hunters in the galaxy.
“Predator: Hunters” #1 biggest flaw is that it absolutely leaves you wanting more. Most of this issue is spent explaining how all these people ended up here and very little time is spent on their plan or even the Predators themselves. This isn’t a huge problem because one of the biggest flaws in any kind of story like this is the lack of depth in the human leads. Yes, monster characters like Godzilla, Alien, Predator are the stars but I also need to care about the people who find themselves face to face with them. “Predator: Hunters” taking this approach got me invested in the story almost immediately but even then, these characters are still a little thin. Their motivations are clear and understandable but their personalities are a little generic. Nakai, on the other hand, is fully formed. Warner really takes the time to give us a lot of context for how he’s ended up here and why he’s so hesitant to work with Jaya. There is some unfortunate racism thrown around by Nakai’s boss which does border on being too much but he thankfully gets what’s coming to him.
This new series also is a real attempt at doing something different with the franchise. While many of these characters have military backgrounds, they are operating entirely on their own to get revenge. It’s a simple concept that quite honestly I’m surprised hasn’t been done before. It is an idea that can allow “Predator: Hunters” to be something that will appeal to even the most casual fan if it rises above less than exciting leads. Within this issue, we’re told some history of the Predators on Earth via the Dark Horse comics universe but none of it becomes overbearing. There is a lot of added context to make this a very easy first issue to jump into. Anyone who’s seen any of the movies will find something to really enjoy here.
Francisco Ruiz Velasco’s art in “Predator: Hunters” #1 is easily my favorite thing about this issue. Velasco pulls double duty on both pencils and colors and his work here is not quite what I expected to see. The very few interior pages I’ve seen from Predator comics have been very dark and kind of lack a personal style. From the first flashback pages, Velasco shows just how exciting he plans to make this series. This is the only time we get to really the Predator in action and through the use of speed lines and very interesting color choices (including some vibrant blues), this book takes on a high adrenaline action feeling. There’s a palpable violence in these sequences that’s very in line with the franchise but still all Velasco’s own because he doesn’t do what a lot of artists on these properties get stuck doing. He gets to stay away from likenesses which just helps this whole thing feel even fresher. These first couple of pages are all we get as far as action goes but if nothing else, what he does in them, including his beautifully detailed Predator, makes you eager for more and the biggest reason I’ll be returning for more.
Continued belowThe rest of “Predator: Hunters” #1 is equally as good despite being much quieter than these first couple of pages. As mentioned, Velasco doesn’t draw these characters based off anything from the films so there’s more originality in his work. The characters are styled in a very timely way with the setting feeling very unique to this story. There’s great body movement, reaction and layouts all the way throughout and all this is brought to life further by his surprisingly bright use of color. There are layers within the colors in the background, in every outfit and in every little item in each panel. It’s really impressive work all around.
Anyone who’s seen any of the movies will find something to really enjoy here. “Predator: Hunters” #1 is easy to jump into and boasts excellent artwork with a fresh concept.
Final Verdict: 6.8 – Lacking in big action but a unique take on the franchise.
