The ugly creatures that love their invisibility cloaks and hunt for fun are back in a brand-new series. Marvel’s Predator #1 by writer Ed Brisson, penciler Netho Diaz, inking by Belardino Brabo and Victor Nava, colorist Erick Arciniega, and lettering by Vc’s Clayton Cowles turns the tables on the reader and introduces a slightly new twist on the classic survival story. It also ups the ante with an unpredictability factor reminiscent of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.
The issue kicks off by introducing a group of strangers who find themselves on an unknown planet. Each of these individuals is from a different time period and have no clue how they got there. There isn’t much time for them to ask too many questions, as they are attacked and hunted by the vicious Predators. Somehow, they will need to survive the onslaught, while uncovering the reason they have been put on this mysterious planet.
In the previous Predator series, Brisson developed a story that pushed franchise forward rather than rehash the past. However, the writer takes a step back here, connecting the dots of the pivotal points in Predator’s history — including some of the divisive ones — for a larger narrative purpose. What Brisson also manages to do is tweak the main themes to morph the series into a battle royale story.
Brisson also doesn’t give away the full gambit in Predator #1. It’s clear from the first issue that survival won’t depend on how the humans deal with the Yautja, but how they communicate within their own group. Ultimately, this narrative choices keeps readers on their toes, as no one knows who will survive in the end, or if Brisson will channel his inner-George R. R. Martin and annihilate everyone.
Diaz unleashes action on the pages of Predator #1. This issue is brutal with a plethora of gore, leaving nothing to the imagination. The action scenes pop, thanks to Brabo and Nava’s polished inks which add the gruesome detail to the violence.
Despite the barbaric brutality on display, Arciniega applies bright colors to the issue. There is no grim-dark aesthetic or muted colors for the characters’ clothing, as the colorist chooses to embrace the daytime setting of the island and pumps the tones and tinges associated with such a location. Similarly, Cowles utilizes an intentional, playful lettering style that subverts the violence on the page and lightens the mood.
Predator #1 has found the perfect way to merge the past, present, and future of the franchise into an exciting story. Not only does it read well, but serves as an appropriate template for anyone trying to bring the Yautja to the big screen in the future. This new series has unlocked the secret of how to honor continuity and do something fresh with the franchise moving forward.
