Review: Predator Hunters TPB

Everybody wants to be the hunter in this one, because the alternative is to end up in the stew pot. The Predator: Hunters trade paperback collects the five single issues into a single book. This book celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Predator movie, along with the various Predator comic book series that Dark Horse has Published over the years. As a matter of fact, at least two of the characters are survivors of previous Dark Horse Predator attacks.

In Predator: Hunters, a well-funded, private organization is looking for people who have taken on predators and survived to hunt down any of the aliens around the globe based on leads of their activities. They recruit a new member and are off on a new mission.

The original Predator movie was the epitome of 80s action movie. It wasn“t smart, but it was violent and cheesy with the right amount of suspense and action. In short, it was fun. (The less said about the sequel, the better). When the Dark Horse Predator series work, it is because they distill the story down to a simple idea that balances action and suspense to deliver a fun series.

This book does not.

The first chapter is bogged down in a needless and painful exposition dump of what this organization is and where they are going and what toothpaste everybody likes. It is a simple premise. I explained it above: Private group wants to kill the Predators. Hires a bunch of people to do it.

Chris Warner (Astro Boy, Dark Horse Presents) continues to bog down the second book with an extended training montage. I get it, these guys need to get into shape. But you had two issues where we could have gotten to really know the team members, But instead we kinda learn about two of them.

On the plus side, once the action takes off midway through the story, you get to race through to the end with a couple of good twists thrown in to keep you from getting too comfortable with guessing what“s going to happen next.

Unfortunately while the story improves as the book goes on, the art starts out really well done at first and then it feels like Francisco Ruiz Velasco (Lone Wolf 2100, Thunderbolts) rushed through the last two issues and took a lot of shortcuts getting them out the door. Where the art in the beginning issues is what saved the book, by the end it gets difficult to tell who is fighting whom. The last book seems a smear of blues and grays and all the great detail work that really popped in the beginning gets lost the further we go.

This book is very frustrating to me. I really wanted to like it, but after the stalled plot at the beginning, the art just falls apart as the plot starts rocketing down the roller coaster tracks. Dark Horse has produced a number of really fun Predators stories over the years. I just wish this could have been one of them.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Chris Warner
Artist: Francisco Ruiz Velasco
Lettering: Michael Hessler
Cover Art: Doug Wheatley
Publisher: Dark Horse

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!