Predator: Fire and Stone #4

Predator: Fire and Stone #4

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Penciller: Christopher Mooneyham
Inker: John Lucas
Colorist: Dan Brown
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Cover Artist: E.M. Gist

Predator: Fire and Stone #4 is the issue I’ve been waiting for. Galgo and the predator have teamed up to take down an engineer. Galgo has gone through quite a few ups and downs. Love him, hate him, he’s a troubled character who may or may not be able to find redemption. After all the screw ups, he’s been given one last chance, and the key to his salvation is an alien hunter bent on taking down the most dangerous creature in the galaxy. But can they pull it off?

The artwork in this issue isn’t too bad. It’s very stylistic and comicy. Note quite in the vein of Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith, but it’s definitely not a realistic style. The edges are harsh and rough. The colors are slightly subdued with a bit of a watercolor vibe. It’s different, it stands out, and it works because for all the grit and roughness, it captures the action and emotion of the scenes.

The story takes an interesting step by doing a quick flashback on the first page. The first panel is set 112 years ago and marks the day the predator saw an image of the engineers. Forty five years later, the predator sees another image of the engineers while on a hunt. Forty three years pass, and the image shows up again. Through the years, this image has reoccurred, inspiring the predator to seek out an elusive prey, one worthy of a great hunt. Now, 112 years after the first sighting, he has finally found an engineer. With a companion by his side, he dares to fight this thing which has haunted his lifetime. With just that one page, the comic sets up a history for the predator and establishes a connection readers can relate to. It helps seal the story elements that have already been introduced for this predator and his epic hunt.

Along for the ride is Galgo. He was introduced as a gung-ho member of a salvage expedition. When the aliens got unleashed, things went bad, and Galgo didn’t hesitate to turn his back on his fellow crewmembers if it meant saving his own skin. Throughout the series he’s bounced back and forth between helping people and betraying them. Sometimes he’s likeable, sometimes he’s despicable. But in the Predator arc, we’ve seen him being tossed another chance. Slowly he has regained his ground as a character you can root for. By teaming him up with a predator determined to take out the most dangerous trophy ever, you have an underdog team you can’t help but hope will come out on top.

Predator: Fire and Stone #4 sets up the final day of their hunt. Galgo and the predator must take out the engineer. Joshua Williamson keeps Galgo true to character by having him continue to struggle with his selfish fears. The predator gives it his all, and the engineer puts up a hell of a fight. It’s a satisfying ending to the arc, and I loved the tie-in to Ahab and his white whale.

For tying up the story with an excellent ending, I give Williamson high marks for salvaging Galgo and pulling out an awesome predator character. Christopher Mooneyham, John Lucas and Dan Brown complement the story with some fun visuals that do a good job at capturing the emotion of the characters and the tense action of the fight scenes. Predator: Fire and Stone #4 goes out on a high mark with a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.