Predator: Life and Death #2

Predator: Life and Death #2

(Part 2 of 17 of Life and Death)

Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Brian Albert Thies
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: David Palumbo

Set 43 years after the events of the movie Aliens and a year after the events of the Fire and Stone comic series, Life and Death continues the tale of another unlucky group of humans on the planet Tartarus. In this issue, the action heats up as the Predators go into action and the marines fight back. It’s rumble in the jungle.

The art’s not so bad in the issue. It’s a different style with thick lines, heavy shading, and less detail, but it still manages to capture some emotion and action, enough to complement the story and still maintain a fun comic. The layouts are good, which helps with the flow of the story, and it sets up some nice panel designs emphasizing the characters and the action.

The story is where the real fun is at. Unlike Fire and Stone, this isn’t a bunch of colonists getting massacred by ferocious alien creatures. Instead, we get a bunch of badass marines who can fight back. While some of the soldiers still get slaughtered, they give the Predators a run for their money. It provides for some nice action, some entertaining military chatter, and a fast paced story that isn’t a one-sided slaughter.

Another highlight is the characters. At this point, some of the are starting to stand out. There’s Captain Pagnet, the female leader of the Colonial Marine detachment sent to the planet. So far I’m really liking her character. She’s intelligent, level headed, and hopefully some who will be around for a while. Then there’s Singer who is eager to check out the alien technology, but not as pushy and stupid about it as Lorimer. Singer seems like a nice addition to help back up Pagnet, but I’m eager to see Lorimer get torn to shreds by the Predators. Alas, he’ll probably live long enough to cause as much misery as the Predators themselves.

So far I’m enjoying this series, and issue #2 was a bit of an improvement from the first one. The art is a little better, and the story is still solid. I give Predator: Life and Death #2 a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.