‘Predator Versus Spider-Man’ – Percy, Ferreira, Leisten, D’Armata (Marvel Comics)

 


Page Count: 112 Pages

My eldest daughter had a friend over, yesterday afternoon, and that was my cue to take my youngest daughter into town for Frappucino’s and a spot of shopping, Really, it was meant to be about picking some bits and pieces up for my youngest but… There is a Waterstones bang in the middle of two places that we were headed to, I’d won some money on a scratch card and… There was a copy of ‘Predator Versus Spiderman’ on the shelf.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the ‘Predator’ movies (the franchise is a hell of a lot more consistent that the ‘Alien’ series), even more so since I introduced them to my eldest. These days then, I’m a little more willing to give other media a go so, here we are…

Marvel's greatest hero faces off against the galaxy's greatest hunter in Benjamin Percy's grittiest PREDATOR series yet! In PREDATOR VS. WOLVERINE, we saw a single Predator stalk the killing machine Wolverine. In PREDATOR VS. BLACK PANTHER, Yautja invaded Wakanda and nearly dethroned its king. Now Benjamin Percy turns his twisted brain to Marvel's most beloved hero: Spider-Man! A heatwave sends NYC into a blackout and Spider-Man on patrol as tempers boil across the city. But beneath its grimy sewers and subways lurks a threat unlike anything Peter Parker has faced before. Introducing 'Skinner,' a Predator of no honour and no clan - only a thirst for blood. Collecting: Predator vs. Spider-Man (2025) 1-4

I love it when the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ franchises take a little step out of their comfort zone and set their leads against something completely new. I’m looking at you ‘Incubus’… And now it looks like Marvel has its hooks in these two franchises, there’s enough material to keep them going for a long time to come. I’ve missed the Predator going up against Wolverine and Black Panther, but Spider-Man is as good a place to start as any ;o)

And…

There’s not a lot to this encounter but I’m happy to give ‘Predator versus Spiderman’ (and Benjamin Percy) the benefit of the doubt here. There’s a very big difference between a Predator slicing its way through a Special Ops team, in the jungle, and a Predator going up against a super-hero that just happens to be in his natural environment. It was always going to be a short and sharp (quite literally, you know what I mean) encounter and Percy not only gets that, he uses it to very good effect, keeping the pace frantic while telling a story that pushes Spider-Man not only as a hero but more importantly, a good detective as well.

Even more importantly though, Percy comes up with a great way of getting round a potentially sticky issue. Predators may kill but a superhero really shouldn’t (well, not unless they’re the Punisher I guess). I won’t give too much away, I’ll just say that I loved how Percy skirted this issue, sending the plot in a direction that I never saw coming, one that changes the story entirely. And Ferreira’s art really captures the bloody side of Yautja business, I was surprised to see a Marvel comic embrace that direction but I’m very glad that it did.

‘Predator Versus Spider-Man’ was over perhaps a little too quickly to be a story that I could really get my teeth into but like I said, maybe that’s the whole point. Not all alien invasions are drawn out affairs; sometimes one will land in Manhattan, have some fun but quickly meet the wrong person, all in one night. For what it was though, ‘Predator Versus Spiderman’ was a great way to unwind after a week at work. I’m going to have to track down ‘Predator Versus Wolverine’ now...

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