From writer Benjamin Percy (Ghost Rider, Wolverine) and artist Marcelo Ferreira comes a crossover we never knew we needed in Predator Versus Spider-Man #1. Featuring inks by Jay Leisten, color art by Frank D’Armata, and lettering from Clayton Cowles, this opening issue offers familiar yet still unique takes on both Spidey and the classic Predator formula. With a surprising and fun script and stellar visual work, this opening chapter is better than it has any right to be.
“A heat wave 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 honor and no clan – only a thirst for blood.”
Writing & Plot
Benjamin Percy Gives readers a surprisingly brutal yet still fun and fresh take with Predator Versus Spider-Man #1. Spidey investigating a series of grisly murders and competing against a driven police detective sets up the perfect plot going into the great Predator reveal. This opening issue’s greatest accomplishment is how much it manages to feel like *both* a Predator film and a Spider-Man story. Percy’s love for the classic Predator movies is on clear display here. Setting the story during a boiling, crime-filled New York summer is clearly a tribute to 1990’s Predator 2. That being said, Percy still experiments with the Predator formula. “Skinner” is unlike any Yautja (canonical lore name for the Predator race) we’ve seen up to this point in that he’s clearly a little more bloodthirsty than his hunting brethren. These differences may annoy longtime Predator fans who wanted something a bit more straightforward, but this element works exceptionally well in the story. Percy manages to actively make this Predator feel like a potential Spider-Man villain, and not just another crossover/guest character. The setup with everything Spider-Man is doing to investigate these murders as well as support his community during this unrelenting Summer heat helps the book feel more like a true Spider-Man comic while also having the fleshed-out characterization found in older blockbuster films like, you know, Predator. Peter is true to character with his combination of wit and and genuine smarts, the Daily Bugle gets a great story beat, and the final page character reveal is the most “obvious that they’d show up in this crossover but I’m still freakin’ stoked” moment I’ve had in a recent mainstream comic. MJ feels a little underserved in these pages, but that should hopefully be remedied in future issues. Ben Percy has penned an awesome script for the first chapter of this franchise event.
Art Direction
Marvel Comics veteran Marcelo Ferreira is on hand to deliver a stellar visual experience to the pages of Predator Versus Spider-Man #1. The former Strange and Amazing Spider-Man artist crafts a reading experience that combines the kinetic action and character of a Spidey book with the brutal bloodshed of a Dark Horse Predator comic. Ferreira’s work here sets itself apart from any other Spider-Man comic in recent memory, really selling the idea that there is something more sinister and deadly at play here in this crossover. His angular, ore hatch-heavy work feels like something that would have been drawn 20 years prior – and this works in the book’s favor. The Spider-action sequences still feel like proper Spider-Man with his usual sinewy acrobatics – it’s the rest of the book that feels markedly different. The gruesome corpses, grim crime scenes, and tense character moments are all presented in a way that feels less like a Marvel comic and more like an R-rated 90’s action flick (you know, like Predator 2). The design of the new Predator works in favor of the story, and feels a bit timely considering the trailer that just dropped. Frank D’Armata’s color art is the main contributor to the unrelenting atmosphere of this comic. Every panel feels like it’s sweating from summer heat, with the color work adding texture as much as does depth. Between the hazy yellow of the blazing sun and the crimson-tinged gore found in the dank rooms where the new hunter leaves its victims, D’Armata crafts an experience that matches the tone of this story and the stories this issue pays tribute to.
Verdict
Predator Versus Spider-Man is a blast of an opening chapter that is far better than it has any right to be. Ben Percy’s script combines the familiarity of both Spider-Man comics and Predator films into something that takes unique liberties with both properties, creating something new and promising. The visuals from Marcelo Ferreira and Frank D’Armata are well-directed, detailed, and brutally atmospheric, paying tribute to both a specific vision of Spidey and the era of films that the Predator made its debut in. Be sure to grab this new issue when it hits shelves on May 23rd!
