You can’t fashion a xenomorph shield out of leaves and twigs…
Creative Staff:
Story: Dan Abnett
Art: Brian Thies
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Michael Heisler
What They Say:
The Predators arrive on LV-223! The question is: are they here to finish the fight with the Colonial Marines, or will they join the marines in the battle against the Aliens? And who will Ahab—the Predator from the Fire and Stone story cycle—side with?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As we enter the final leg of this cycle of Life and Death, the Aliens vs Predator piece is one that you know is going to go big. With the property as a whole having a lot going on since the Fire and Stone cycle got underway and bringing some of those characters back into it now you really get a weird sense of scale and fun to it all. Abnett has definitely felt like he’s been having a blast crafting this and whittling away at everyone all around and this installment brings Brian Thies back to the project, which is definitely welcome as I love his take on the Predators and their sense of rawness – something that Beredo handles well with the color work to make them look both stark and royal at the same time, particularly on that last page.
Picking up where the last installment ended, which was in a bad place as we get the LV-223 team having managed to rescue Chris but now facing a horde of xenomorphis looking for their new queen, their real problems are all happening in orbit. It’s aboard the ship that we see things go south (finally) for Lorimer as he and the rest of the crew are butchered quickly and easily by the arrival of a group of Predators. Their reasoning isn’t clear, but does it need to be? What they do is set into motion the chaos that’s going to come planetside as they’re headed down their for their next big game hunt, likely not knowing that the Engineers are there – if they know about the Engineers at all as a species. Removing the escape route, at least partially, for the marine team is definitely a dramatic moment.
On LV-223 things are in desperation mode as they’re going to try and remotely bring down a ship, not knowing what’s going on up above, and that has them holing up in the Engineer’s place since it’s safer that what’s coming with the xenomorphs. There are some good moments of tension in figuring it all out but it quickly turns to chaos that Thies delivers well as the xenomorphs start to overrun the place and the marines start getting whittled down. What’s welcome is that we get the return of Galgo and Ahab, two characters that I just find endlessly fun and amusing, as they’re making it clear the real threat is now on its way from up above. There are a lot of players in motion here with the Engineers, the xenomorphs coming for the queen that Chris can feeling kicking, and the newly arrived Predator team. And, of course, the humans with Ahab. It’s a tinderbox I want to see blow, and blow big.
In Summary:
As we get settled in for the final arc there’s been so many bodies dropped that it’s hard to keep track of overall. And that’s fine because we’re definitely knowing those that are remaining and seeing them getting whittled down is exhilarating and disheartening at the same time. With trouble coming from above, below, and sideways when you get down to it, the Aliens vs Predator leg of the Life and Death cycle is off to a great start and should be pretty damn action filled as it barrels toward its conclusion – and hopefully another cycle yet to come afterward!
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 28th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99