Name: Predator Omnibus Vol. 1
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Written by: Mark Verheiden, Ian Edginton, Chuck Dixon, Dan Barry, Mike Richardson, Neil Barrett, Jr.
Penciled by: Chris Warner, Ron Randall, Rick Leonardi, Enrique Alcatena, Dan Barry, Leo Duranona
Inked by: Sam De La Rosa, Chris Warner, Randy Emberlain, Steve Mitchell, Rick Magyar, Dan Panosian, Enrique Alcatena, Dan Barry, Leo Duranona
Colorer by: Chris Chalenor, Rachelle Menashe, David Nastelle, Steve Mattson, John Hannan III, Greg Wright, Gail Beckett, Eric Vincent
Lettering by: Jim Massara, David Jackson, Clem Robins, Steve Dutro, Gail Beckett, Ellie De Ville
Well, this one is certainly not for everyone, but for the fans of Predator and of 80's action movies this is definitely going to be something of pure joy and nostalgia. Don't come here looking for artistic writing or groundbreaking mystery or finesse, but if you just came to enjoy mindless action and cheesy dialogue filled with varied and interesting drawings featuring the iconic Predators you have reached the right place indeed.
This omnibus contains some of the earliest comic issues published by Dark Horse and you can clearly feel the influence of the first movie of the franchise in these stories. I would now write a few lines expressing my feelings about each of the story on offer.
'Concrete Jungle' is the first ever original Predator comic series. It deals with the brother of Dutch, John Schaefer, who is an NYPD detective. It is clearly apparent that this has heavily influenced the second movie. While the author did some things better than the movie, but some things were just better done on big screen.
'Cold War' once again features John Schaefer, but this time he goes to Siberia and teams up with a Russian woman named Lt. Ligachev to deal with another party of Predators. I liked this one most of the trilogy featuring Schaefer, the setting is quite promising for a movie in my opinion, the drawing was very good and Ligachev was a great addition too.
'Dark River' is definitely the weakest of Schaefer trilogy, despite having some delightful art. The story is just too similar in essence and execution of the previous two and the dialogue was a bit too cheesy even for the 80's action movies feel it was trying to achieve.
'Rite of Passage' was the first of the two short pieces based in Africa. I really liked this silent short. It reminded me a bit of 'Prey', the latest movie in the franchise.
'The Pride at Nghasa' was another enjoyable story, reminding of the hunting stories I used to love in my childhood, with a twist of the hunters being massacred by a Predator.
'The Bloody Sands of Time' was a mixed bag. While I really loved the characters of Griggs and Gwen, the story relied too much on the horrors of war and mindless slaughter instead of focusing on the characters for my liking.
'Blood Feud' was another story that had a promising beginning, focusing on a blind Samurai but rather failed to deliver later on. Despite being a short story this one seemed to drag a bit and lacked the action that I hoped for.
All in all, a fine example of the early days of Predator comics that is essential reading for any fans of the franchise and anyone who likes cheesy action movies.
My score - 4 out of 5 stars.
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