Dark Horse Announces "Predator: Life and Death" (FaS-style Crossover)

Started by Ultramorph, Dec 11, 2015, 12:07:00 AM

Author
Dark Horse Announces "Predator: Life and Death" (FaS-style Crossover) (Read 130,678 times)

Ultramorph

Ultramorph

#270
That early review did a good job setting up the mythological backstory behind the name Tartarus, and digging around a bit more, it turns out that Tartarus had a son, a monster called Typhon. According to Theoi "Later poets described him as a volcanic-daimon, trapped beneath the body of Mount Aitna in Sicily."

All this makes me hope that something is planned for the living mountain.


Big Comic Page has an advance review up, and it's a 4/5. It does contain some spoilers, though, so be careful.
http://bigcomicpage.com/2016/02/11/advance-review-predator-life-and-death-1-dark-horse-comics/
Spoiler
I was wrong, it seems Tartarus is not LV-223. It's LV-797. This actually makes me more excited.
[close]

happypred

Predator comics and Aliens comics are as smart or as stupid as the writers make them. One is not inherently more high brow than the other...what utterly silly thinking

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Ultramorph on Feb 10, 2016, 06:01:58 PM
Spoiler
I was wrong, it seems Tartarus is not LV-223. It's LV-797. This actually makes me more excited.
[close]

Good. I didn't want to see it all be reduced to a small universe.


Quote from: happypred on Feb 11, 2016, 02:44:54 PM
Predator comics and Aliens comics are as smart or as stupid as the writers make them. One is not inherently more high brow than the other...what utterly silly thinking

Damn right.

The Alien Predator

Quote from: happypred on Feb 11, 2016, 02:44:54 PM
Predator comics and Aliens comics are as smart or as stupid as the writers make them. One is not inherently more high brow than the other...what utterly silly thinking

I agree.

Like I said before, both franchises are equally good in my eyes although I lean more on Predator, doesn't mean I am any less excited for more Alien material as it enriches the universe.

So no, Alien and Predator should never be separated, the Prometheus stuff serves to open many doors leading into new areas for the two critters to explore.

Perfect-Organism

There is definitely some Hemingway potential with Predator comics.  A good writer could do something great with that.  But if a Predator tale is to stay true to the core ideas behind Predator, it will invariably be a hunting story.  It is a book about sport.  The Alien series is free from all of that.  There is no element of sport in the Alien mythos.  Especially, with the new direction that the Alien franchise is taking via Scott's new films, it is more about world creation and the origins of man.  So yes the Alien world is a more high brow series with lofty ideas.  So I have to respectfully disagree.  Aliens and Predators should go their separate ways.

The Alien Predator

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2016, 05:06:42 PM
There is definitely some Hemingway potential with Predator comics.  A good writer could do something great with that.  But if a Predator tale is to stay true to the core ideas behind Predator, it will invariably be a hunting story.  It is a book about sport.  The Alien series is free from all of that.  There is no element of sport in the Alien mythos.  Especially, with the new direction that the Alien franchise is taking via Scott's new films, it is more about world creation and the origins of man.  So yes the Alien world is a more high brow series with lofty ideas.  So I have to respectfully disagree.  Aliens and Predators should go their separate ways.

Predator: Incursion proves you wrong there, my friend. It has some elements of hunting, but it also goes beyond that. It really builds up the world and explores many things we haven't seen before. It shows that yes, Predator could very easily go down the more high brow direction.

How their society
Spoiler
values memory above all physical things and how they make their own ships individually, how the clans independently advance similar tech without trading etc. There was so much explored in the book. How humans ask questions on "how are they a space faring race?" Because they too keep associating the Predators with the hunt.
[close]

There's so much more to explore with the Predators even in films or a series.

Like, how they react with races that offer to fight alongside them. If they forge alliances.

Heck, look at AvP, the Predators taught humans how to build. That, while linked to their hunting culture also toys with "Ancient Astronaut" theories just like Prometheus. AvP did it before Prometheus.

Also, from what we've been hearing so far about Shane Black's film, there's some "re-inventing" going on, what that means, I don't know yet.

Ultramorph

A few more advance reviews have gone up, and they're also pretty positive. As usual, beware of spoilers if you choose to read them.
http://fanboycomics.net/index.php/blogs/bryant-dillon/item/6105
http://bigcomicpage.com/2016/02/11/advance-review-predator-life-and-death-1-dark-horse-comics/

I like how Abnett
Spoiler
seems to have snuck Seegson into the mix.  ;D
[close]

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Ultramorph on Feb 12, 2016, 01:06:21 AM
I like how Abnett
Spoiler
seems to have snuck Seegson into the mix.  ;D
[close]

He did write Alien Isolation, after all! I'm glad to see Isolation sneaking into these comics - and with Defiance too. Adds to the world building very nicely and to a feeling of a more cohesive universe.

Can't wait to pick mine up.

happypred


Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2016, 05:06:42 PM
There is definitely some Hemingway potential with Predator comics.  A good writer could do something great with that.  But if a Predator tale is to stay true to the core ideas behind Predator, it will invariably be a hunting story.  It is a book about sport.  The Alien series is free from all of that.  There is no element of sport in the Alien mythos.

Allow me to respectfully disagree...

That's like saying an Aliens story has to be a tale full of jump scares with humans being stalked by an Alien or Aliens (this is true of Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Res)

The core theme of the Aliens franchise is the cold indifference of not just the cosmos but of humanity as well, e.g.the Company. The Aliens are almost a reflection of man's remorseless drive to survive and expand at all costs and at the expense of all else. What is scarier, the Aliens or the Company trying to exploit them? If the ability to survive ruthlessly is the criterion, is man any less of  a perfect organism than the xenomorph?
You could do A LOT with that

The core theme of the Predator franchise is the human propensity for (and enjoyment of) violence, conquest and domination. Swanland rally captures this theme with his cover for the 2009 Predator DH series. The Predator caresses a human skull before a shrine built of assault rifles and human bones. The Predator is almost an embodiment of man's violent, sadistic tendencies.
As with Aliens, you could do A LOT with that.

The Alien Predator

Quote from: happypred on Feb 12, 2016, 10:48:45 AM

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2016, 05:06:42 PM
There is definitely some Hemingway potential with Predator comics.  A good writer could do something great with that.  But if a Predator tale is to stay true to the core ideas behind Predator, it will invariably be a hunting story.  It is a book about sport.  The Alien series is free from all of that.  There is no element of sport in the Alien mythos.

Allow me to respectfully disagree...

That's like saying an Aliens story has to be a tale full of jump scares with humans being stalked by an Alien or Aliens (this is true of Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Res)

The core theme of the Aliens franchise is the cold indifference of not just the cosmos but of humanity as well, e.g.the Company. The Aliens are almost a reflection of man's remorseless drive to survive and expand at all costs and at the expense of all else. What is scarier, the Aliens or the Company trying to exploit them? If the ability to survive ruthlessly is the criterion, is man any less of  a perfect organism than the xenomorph?
You could do A LOT with that

The core theme of the Predator franchise is the human propensity for (and enjoyment of) violence, conquest and domination. Swanland rally captures this theme with his cover for the 2009 Predator DH series. The Predator caresses a human skull before a shrine built of assault rifles and human bones. The Predator is almost an embodiment of man's violent, sadistic tendencies.
As with Aliens, you could do A LOT with that.

Exactly.

And when you join them, it merges those themes together.

Like humanity trying to reverse engineer Predator technology, to boost their own killing capabilities. And the whole "keep our tech out of their hands", it's like Predators know how dangerous we'd be if we got that powerful. Listen to the Audio Diaries of AvP2010, Weyland himself states that his studying of Aliens and Predator tech isn't just for profit, but to literally make humans the elite species of the galaxy.

We're essentially a sleeping giant.

And that's why they LOVE hunting us.

But like we've covered, there's a lot you can do with either franchise. One is not more "high brow" than the other. Both toyed with the "Ancient Aliens visiting us" theme.

Perfect-Organism

Of course we can respectfully disagree.  Just because the AVP film delved into some "Ancient Aliens visiting us" themes doesn't mean that the idea worked well.  In fact, one could say that the AVP film fell flat with what it attempted to do by involving Predators in our history.  This idea presented in AVP did not work anywhere near as well as it did in Prometheus, and that is because the idea of Predators guiding us along comes across as silly whereas the idea of Engineers is compelling.  Why?  Exactly.  Because the idea of Engineers creating us, opens up the mystery of why they created us and also why we create androids.  The question itself is a high brow idea.  When we are faced with Predators guiding us along, the only answer we can put forth is that so they can hunt us.  That is simply not compelling and rather low brow.

But don't get me wrong, the Predator films and world is still enjoyable, it is just not on the same playing field as Aliens.  But that is just my opinion, and we all have our own justifiable perspectives...

Ultramorph

Dark Horse's May solicitations are live, and we have the cover and summary of issue #3.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dark-horse-may-2016-solicitations-feature-lobster-johnsons-return-gene-has-mae
Spoiler
QuotePredator: Life and Death #3 (of 4)
Dan Abnett (W), Brian Thies (A), Rain Beredo (C), and David Palumbo (Cover)
On sale May 4
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
The Colonial Marines discover the corporate claim jumpers they're protecting have been hiding what they know about the massive, horseshoe-shaped alien spaceship. Meanwhile, the Predators go on the offensive!


That cover is awesome! The variety of Predator designs is so refreshing, and the juxtaposition of that and the goo arsenal is great.
[close]

The Alien Predator

Quote from: Ultramorph on Feb 12, 2016, 07:12:43 PM
Dark Horse's May solicitations are live, and we have the cover and summary of issue #3.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dark-horse-may-2016-solicitations-feature-lobster-johnsons-return-gene-has-mae
Spoiler
QuotePredator: Life and Death #3 (of 4)
Dan Abnett (W), Brian Thies (A), Rain Beredo (C), and David Palumbo (Cover)
On sale May 4
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
The Colonial Marines discover the corporate claim jumpers they're protecting have been hiding what they know about the massive, horseshoe-shaped alien spaceship. Meanwhile, the Predators go on the offensive!


That cover is awesome! The variety of Predator designs is so refreshing, and the juxtaposition of that and the goo arsenal is great.
[close]

All this teasing is killing me!

Is it March yet!?

Corporal Hicks

Corporal Hicks

#283
Is this cover based on a Kenner figure too?

RakaiThwei

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Feb 12, 2016, 07:52:54 PM
Is this cover based on a Kenner figure too?

From what I can tell? No.

AvPGalaxy: About | Contact | Cookie Policy | Manage Cookie Settings | Privacy Policy | Legal Info
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Patreon RSS Feed
Contact: General Queries | Submit News