For those of our visitors who haven’t read my previous reviews, or listened to our podcasts on the previous entries, I’m really fond of the Predator: Hunters comic series. But since Predator: Hunters 2 wrapped up in January this year, leaving us on the bombshell of Raphael Herrera’s return, we haven’t heard anything about a third series.
That changes today with the announcement of Predator: Hunters 3! Announced via SyFy, Chris Warner is returning as writer to continue the story of the Hunters and delve into Herrera with the four issue third series!
The extraterrestrial insanity kicks off with ex-drug runner Raphael Herrera reliving his worst nightmare. After that horrifying night when his men were slaughtered by an unearthly monster, Herrera joined up with the Predator Hunters crew. Now, years later, cartel soldiers are being murdered in the thick jungles of Central America, indicating to Herrera that the dreaded Predators have returned!
Chris Warner isn’t the only returning creative working on Predator: Hunters 3. The artwork will be handled by Brian Thies, who previously provided the artwork for the Predator, Aliens vs. Predator and Prometheus: Final Conflict runs on 2016/2017’s Life and Death crossover. Wes Dzoiba, another returning talent, will be handling the colours for the series. (P.S we’re still waiting for a recolouring of the original Aliens vs. Predator from Wes, Dark Horse!)
The original Predator: Hunters was notable for it being a gathering of characters who had previously encountered the Predator, including encounters told in previous Dark Horse comics. Interestingly, Chris Warner and editor Randy Stradley are hinting at the return of characters from the very first Predator series!
“Bringing together characters (or their descendants) from Dark Horse’s many standalone Predator series is something I’d been wanting to do for a long time, and I think Chris Warner’s handling of the union has been great,” adds series editor Randy Stradley. “However, with Predator Hunters III, Chris went back to the beginnings of our Predator cycle and brought in a couple characters who haven’t been seen in thirty years or more. Longtime readers will be pleased, but even new readers will appreciate how these returning characters expand the Predator universe.”
Is it possible we might be seeing the return of Detectives Schaeffer and Rasche from Predator: Concrete Jungle (Book One)?! Or perhaps General Phillips? The first issue of Predator: Hunters 3 is currently slated for release on the 5th of February 2020. Thanks to Katanu and DarthJoker45 for the heads up!
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Certainly it would have been nice if there had been some update on Dutch now that Hunting Grounds has bought him back and given us the first official post-movie details on him since......ever......but I'm not surprised there wasn't any sort of cross-company coordination going on there. It does make Dutch seem like a bit of an asshole though.
I agree that the ending portion was the weakest, which in part felt like it was because of the subversion of what we'd come to expect from the previous volumes, with one or more of the characters engaging in a big fight with the Predator(s) and ultimately beating them. We got that to start with, but then things got turned on their ear by essentially having the Predators deal with themselves without the main characters having to do all that much.
So yeah while it did feel like a bit anti-climactic as a result, I appreciated that it went in a different direction, since as cool as the first two volumes were I was already thinking to myself "and this is the part where we see the Predator wrecking a bunch of guys and throwing one of their quotes back at them etc." at various points, so I liked that it mixed things up there.
I assume Herrera's actual dialogue was unimportant in terms of the reader fully comprehending what he was saying, so that part didn't bother me too much either. I do think he somewhat disappeared into the background as the story went on so that Schaefer could take centre stage though, and that contributed a bit to the ending not feeling as strong as those of the first couple of volumes.
As for the Predators themselves, I just assumed that one of them was a jerk!
I also liked the twist that there were two. In retrospect it was obvious since the masks in the various covers weren't the same, but I just took that as down to artistic license, and I didn't notice the one that jumped out of the water originally being different, which it clearly is in retrospect.
I also liked the artwork, especially any time the Predators showed up or we got an action scene. They got as close to an AVP movie nod as I would have liked them to get. A clear reference but nothing overt. And I dug the "King Willie" homage too.
I think like Hicks said, one of the main problems is just that this wasn't intended to be an ending, just the next chapter in an ongoing story that we're unfortunately more than likely never going to see now, which sucks even more because Hunters 4 would surely have been focused on Mandy, and that could have been something I'd have liked to have seen.
So yeah overall I don't think it's as strong as either of the first two volumes, but it's still good, and if this is the end of Hunters as it unfortunately almost assuredly is, then I'm glad this turned out to be such a solid run overall.
So yeah, come on Marvel! Hunters 4 if you wouldn't mind, please!
I think the problem is this wasn't intended or written as an end... It's very much another part in a longer story that we wont see played out.
I also think it was a disappointment, but only because of that. Because they'll be no further pay-off, so much so that most of what was done within the series feels pointless, I guess. We get these legacy characters back and nothing really of note seems to be done with them here, other than reintroductions. I'm not sure what the point of Herera being brought back was, because it didn't feel like much pay-off either.
Completely agree re: the Predator interactions.
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That said, I continue to really love Brian Thies artwork, especially with Wes Dzioba on colours. Probably a 6/10 for me. It wasn't awful, it just feels a bit wasted.
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In the end Schaefer and the Russians didn't do much and neither did the rest our predator hunter team.
The one thing I did love was the art. There are some just fantastic predator panels in this and that helped elevate the story a little. But in the end I was really disappointed in this one... By far the weakest of the three.
Well, I thought Hunters II was fantastic and that was only four issues I believe. I just think Warner had no clear direction on where to take the next chapter. That's how it felt to me at least. Not the way I hoped we go out.
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All in all I've thoroughly enjoyed following the Hunters team through the three volumes (13 issues). Here's to hoping we haven't seen the end of them!
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The art is..., alright. I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I like the design of these Predators being very Jungle Hunter but having unique details. That all being said the Humans look a bit too young for older combatants. The side mouth also looks bad. This isn't Sonic, put the mouth in the right place.
Really is a shame this is how the solo line goes out. C-
It's passable but for the last Predator story under Darkhorse its disappointing especially given its premise.
They really dropped the ball in the second half, such a waste. The art is pretty great and the story starts out good but it completely tanks by the end.
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And the humans... John Schaefer and Ligachev! They're back! And they don't add much. John is at the same place he was at the end of Dark River, he doesn't know what became of Dutch, he is still trying to find out. I guess he learned nothing from General Phillips after all. It was nice to see him, but that was all. Ligachev is there as the opposing force also after the Predators, so Stargazer is out of this one. But nothing ever comes out of the story. I feel they could have used an extra issue for this one.
So yeah, a sad way to finish Dark Horse's Predator comics, and also not a good conclusion to the Hunters series. I hope this isn't the end, and that Marvel continues with a fourth volume for this series.
Edit: I forgot to mention the good stuff. It's not all bad. I liked the art, and the action scenes were pretty cool overall. The setting of the story is also very nice, with the Mayan ruins and underground caves. The story also starts good, but the second half is just out there.
Yeah, I'm still a bit bummed. Hopefully for others? me lowering expectations is just what the doctor ordered for an enjoyable read. We'll see.
Guess my expectations were too high, hopefully my copy arrives soon.
Going back again, it was better the second time around, but still not up there with Hunters I and II. I'd maybe call Hunters III the "Godfather 3" of the series. Some great stuff in there, but not so great too.
I'd revise my statement and say the first three issues/chapters of the story are the good stuff and it falls apart for me in the fourth for the reasons already stated in my previous post.
I'll be real interested in discussing spoilers. I'm really curious everyone's take on Predator behavior, etc. Until then, I wait.
Ha. No. Thankfully my crustacean sense didn't tingle that much. Thies' Predator face art comes across 20% abstract anyway, so with him it's hard to guage such things. Twas fine I think.
I felt little love towards this spidery version of the Predator though, in this variant cover.
https://www.previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL148996.jpg
Well art is subjective but I overall liked it. I fell in love so much with one of Thies' splash pages in Predator Hunters III issue one that I purchased the original art early this year. Thies really has a gift for Predator bio-masks! The only thing I'm not a fan of really in the Hunters III art is the more the story progresses, the more sideways mouths we see.
https://i.ibb.co/Y881MC3/3004484p2-1.png
But again, it's subjective.
Maybe my take will lower your guys' expectation / anticipation level and you'll end up loving it. Can't wait to discuss it with you all!
I'll thrown in my two cents after I read it. Still waiting for my amazon pre order.
Not the feedback I was hoping for. I assume the artwork was good, though? Sometimes I just flip through comics for the artwork, like a kid.
I'm not a fan of ''Crabators'' myself.
The first half (first two issues) is a great start, but the second half just falls apart. Sometimes confusing Predator behavior. The conclusion requires two pages of Google Spanish translation. No payoff with certaincharacters. Emulates Predator 2 and AvP a bit.
Not thrilled that this is how we concluded Dark Horse Predator comics. Hopefully a second read will dull my initial disappointment, because I just adore Hunters I and II. A little bummed.
Dark Horse & Brian Thies were right here. Mine arrived yesterday. I plan to dive in tonight!
https://i.ibb.co/BjWJx56/20201110-082500.jpg
It'll make a nice Alien/Predator Christmas present combo with the Alien: The Original Screenplay hardcover that should hopefully be arriving right before then.
Because it's the most wonderful time of the year.
The UK Amazon finally has some listing up from third-party sellers. I just went ahead and ordered mine, though I'm going to keep from reading it until Christmas since I figure I've waited long enough at this point that I can stand to wait a little longer.
But huzzah, it's happening!!
I hope it's a good ending to this amazing series.
I recall going through the same things with Predator: Stalking Shadows where Mark Morris said it was out a week or so before Amazon said it was being released.
It's on sale here:
https://www.tfaw.com/predator-hunters-iii-tpb.html?qt=dhprofile1-3004488&utm_source=darkhorse&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=darkhorse_buy&utm_term=buy%2BPredator%253A%2BHunters%2BIII%2BTPB
Time to cancel my order with Amazon.
Edit:
ORDERED with Tfaw!
Another edit:
It shipped today! Tracking says I'll have it Monday the 9th, while Amazon still says it will be available on the 17th.
Thank you Brian Thies!
Dark horse's site list it a buyable.
especially if they carried on with Alien: The Original Screenplay
but thats just me....i like logical solutions lol
https://forbiddenplanet.com/302923-predator-hunters-iii/
Yeah thats what I thought but now I'm seeing new comics being released. I assumed that thing were moving again but nothing on the A/P series.
Most people go through Diamond distribution and due to the pandemic they've had to shut down (people getting sick and being non-essential) so you can't really ship anything especially if where you're shipping there's nobody to even receive product.
I personally don't know what Darkhorse's release schedule is but this is a problem right now across the board with publishers trying to figure out release schedules even if tentative.
We really wouldn't be having this issue right now had the industry been digital. But since Diamond has such an iron grip on things and every time we peek into digital the shop owners throw a fit here we are. Now few can get product out and it's hurting if not killing the industry despite the fact that creatives can work from home.
https://i.gifer.com/1Gys.gif
They removed pre-orders for following issues but its TPB version is still available for pre-order with October 14, 2020 release date.
Worthy to have in both formats I think!