Kind of weird to say but I'm glad my dislike of the first half was actually intentional by the writer. The second half really does bring it all together.
It's cool the whip came back even if it was in a sort of roundabout way. Likely the artists decision to base it on the Requiem whip since that has available reference material Fox would already approve. Shame we don't see that thing more often. I'm not expecting it show up in Hunting Grounds but I'm kind of surprised I don't see it more in comics.
I have to say though that as interesting as that dynamic is for the Predators and how it relates to the kids, it doesn't really come out in the story. Sure they only had so much time to do it but that seems like crucial information that would've benefitted the story. It's something cool to look back on the story in hindsight but I shouldn't have to listen to a pod cast in order to get what a character's deal is. I'm not saying Jeremy Barlow should've shoved it in, I'm saying Thicker Than Blood needed an extra issue to help convey that and I pin the blame on Darkhorse for that. It works fine without it but that's such an interesting detail I'd have liked it actually getting the time to be explored. That all being said TTB is one of the best AVP stories I've read so if Marvel ever gets around to reprinting it I would love to see them do something like a "directors cut" where Jeremy can add that back in.