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Is It Good? Predator: Fire and Stone #3 Review

Comic Books

Is It Good? Predator: Fire and Stone #3 Review

Sup Han Solo and Chewie? Still think you’re the most bad-ass, bilingual dialogue spouting, odd-couple bros in the galaxy?

You’ve got competition in the form of Galgo Helder and ol’ Ahab, whose burgeoning uneasy alliance from the first two issues approaches friendship territory in Predator: Fire and Stone #3. The only way writer Joshua Williamson could’ve made the two any closer this issue (they do spend the night by cavefire together, after all): make them get crunk and chase tail in some Mos Eisley cantina analogue. (I’d watch it.)

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Is it good?


Predator: Fire and Stone #3 (Dark Horse Comics)


predator-fire-and-stone-3-cover

I’m still not sure where/when/why Galgo learned to speak Yautja, but I’m happy as hell that he does — his synergy and rapport with Ahab once again carries the title, and has made the pair arguably the most relateable characters out of all the Fire and Stone titles.

Galgo doesn’t usually work well with others — this has been made clear more than a few times in the series already. Which shouldn’t be all that surprising: the guy’s a scumbag. His myriad backstabbed crewmates could attest to this, were they still living. When he saves the Predator from a stampeding alien-cattle, however, we see for the first time that the guy might subscribe to some notion of dignity after all — even if it is more “honor among thieves” than principle.

What makes the friendship between Galgo and Ahab even more interesting is that the Predator gives the human props as well: Ahab gifts Galgo with the arcane Engineer gun that he had pilfered from him back in issue #1; does the fact that the two are forced friends through laser lasso tethers mean a betrayal is in order, though? Williamson peppers us with just enough overarcing intrigue and suspense that the wait for the next issue is damn near tortuous.

predator-fire-and-stone-3-ahab
I wonder if my dog is thinking the same thing Galgo is when I take him for on-leash walks.

Which brings us to the shit that’s going down next issue: hot Predator on Engineer action. Hells yeah. I’ve been waiting for this ever since I saw a Space Jockey/Engineer helmet on Wolf’s trophy wall in the beginning of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, (which I mentioned already in my first review.) I can see the fight going down a number of ways:

Scenario 1: The Predator and the Engineer lump each other to damn near death. When it looks like the Predator is losing (because TheWorfEffect), Galgo uses the Engineer gun after a crazy bout of internal conflict.

My Take: This is what might have happened under a more formulaic writer, but I feel like Williamson has some tricks up his sleeve.

Scenario 2: Ahab, as his allegorical namesake suggests, succumbs to the shortcomings of his monomania and severely misjudges the Engineer’s abilities/black goo. (I really hope the technological/biological weapon advantage route is taken and emphasized, as opposed to the Engineer just beating the Predator through brute strength. That would be boring and a squandering of opportunity. Besides, I think the movies and comics exhibit plenty of proof for the Predators being just as strong, if not stronger than what we’ve seen from the Engineers — as well as more agile and combat-worthy)

Examples: [1] [2] [3]

Ahab ends up sacrificing himself to take down the Engineer, and Galgo escapes in the process.

My Take: As long as the fight brings something unique from the Engineer, I’m okay with the above going down.

predator-fire-and-stone-3-argument

Scenario 3: The Predator and the Engineer lump each other up. In the process, they accidentally kill Galgo by… stomping on his lungs a few dozen times by accident. The two mortal enemies find this so hilarious they decide to call the whole fight off and then proceed to handshake like Dutch and Dillon in Predator 1, laughing uncontrollably and bicep flexin’ the entire time. Curtains.

My Take: I think I need to get more sleep. (Or on some kind of meds.)

Scenario 4: Everyone dukes it out. Everyone betrays each other. One of the characters looks like they’ve won but then gets killed in one of the most brutally depicted scenes in history.

My Take: Will happen if Joshua Williamson just watched an episode of Game of Thrones before penning the script for this one.

Is It Good?

Predator: Fire and Stone #3 is another solid issue in my favorite of the Fire and Stone titles thus far. If you liked the first two, snatch this one up too.

Predator: Fire and Stone #4 will have to come correct if it wants to match the first three. I’m looking forward to it.

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