Reviewed By Torin Chambers: ‘Predator Fire and Stone’ #4 is the epic culmination of Ahab’s hunt for his white whale: the Engineer. Last issue was all about the calm before the storm, building a palpable sense of tension. That tension has now reached a fever pitch with grand conclusion of Fire and Stone within sight. The storm is now upon us, so trust me when I say you’re going to love being to be swept away by it.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Chris Mooneyham
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: January 28, 2015
Before we get to the fight at hand the very first page finally gives us vague insight into Ahab’s motivations for his hunt to end all hunts. This opening page is incredibly subjective but gives the general sense that this has been a long time coming. Even though last issue I was clamoring for some serious Ahab backstory, I’m personally a big fan of what Williamsons done here. These are two aliens whose lives stretch on much further than ours, who have cultures that are, well, alien to us. Trying to rationalize and put human meaning into their motivations is potentially a fool’s errand. We could never truly grasp the importance of this hunt and what it means to Ahab in the context of his culture. The way Williamson does it gives us the basics that we need, as well as raising the stakes one final time.
With each player at their mark it’s time for the fight to begin. Williamson said at NYCC that this fight would last for most of the issue and he definitely delivers, aside from a small epilogue this issue is all conflict. Now this is by no means a simple, clean fight. This is an utterly brutal brawl, where neither pulls any punches and honor means nothing. Ahab is in it to win it and will do whatever it takes, pull any dirty underhanded move he can to claim victory because his opponent will rip him to shreds given the chance. He’s even willing to put his trust in Galgo if it gives him the upper hand. Being ever the wildcard Galgo could prove to be Ahab’s undoing rather than his savior.
Williamson and Mooneyham hit it out of the park and into the stratosphere, creating a glorious ending to THE BEST Predator story ever. I whole heartedly mean that, no other Predator comic even comes close, trust me I’ve read them all. I’d also count it leagues above Predator 2 and Predators. You could argue the original film is better but I’d say you’re wrong. Unlike the original film Williamson and Mooneyham’s protagonists, Ahab and Galgo, have real character arcs, something Arnold was entirely lacking. Predator has finally been done justice.
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Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers