After five months, four separate series, and 16 issues the “Fire and Stone” saga comes to a double-sized finale. This cross-over event, years in the making, has managed hit the mark at just about every point and showcased the talent of a dozen incredible writers and artists. It is hard to overstate just how much “Fire and Stone” has set the bar for quality of Alien and Predator books. It all comes down to this, and with only slight hesitation I’m here to tell you it is a satisfying and worthy conclusion.
WRITTEN BY: Kelly Sue Deconnick
ART BY: Agustin Alessio
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASE: February 11, 2015
Kelly Sue Deconnick, who has served as a sort of show runner for “Fire and Stone”, pens this finale with art from Agustin Alessio and the first thing I want to talk about is just how god damn beautiful this issue is. There has been some great art in this event, especially in “Predator” and “AVP”, but I was pretty blown away by how much life Alessio brought into these now familiar characters, how terrifying and disgusting the baddies are rendered and, though I’m not 100% on board with the ending (a point I’ll get to) Alessio really drives home a sense of hope and beauty. The artwork here is almost moving and alone is worth the price tag.
There is a lot of story that needs to be told here and the extra pages do a lot to keep it from feeling too rushed. Galgo and Angela have been barely surviving for some time now (along with a couple others whose purpose I’m not quite sure of) and Ahab has gotten in the habit of showing up just in the nick of time. As far as Predator stories, this is the most I think we’ve ever gotten to know a Predator. Giving him a name emphasizes how much personality and individuality this Predator has. It is a departure, but not a jarring one. He has just enough characteristics without violating the form and function of a Predator. It works.
The crew is pretty terrified when Elden crash lands, and rightfully so, but something has changed: Elden has mellowed having completed his task to meet his maker and his perpetual existential crisis is wearing on him. He is less bloodthirsty and more ready to get the fuck off of LV-223, and the crew, as well as Ahab, are on board.
This team up, and especially Elden and Ahab’s meetup, is so intensely satisfying after this long violent journey that the book almost gets full points just for bringing them all together and providing a moment of solace before heading into the fray for one last deadly mission. Unfortunately, that final mission is a bit of a non-starter. The stakes aren’t very high, there are a lot of questions left unanswered, and the whole thing is over before you know it without having accomplished anything at all. Elden receives a fitting conclusion but as for the rest I was a little let down. Things are left open for a possible return of Angela, Galgo, and Ahab in the future but I found this to be an unwanted adherence to comic book conventions. It isn’t the events I’m questioning, but the execution. We needed to spend a little more time in the mountain I think, it was in and out for kind of no reason.
“Fire and Stone” has been some of the most fun I’ve had ready comics in a long time. It was action packed and nostalgic and innovative and added so much to the mythos of these franchises. “Fire and Stone” will be remembered for the careful crafting and interweaving of the different books and I can’t wait for more ambitious projects like this.
Where the fuck was the engineer though?