“Predator: Fire & Stone” #2 reads like a dream come true. It’s an adventure that dangerously manages to be a buddy comedy with a Predator. I shit you not, this isn’t just the best Predator comic, it’s the best Predator story I’ve ever experienced. It has everything you could ever want, the blood, the guts, the gore, the comedy, and compelling characters.

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Chris Mooneyham
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: November 19, 2014

I’m going to get this out of the way, right away, I fucking love Predator. The films have been endearing to me in a strange way, and I even love Predator 2. I mean the movie is absolutely insane, but that’s part of the magic. Anyway, I digress only because in all previous attempts with this license the story has been the same. Predator meets a skilled hunter, they showdown, humans win. Now we’re offered something different. A Predator with some characterization meets a slimy fiend who he can’t kill and is forced to team up with, to take down… an engineer. Holy hell.

The issue starts with a nice tribute the Predator’s past. We learn the origin of Ahab’s awesome facial scar. It’s an action packed first couple of pages that demonstrate that Ahab is a ruthless force to be reckoned with, much like any Predator, but Williamson gives Mooneyham the tools to show off.

After a quick flashback we’re back in the ship with Galgo and his unlikely ally. After fucking over every other member of his crew it’s just Ahab and Galgo left to make a play for the most dangerous game of all: the engineer. They must reluctantly team up to achieve this goal. Although both of them don’t play well with other’s you’d never know. It’s just the type of lovable chemistry given to Galgo by Williamson.

It’s clear to me by now that Williamson loves writing the slimy guy only out for himself. Galgo certainly fits the bill, and to some extent so does the predator. But when pitted against one another they have actually work together to survive the horrors on the surface of LV226. It’s a phenomenal team up that logically shouldn’t work, but when you see them cuffed together and improvising you’ll know your cutting to the core of the Predator’s essence.

This issue is a breeze to read thanks to flawless pacing and compelling dialogue. Chris Mooneyham’s Predator is so perfect that someone at Dark Horse should seriously consider signing him to exclusively draw the character until he dies.

Seriously, Chris Mooneyham was born to draw Predator. He has the physical prowess of the beast down pat, and is able to draw the creature with a visceral feeling that no one has achieve before. You feel the frustration of a caged beast when Ahab’s dealing with Galgo, and better yet you see the wrath of the Predator against legions of enemies. But it’s the way the Predator subtly dominates every panel that captivates me. It’s energy and size is remarkable. Mooneyham does an excellent job at drawing your eye to the titular character on every page, always finding a new awesome way to show its power.

This is what licensed comics are all about. Williamson and Mooneyham take everything that’s familiar with Predator and shed new light on it. Instead of telling the same story, they have opted to tell something compelling, lighthearted and character driven. Creating the rare case where it exceeds the source material. Fire and Stone continues its incredible streak, with its strongest series yet.