“Prometheus: Fire and Stone” #4 brings things full circle – or at least to a middle as events chronologically meet up with the beginning of “Alien Vs. Predator: Fire and Stone”. If you had to guess what happens in the issue based on what has happened in “AVP”, you’d be exactly right. There isn’t any big twist that gives greater insight to the series as a whole as the answers to all of the story’s questions are the most obvious ones. I’m not necessarily criticizing, but establishing expectations, because even 12 issues in to this event it still feels like anything could happen. This is the ending you expected for “Prometheus” and consistency is something to be grateful for.
WRITTEN BY: Paul Tobin
ART BY: Juan Ferreyra
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: December 10, 2014
Reviewed By Eric Switzer
What I liked about this issue is the way it managed to complete its own story and lead into bigger narrative of “Fire and Stone”. The issue held exactly as much weight as it should of. Unfortunately there wasn’t really anything left for “Prometheus” to say or do. Its main function seemed to be to take Elden from the ground to the Helios (where he is at the beginning of “AVP”), which was easy enough to do, and give us one more peek at the Engineer. You can kind of think of “AVP” as a sequel to “Prometheus” and “Aliens” as a prequel. The problem is that having read most of “AVP” I already know mostly what is going to happen, who survives, and where things leave off. “Prometheus” #4 doesn’t stumble, but it felt a bit unnecessary.
It wouldn’t be “Prometheus” with out one final appearance of an enigmatic Engineer, and his scene is everything you’d hope it would be, and leaves the door open for a reappearance later on in “Fire and Stone”. If you read the last issue of “Predator”, you’ve got a pretty good clue as to the fate of Angela, her ending here isn’t anything revelatory. And Elden’s departure to the Helios was pretty straightforward. None of it is bad, but reading it the first time, you might feel like you’ve read it before because you’ve already put these missing pieces together while reading the other “Fire and Stone” books. “Prometheus” #4 traces a long a really obvious dotted line.
If you can’t get enough Xenomorph killing sprees then you will have nothing to complain about. It is amazing that after all there are still more people to kill. Don’t expect much more than that in this obligatory issue. It isn’t in anyway bad, but if you don’t read it, you really won’t miss any of the story.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.