Review – Predator: The Last Hunt #1 (Marvel Comics)

February 21, 2024

3 minutes

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artwork: Francesco Manna
Colours: Erick Arciniega
Lettering: Clayton Cowles
Release Date: 21st January 2024

Throughout of the course of Ed Brisson’s Marvel Comics Predator run, we’ve watched Theta evolve from a vengeance-fueled youngster trying to avenge the loss of her parents to a grizzled forty-year-old whose body is starting to break down as the result of her almost three-decade crusade against the Yautja. In this third (and, if the title is to be believed, final) volume of her story, our protagonist finds herself pairing with Paolo, who we last saw in the 2023 Predator: The Preserve series, in her search to completely eradicate the Yautja from the galaxy.

Via a little serendipity, the pair stumble across a crashed Predator supply ship, designed to transport would-be prey in stasis before “thawing them out” periodically for a fresh hunt. Not only that, but they may also have discovered a clue about where the main stasis farm is located – and possibly even the Yautja home planet itself!

Perhaps the biggest challenge of the Predator franchise, with all its spinoffs, tie-ins and various offerings across almost every kind of media, is finding a way to keep things feeling fresh. For my money, Brisson has definitely achieved that with his run so far, crafting a legitimate threat to the Yautja in the form of a a dedicated and driven ‘Predator Hunter’ and allowing her to grow and develop over the course of several decades. This latest arc seems poised to deliver something of a punctuation mark to her story, and with even Theta herself considering her somewhat inevitable demise, there’s a definite feeling of electricity in the air here.

Francesco Manna takes over the art duties here, leaning into the action-heavy first issue with a dynamic, energetic approach. Similar enough to the work of previous artists Netho Diaz and Kev Walker to provide consistency, but still distinct enough to stamp his own indelible mark on the series, Manna – alongside colourist Erick Arciniega – deliver a vibrant aesthetic packed with expression, emotion and cinematic violence.

Honestly, my only real criticism of this first issue is with the opening seven-page sequence where a mystery Predator dispatches a group of Cthulhu-esque spider creatures en route to pressing a shiny red button. It arguably doesn’t add anything of real value to the narrative other than the button press itself – I mean, we surely all know how much ass Predators can kick by now, right? – and the cynic in me feels like its inclusion merely serves to pad out the page count and justify the “super-sized debut issue” status.

This minor niggle aside, the final page delivers a moment of air-punching fan service joy, and offers up some genuinely thrilling possibilities for the remainder of this series. Brisson’s Theta is already firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of Predator protagonists, and this new series looks poised to give her the send-off she truly deserves. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]