CREDIT: Dark Horse/IDW
Rating: 4.5/5 – Three Iconic Franchises Battling it Out All at Once!
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Dark Horse and IDW have created a comic that would be tough for me not to read. Predator, Judge Dredd and Aliens all in one book…fighting each other?!? I’m on board. Now, this isn’t the first time Dredd has encountered these aliens, but it is the first time they’re all appearing in the same series. Writer John Layman, best known for his work on Chew and artist Chris Mooneyham artist on Five Ghosts have crafted a first issue that succeeds in its attempt to tell a story starring three major icons who can each carry a story on their own.
Mooneyham’s art is a nice fit for this story and every time I see it I get a Tom Mandrake vibe, which to me is a great thing! As this issue begins, a Predator is on the run from a group of animal/human hybrids created by an evil Dr. Reinstot. These animals are wonderfully designed and as the Doctor gets his hands on the captured Predator and his DNA, you know it’s only the beginning of what we’ll be seeing in terms of hybrid designs from Mooneyham in future issues. Mooneyham’s pencils are just the right amount of scratchy, and although his Dredd facial expressions don’t always match the dialogue, the book as a whole looks great. The colors by Michael Atiyeh perfectly compliment the pencils and range in colors for all the different settings.
John Layman is just getting started with this story and already we’ve seen Dredd, Judge Anderson, Predator and so much more. Although Aliens definitely take a back seat this issue, I feel confident after reading this issue that there’s exciting things ahead, especially after reading the final few pages. Inter-company crossovers in the past have had mixed success with me, but IDW and Dark Horse have combined their franchises to produce an exciting new series that stars some of science fiction and comic’s most endearing characters and I can’t wait to read more!
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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