4 out of 5

I was recently commenting on how almost all of Dark Horse’s comics of licensed properties tend to follow a generally predictable format of: hunt bad guy; tables turn and bad guy hunts us; many die.  Success is measured by how effectively felt are the stakes, or by whether or not some character work or social commentary makes the stakes relevant in a different fashion.

Success will now be measured by Predator: Captive.

To be fair, Gordon Rennie and artist Dean Ormston are really just focusing on that first tactic – upping the ante on stakes – but gawd damn we hit the ground running and it just does not let up.

A security consultant is brought to an isolated facility where a scientist – Stern – has a Predator alien ‘captured,’ feeding it prey and studying its abilities.  Stern hopes to one day communicate with the beast.  We know better, of course, as does ‘Falkner,’ said security consultant, who’s already advising on different things that need to be locked down and… well, shit, the Predator has escaped.

We’re not too many pages in.  Rennie ain’t messin’ around, and there’s no doubting the hunter’s effectiveness from thereon out; there are no false hopes, or last minute twists.  Just the sense of dread as Ormston’s blocky but emotive art and his pale colors communicates Rennie’s brief tale of terror to us with mass effectiveness.

…Except, god dammit, a plot point concerning a missing hand, which the art switches from right to left more than once.  Pet peeve of mine.  Supremely annoying, and worth a missing star.