Predator VS Black Panther is a comic that folks should have been expecting; after Predator VS Wolverine turned out to be fairly popular – and a pretty damn good read to boot – it was only a matter of time until the Yajuta returned to Earth-616. This time, their target is the Black Panther; one of the Predators seeks T’Challa’s Vibranium armor as both trophy and advantage over his older brother.
Benjamin Percy, who wrote Predator VS Black Panther, returns for the Black Panther showdown and switches up his writing process. The bulk of the issue is dedicated to the Predator the Black Panther’s fighting, and why he seeks the Vibranium. His father holds a spear of pure Vibranium, and his brother was granted said spear – not to mention that he’s lost a leg in a hunt, making him far weaker than his family.
Percy draws some strong parallels between T’Challa’s rule as King of Wakanda and the Predator, even introducing the Black Panther doing a mock hunt with the Dora Milaje. It’s good enough to make me forget that the issue brings up the old “Should Wakanda bring its wealth to the world?” debate, since I felt it was handled better in the Black Panther movie.
Credit: MarvelPREDBLAP2024001_Preview
One element that carries over from Predator VS Wolverine to Predator VS Black Panther is a collection of talented artists. Chris Allen does the bulk of the work, crafting a truly frightening version of the Predator; in lieu of the usual face mask, this Yajuta possesses a mask that looks like a twisted version of a medieval knight’s armor, with tusks jutting out from other parts of its armor. The Panther himself gets a hell of a splash page, as he’s shown leaping from a tree – giving Allen enough time to illustrate the details in his armor, and show his cape flowing in the wind.
Sean Damien Hill and Lee Ferguson take the remainder of the issue, and even if they have a small part to play they sell the horrors of the Yajuta pretty well. Hill illustrates the Yajuta stalking T’Challa, and Erick Arciniega washes the page in the Predator’s signature thermal vision, making an ocean of greens, reds and orange. Ferguson closes out the issue with an extremely haunting page that’ll make readers want to pick up the next issue.
Predator VS Black Panther #1 has set the stage for a showdown between its titular combatants, and if one thing’s for sure it’s going to be bloody, brutal and worth the cover price.
Predator VS Black Panther #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login