While Predator vs. Spider-Man #3 might seem like it’s continuing a single story, it’s really three separate threads at once. Peter Parker has to battle a trio of Predators that have invaded the Daily Bugle and protect J. Jonah Jameson, who’s less than happy about it (then again, it’s J. Jonah Jameson – would you expect anything less?). Kraven the Hunter goes on the trail of the Skinner, unaware that he and the Yautja who invaded the Bugle share the same goal. Mary Jane Watson works to stay one step ahead of the Skinner, which is better said than done, especially when she’s smack dab in the middle of its lair. It works…for the most part.
The Skinner is the figure that’s driving all of the events, and yet it’s only on a single page of Predator vs. Spider-Man #3. What’s worse, it’s the penultimate issue and yet it feels like there’s so much more story Benjamin Percy is holding back on. What led to the Skinner being exiled from Yautja society? How will MJ escape its clutches? How is everything going to come together, especially since we have one more issue left? It’s stuff like this that makes me wish that Percy was working with five issues, rather than four. He’s been weaving an intriguing story so far, but he just needs more space to tell it.
That being said, I won’t deny that Predator vs. Spider-Man #3 is a gorgeous looking book. Marcelo Ferreria delivers a hell of an opening sequence, as panels featuring the Yautja invading the Daily Bugle intersect with panels of Peter getting Jameson to safety, then changing into his Spider-Man togs. Jay Leisten adds plenty of texture to Ferreria’s work via his inks, making characters and environments stand out. You can see the curves in the Predators’ armor, the wear and tear of New York’s concrete jungle, and the thickness of the blood that’s being shed. Topping it all off is Frank D’Armata’s color art, brinigng in some vibrant hues to the super-heated night, and Clayton Cowles delivering some unsettling sound effects like the screeching of a multitude of rats, which leads to one of the more disturbing images.
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The real standout of Predator vs. Spider-Man #3 is the match between Spidey and the trio of Yautja, which means that this comic is finally living up to its name. Ferreria draws a high-pitched, bloody battle, making great use of Spidey’s agility and the Yautja’s various weapons. Spidey leaps over razor blades, plasma casters and spears, all the while using his webbing to trip up his opponents. But what I really love is that the Yautja stay mostly silent, which provides a great contrast to Spidey’s constant wisecracking. It’s the exact kind of fight you’d expect if someone said “what if Spider-Man fought the Predator?”
Predator vs. Spider-Man #3 mostly depends on its action sequences, which are as intense as you’d expect them to be, to cover the fact that its plot is a little thin. Hopefully, all the pieces come together in the final issue, especially since Benjamin Percy plans to amp things up with Predator Kills the Marvel Universe later this year.
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