Predator vs. Spider-Man #4 sees all of its major players coming together. Mary Jane Watson has escaped the Skinner’s wrath, which brings the rogue Yautja into the range of Kraven the Hunter. At the same time, Skinner attempts to fight the trio of Predators who came to Earth to kill him, and caught in the middle of it is Spider-Man! It’s a lot to take in, especially for the ending of a series, but Predator vs. Spider-Man #4 does deliver a great conclusion.
A large part of this is due to Benjamin Percy juggling all of the different plots with ease. From MJ’s escape to Kraven’s long-awaited fight with Skinner, and Spidey dueling with Predators, there’s never a dull moment in this comic. In true Peter Parker fashion, Percy has Spidey risking his life to save New York City while only thinking of MJ. It makes the final moments when Spidey and MJ reunite hit that much harder and feel that much sweeter.
Lest you think Percy and Marcelo Ferreria have gone totally sappy, there’s still plenty of gory moments, including Kraven and Skinner’s final showdown. The two hunters go all out, stabbing each other with blades, delivering ferocious punches, and giving no quarter until one of them falls. The inks by Jay Lestien add texture to this fight, while Frank D’Armata slathers the page in blood of the crimson and neon green variety.
This fight scene is only eclipsed by Spidey’s scenes. Very few artists have drawn the web-slinger moving like Ferreria does; the way that he draws a collection of Spidey images really leans into the idea of having “the proportionate strength and speed of a spider.” Combined with his rapid-fire dialogue and the fact that he can hold his own against three Predators, Spider-Man fans should be more than satisfied with the way he’s depicted in this comic.
Marvel
Though Predator vs. Spider-Man #4 closes out the web-head’s battle against the Yautja, it does leave some major threads dangling. Chief among them is the fact that one of the Yautja who came to hunt Skinner is scooped up by shadowy forces led by a character who some fans will instantly recognize (and who ties back to another Predator VS miniseries that Percy penned.) The stage is also being set for the upcoming Predator Kills the Marvel Universe miniseries by Percy and Ferreria; it even ends with Spidey saying that he doesn’t feel like this is over. While I appreciate the groundwork Percy is setting up for what’s sure to be a blowout event, I can’t help but feel like there could have been one more issue or at least a few more pages dedicated to some of the other subplots. The dynamic between loudmouthed J. Jonah Jameson and no-nonsense Detective LaPearl was screaming to be explored more than it is in this issue.
Predator vs. Spider-Man #4 wraps up on a solid, if slightly rushed note, setting up the events of Predator Kills the Marvel Universe. It also closes the book on a crossover I’d long dreamed about, and while the end results weren’t what I expected, I’m still walking away a happy fan.
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