REVIEW: ‘Predator vs Wolverine,’ Issue #2

Predator vs Wolverine #2 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Ken Lashley, Andrea Di Vito, and Hayden Sherman, colors by Juan Fernandez and Alex Guimarães, and letters by Cory Petit. In this latest issue, the Predator continues to hunt Wolverine through multiple periods in time. 

The bloodthirsty battle across the ages returns, with a similar structure to the first issue just further in the timeline. It opens in the present day with Wolverine trying to get away from the creature hunting him down, but it is merely a brief showcase of what is to come because the battle in the past escalates from a one-on-one between Logan and the Predator to a much bigger war.

As part of Team X, Wolverine and the rest of the group are hunted by a pack of predators. The pacing is perhaps even faster than the previous chapter, with much less exposition needed. It is gory and gruesome from the start and never wants to stop. There are established characters included in the book, with fates that are shocking. The variety in death sequences is extraordinary but not surprising considering the killers. 

Percy always keeps the living characters moving, changing the location and the circumstances, but they are never going to a place of safety. Like with issue #1, there is an undercurrent of other plots running underneath the violence, but it is skin deep, purely to provide the hunters with prey. It is extremely impressive to keep that exhilaration and energy running from start to finish. 

The characters are interesting in this book as many of them revert to base urges and personalities, and yet that adds to the untold amounts of fun within Predator vs Wolverine #2. The change in Wolverine is the most prominent evolution within the book, as one of the most storied character histories leads to an entirely separate set of circumstances in each issue.

The Predator and its comrades come up against a Logan who is experienced but tormented from years of memory wiping and forced servitude. He is also accompanied by Sabretooth, Maverick, and many other members of the program. All of them aside from Wolverine have an attitude of wanting to fight and kill, which only leads to further carnage.

The dialogue captures the chaos and the fear that the characters have for the unknown and often unseen enemies, whilst the narration is much more descriptive. It details injuries and provides context to the difficulty Wolverine finds himself in, in better and more fluid detail than the art can sometimes allow.

The art is gloriously horrific. All three artists delight in dealing with death and illustrating injuries. The bulk of the issue takes place in a Mexican jungle, with the whole sequence drawn by Di Vito. This is where the near-constant action happens, in a surprisingly gorgeous location. The outfits the Team X members wear are fantastically corny, matching what was being created in that era. The extensive powers and weapons on display create a sensational buffet of brutality, on both sides of the battle.

Multiple mutants fight multiple Predators. The use of the Yautja weapons and how they can also be utilised by their foes is creative. Every page is a new and awesome display of how to inflict hideous injury. The speed and ruthlessness of the murders are presented well, with many of the finishing moves happening in a single panel.

But the jungle is not the only place where the violence and madness can be found. In the opening, Lashley again shows the older, present-day Wolverine, although the man has healed much from his more gruesome appearance in the first chapter. The last part hints at the next point in time, with a fantastic glimpse at how Sherman’s style will present some of the most heinous horrors so far.

The colors are fantastic, providing much of the effects of the violence and the technology of the characters. When the Predators turn invisible, they are then outlined with a bright blue and white light, including the shine of their eyes. The shade of the panels alternates frequently to diversify and keep it visually interesting. The jungle itself is a mixture of greens and browns, but a purple sky can sometimes be seen to add freshness to the comic. Then there is the prominent red, either used for background color or to boldly display flayed corpses. The lettering has clarity and consistency, with some magnificent uses of SFX.

Predator vs Wolverine #2 is another art gallery of slaughter. Unflinching and unrelenting, the comic is throwing the most hardcore figure on Marvel’s roster through the ringer with a new contender to the throne, never once letting up. No comic can be truly defined as mindless, but a book that is 100% action such as this is as close to that definition. It’s rather funny that Percy still resorted to the jungle like the original Predator movie, replacing one set of soldiers with another, but with much more power and personality. The violence could be repetitive, but the revolving door of artists and the passage of time is keeping the series fresh and fun.

Predator vs Wolverine #2 is available where comics are sold.