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Aliens Vs. Predator: Fire And Stone #2
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Published on: November 5th, 2014.
Written by: Christopher Sebela
Art by: Ariel Olivetti
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Picking up where the first issue left off (and once again wrapped up in a gorgeous and macabre cover by E. M. Gist), Aliens Vs. Predator: Fire And Stone #2 continues the story of the crew of the Geryon as they're set upon by an alien horde unleashed by Elden, a synthetic mutated by contact with a mysterious accelerant. Galgo Helder has split his ship off from the fleet in hopes of escaping the newly arrived Predators without realizing that he had a stowaway lurking onboard. The only survivor is Francis Lane, a terminally ill scientist that Eldon holds responsible for his own current condition.
When the issue begins, Elden is shot by the Predator but despite the massive hole in his chest, seems to be unharmed. Elden and the aliens battle the Predator while Francis tries to escape but Elden warns him not to, mutating even while in the midst of combat. Francis flees anyway as Elden kills his opponent. Francis explores the ship and realizes that it is the accelerant that has turned Elden into 'a walking Genesis' while a second Predator shows up to honor Elden with the trophies their customs dictate his victory entitles him to. What neither of them considers is what would happen if some of the accelerant came into contact with that second Predator…
The presence of the Predator in the first issue almost seemed like an afterthought but now, with this second issue in hand, it's obvious that Sebela is ensuring that the intergalactic hunters will indeed be playing a very important role in how this four part series plays out. We don't get a whole lot of character development on Francis' part here, he spends most of the issue running and hiding (who can blame him!) but Elden gets the opportunity to deliver some interesting soliloquy style speeches, well aware that Francis can hear him even if he can't see him. How this ties into the Predator's mutation/evolution still at least partially remains to be seen but it does set up some interesting ideas that will no doubt be expanded upon in the second half of the story.
Ariel Olivetti's artwork is just as beautiful as it was in the first issue. Elden becomes an even creepier figure here than in the first issue and the art drives that point home, while the aliens still look menacing and beautifully disgusting as they should. The Predators are also well rendered and it's interesting to see how he will continue the mutation of the one 'contaminated' with the accelerant. Things come together really nicely in this issue, and with this one ending on a pretty serious cliffhanger, anticipation for the next two installments should definitely be riding high.
