Predator #5 Review

Written by: Ed Brisson
Art by: Kev Walker
Colors by: Frank D’Armata
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Leinil Francis Yu, Sunny Gho
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: December 7, 2022

Predator #5 sets Theta on a collision course with the Astar corporation when her ship is finally confiscated, and she’s held for questioning in the theft of the Sandpiper. Can she convince the Astor officials to let her go before more Predators arrive?

Is It Good?

How do you review a comic that’s only half a comic? Very carefully.

Up to now, I’ve been enjoying this series for its unique take on the Predator franchise with its focus on a victim who becomes a Predator in her own right. Theta is a compelling main character with a well-constructed, believable backstory and gobs of motivation.

However, this issue takes a step back in the series because there’s a lot of fluff, filler, and wasted time in this issue to get across a simple idea – Theta is caught unprepared while vindictive Predators are on their way to kill her. What do I mean by filler? Multiple panels of the Astar science officer picking out food in the cafeteria. Multiple panels of Theta eating said food. Multiple panels of the Science Officer figuring out how to crack into the Sandpiper’s logs.

If this were a film, those moments may only last 10-15 seconds each, but here they take up a page or two and cut material page space by a third or more. You get the impression Brisson needed to tread water in a few spots to pad the issue out, and while that padding gets the job done, it makes for a mildly boring issue.

Still, the tense moments are well done. Theta’s violent escape is well-executed. Her emotional angst over the prospect of being shipped back to Earth before her revenge quest is finished feels palpable. And the cliffhanger is packed with dramatic anticipation.

Regarding the art, Kev Walker and Frank D’Armata turn in an outstanding set of visuals. The line work is clean, and D’Armata’s shading is phenomenal, especially on the plethora of close-ups of faces.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts:

Predator #5 is an uneven mix of high-drama moments, and long scenes that pad out the story with filler. The art is excellent, and the cliffhanger is high with anticipation, but you get the feeling Brisson misjudged the story time and filled the issue with fluff to get the page count to work out.