The final part of the first Marvel Predator cross-over comes to a close as Benjamin Percy manages to not just squeeze two clashes with between the titular characters into the issue, but gives us three separate fights across three different time periods.
The first of these we saw at the end of the third issue, where Logan is training in Japan with the swordsman Muramasa. Having been taught to not just rely upon his claws, Wolverine has been training with the sword, learning to become more focused in battle. Interestingly, this change in the way that he fights seems to not do much for Logan here in regards to giving him an edge against the Yautja, and if anything it makes this one of the tougher fights that the two of them have had. The fight is drawn to a close early as the Predator flees, not wanting to fight through a cadre of Hand ninja's in order to go after Logan.
It's something of an anti-climactic ending to this segment, one that seems over before it's really had a chance to do much, and one that kind of makes the Predator seem a bit soft. Rather than waiting to see what happens with the Hand, or even picking them off himself, he just leaves ending the hunt early. Whilst the hunt ends early, the flashbacks don't, as we catch up with Logan further along his timeline, during the Claremont era of Uncanny X-Men.
Logan returns to the mansion when it comes under attack from the Predator, who seems to have gotten over his issues about going after Wolverine when other people are around. He invades the school, ready to hurt anyone who gets between him and his prize. This, along with the fellow X-Men's nature to get involved and help their ally, means that we actually get some other characters interacting with the Predator, including Colossus, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, Dani Moonstar, and Rogue. It's really cool to see the team all getting involved in the fight, and I really want a full issue or more of a Predator going after Nightcrawler now.
The two flashback segments have their own artists, with Kei Zama on art and Alex Guimaráes providing colours for the Murumasa segment, whilst Gavin Guidry does art for the Westchester flashback, with Matthew Wilson on colours. The Muramasa segments looks really good, and I love the way that Zama depicts the Predator with his skull mask (which we learn is made from the bear from the first issue). The combat between the two fighters looks really dynamic here, and the colours really help to add a lot of vibrancy and energy to the scene. The Westchester part looks very different in comparison, and Guidry and Wilson keep things very simple and clean. The art style here is evocative of older comics, whilst not simply being a reproduction of the style from the time. The flashback looks like it could slot into the comics from that era, yet still manages to look new in a way that's wonderful to see.
The rest of the issue has to deal with the conclusion of the fight between Logan and his Predator, a fight that comes with a wonderfully grim fake-out for both the Predator and the reader as we're led to believe that Logan is pulling an Arnie in order to get the upper hand. The fight is brutal and bloody, and ends in a way that most of confrontations with the Predator does; though it's a way in which Logan might be the best equipped to survive. As with previous issues, the modern parts of the book are drawn by Ken Lashley, with colours by Juan Fernandez, and look really good. The two of them do a wonderful job at making the fight look brutal and bloody, and some of the wounds that Logan receives are gory enough to make you pause and wonder if even he can survive them.
This might not be the best issue of the series, and it does feel like the book may have ended on its weakest chapter, but the quality that has been there across the series as a whole is still here, and the book remains hugely entertaining. As the series comes to a close the question of whether or not the Predator works within this universe has well and truly been answered. Hopefully we'll see more cross-overs again in the future, with even more characters; and hopefully they won't feel like they ended so quickly the next time too, as this series feels like it could have been twice as long and not lost quality.
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