Team DBAH: The Pull List #45 for March 2 2016

A weekly column in which Jake gives short blurbs about the comics he’s picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such tremendous undertakings, so…yeh, there’s that.

Predator: Life and Death #1

Script: Dan Abnett

Art: Brian Albert Thies

Colors: Rain Beredo

Lettering: Michael Heisler

When I was young, we found a week. It looked like - like, empty. The old women in the village crossed themselves... and whispered crazy things, strange things. “La Semana con pocos libros de historietas." Only in the lightest weeks this happens. And this week, it grows light. …Man that was a lot of work for a pretty shit Predator reference. Anyway, Predator: Life and Death is the next sci-fi cycle from Dark Horse comics, similar to Fire and Stone: a long, event-esque storyline featuring Aliens, Predators, and the things from Prometheus. This one’s written entirely by Dan Abnett, who does an excellent job of setting up the story in this first issue while also giving the audience enough of what’s to be expected from such a tale. The classic hallmarks of the franchises are present with enough charm to avoid feeling derivative. The dialogue is genuinely funny in moments and the action is excellently executed, thanks in large part to Thies’s linework and framing. Thies's art is on the more gritty, scratchy end of the spectrum, which is a perfect fit for the title. Similarly, Beredo’s colors expertly convey the heat of the jungle planet the marines are dropped on. Heisler’s lettering design choices for certain characters are pitch perfect and the flow of balloons heighten the drama of the scene in question. With a classic set-up and welcoming attitude for any audience, Predator: Life and Death looks to be a promising start.

Survivors’ Club #6 BOOK OF THE WEEK

Writers: Dale Halvorsen & Lauren Beukes

Artist: Ryan Kelly

Colorist: Eva De La Cruz

Letterer: Clem Robins

More backstories are revealed as old fears and foes come back to the surface with a vengeance. While half the cast deals with the fallout from Mr. Empty’s actions in the House from Hell, the other finally locates Ahkeron and attempts to destroy it. It’s a frantic issue and one that is likely the best of the run thus far, thanks to a fairly tight script from Halvorsen and Beukes and stunning visuals from Kelly and De La Cruz. The former pair seemingly outdo each previous issue, ramping up the body horror, chaotic panelling, and alarming colors. With what appears to be a final showdown on the way, Survivors’ Club is currently thriving thanks to smart storytelling and incredible artwork.