Predator, Vol. 2: The Preserve

Predator: The Theta Saga

by Ed Brisson

Collects Predator (2023) #1-5.

Fear is reborn! On a planet far from Earth, eight strangers find themselves in a deadly game. But this time, the Predators aren't the only ones on the hunt. Someone has the Yautja in their sights - and they've been searching for the Predators' game preserve for a long time. Theta Berwick is back, still hell-bent on revenge - and her kill count is climbing! But when she's ambushed by a Predator, is it the same enemy she's been tracking all these years? Without her weaponry, is she prepared to take it on one-on-one? And just what - and who - will Theta be willing to sacrifice to quench her thirst for vengeance? Prepare for the ultimate hunt - it's going to be a bloodbath!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Marvel, Comic Book, Fiction, Horror

121 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2023

About the author

Comic book writer.

Credits include: COMEBACK, SHELTERED, THE FIELD (Image Comics), SECRET AVENGERS (Marvel), ROBOCOP, SONS OF ANARCHY, HELLRAISER (BOOM!) and X-FILES/TMNT: CONSPIRACY (IDW). Plus, you know, a bunch of stuff I can’t talk about yet.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable return to the concept of Predators with Adrien Brody as a rag-tag group of combat-ready humans plucked from different points in the Predator timeline since 1987 have to fend for themselves on a hunting preserve world before encountering the characters from the preceding, superior story arc. Much predictable bloodshed and backstabbing ensues.


Tell me if you've seen this one before...

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

PT Gostei muito do primeiro volume, mas acho que gostei ainda mais deste.

A atmosfera aqui faz lembrar bastante o filme Predators: um grupo de pessoas é largado num planeta desconhecido para servir de presa aos Predadores.

Este volume também desenvolve a história da Theta, a personagem apresentada no livro anterior. Embora não seja obrigatório ter lido o volume passado para acompanhar a leitura, é sem dúvida mais recompensador se já conhecerem a personagem.

No geral, este volume tem tudo o que um fã da franquia pode esperar. Diverti-me imenso a lê-lo.

--

EN I really enjoyed the first volume, but I think I liked this one even more.

The atmosphere here is very reminiscent of the movie Predators: a group of people are dropped onto an unknown planet, only to become prey for the Predators.

This volume also expands on Theta’s storyline, the character introduced in the previous book. While you don’t necessarily need to have read the last volume to follow along, it’s definitely more rewarding if you’re already familiar with her.

Overall, this has everything fans of the franchise could hope for. I had a great time reading it.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ed Brisson's Predator series. I love the fact that the fight is being taken to the Predators. Great story, artwork, and brutal fights.

Imagine seeing a bright light then, waking up being parachuted on to an alien world. Then, being hunted in groups with people from all over the world and apparently different time periods. Welcome to the Pedator Preserve. Theta Berwick has found one such Preserve, and she will take the fight to the Predators and possibly save some people, too?

I especially like the fact in this book that even though the Predators call themselves the hunters, they give themselves every advantage in technology, tactics, and weaponry, and they are called out on this. I really can't wait to see where this series goes from here. I would love for this to be an ongoing series. The book finishes with a thumbnail variant cover gallery.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

My man Ed Brisson is back at it. I seem to always like his stuff. So we have a bunch of soldiers from different cities/countries on earth all get dropped onto this planet where predators are hunting them. We find out they are all from different years also. Huh? Time travel? Nah, seems like they were all kept in stasis or some kind of cryosleep. As they are trying to figure out what’s going on, predators show up and start hacking through them. Then our girl Theta from the first volume shows up to bail them out. From here we get some mutiny, predators tracking them and some bad ass action with pretty dope artwork. Man, I hope Brisson isn’t done with this and gives us some more.

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sort of sequel to 'Predators', Volume 2 of Ed Brisson's Predator drops artist Kev Walker in favour of Netho Diaz and the downground is felt instantly. It's not that Diaz's artwork is bad - it's actually pretty good - but Kev Walker did such an outstanding job on the first volume that his absence is instantly noticeable.

Luckily, the story here is much better than the first one. Theta returns but we've got a whole new cast of characters all trying to survive on the Predators hunting planet, dubbed 'the preserve'. Brisson keeps the action moving and continues adding to the Predator mythos is cool and interesting ways. I really enjoyed this volume and I'm hoping that they continue with a third.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entre as novas revistas da Marvel com as propriedades da 20th Century Fox, Aliens, Predador e Planeta dos Macacos, aquela que se saiu melhor, na minha humilde opinião, foi a do Predador. E isso que, das três, é a franquia que eu menos gosto. Mas a forma como Ed Brisson nos faz nos importar com os personagens que ele mesmo inseriu é feita de uma forma consistente. Neste volume, não temos a arte impactante de Kev Walker, mas a do brasileiro Netho Diaz. No começo da história temos um dispositivo de enredo interessante, que traz pessoas para uma reserva de caça dos Predadores que vêm não somente de lugares diferentes, mas de contextos temporais diversos também. Uma pena que isso não seja explorado melhor depois na história. Ela continua algumas ideias trazidas no primeiro volume, e amplia esse universo, trazendo novos elementos para a continuidade. Um quadrinho divertido que devo pegar o próximo volume.

[Nick Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great book by Ed Brisson, not as good as the first in the series but still a lot of fun

[Maciej · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drugi tom serii Brissona to wyraźny ukłon w stronę filmu Predators z 2010 roku — i nie jest to ukłon subtelny. „The Preserve” przenosi akcję na planetę-łowisko, gdzie grupa ludzi z różnych krajów i epok zostaje zrzucona jako żywa zwierzyna. Motyw znany, wręcz archetypiczny dla franczyzy, ale sprawnie wykorzystany jako tło dla dalszej historii Thety Berwick.

Brisson wyraźnie czuje się pewniej niż w pierwszym tomie. Akcja jest bardziej zwarta, tempo równe, a mitologia Yautja zostaje ciekawie poszerzona o koncept rezerwatów łowieckich. Najlepiej wypada jednak odwrócenie perspektywy: Predatory, które od zawsze polują z technologiczną i taktyczną przewagą, zostają tu wprost nazwane tym, czym są — uprzywilejowanymi myśliwymi bojącymi się równej walki.

Jednocześnie „The Preserve” nie jest wolne od problemów. Nowa galeria bohaterów drugoplanowych, choć funkcjonalna, pozostaje szkicowa, a intrygujący wątek ludzi pochodzących z różnych okresów czasowych nie zostaje w pełni wykorzystany. Theta, mimo że nadal charyzmatyczna i skuteczna, zaczyna niebezpiecznie zbliżać się do roli schematycznej ikony zemsty — jej rozwój emocjonalny ustępuje miejsca kolejnym brutalnym starciom.

Zmiana rysownika z Kevina Walkera na Netho Diaza jest zauważalna. Diaz wykonuje solidną, czytelną robotę, ale brakuje tu ciężaru i agresji wizualnej, które tak mocno definiowały pierwszy tom. Na szczęście narracja nadrabia te braki: jest krwawo, szybko i bezpiecznie „na dorosło”, co w marvelowskim katalogu wciąż pozostaje wartością.

„The Preserve” to kontynuacja poprawna, momentami bardzo satysfakcjonująca, choć mniej świeża niż „Day of the Hunter”. Jeśli to środkowy akt większej historii — spełnia swoją rolę. Teraz seria potrzebuje finału, który udowodni, że nie była tylko sprawnym powrotem do znanych schematów.

Ocena: 4,1/5
(goodreads 4/5 | lubimyczytać 8/10 | nakanapie 8/10 | thestorygraph 4/5)

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im zweiten Teil der neuen Predator-Reihe haben wir also einen Haufen Soldaten aus verschiedenen Städten/Ländern der Erde, die alle auf einem ihnen unbekannten Planeten abgesetzt werden, zudem sind sie alle aus verschiedenen Jahrgängen. Zeitreise? Nein, sie waren alle in Stasis oder einer Art Kryoschlaf gehalten worden. Jedenfalls müssen sie sich unmittelbar mit den Yautjas und anderen Raubtieren auseinandersetzen, zum Glück taucht Theta Berwick aus dem ersten Band auf, um ihnen aus der Patsche zu helfen.

Ed Brisson liefert eine starke Fortsetzung des ersten Bandes und des Predator-Universums im allgemeinen. Wieder folgen wir Theta, diesmal als erwachsene Frau, auf der Jagd nach den Prädatoren. Die Yautja unterhalten auf vielen Planeten sogenannte Reservate, um Opfer zu jagen und sich zu beweisen. Theta hat nun eins dieser Reservate gefunden und verspricht den gestrandeten Jagdopfern Hilfe, um lebend diesen Planeten wieder verlassen zu können.

Die Geschichte lehnt sich an die Geschehnisse des dritten Predator-Films aus dem Jahr 2010 an, von daher ist der vorliegende Band direkter mit dem Film-Franchise verknüpft und die blutige Action macht einen großen Teil des Bandes aus, was nicht unbedingt eine schlechte Sache ist, auch das hohe Erzähltempo aus dem ersten Band findet sich hier wieder. Theta aus dem vorherigen Band glänzt weiterhin als Brissons persönliches Ripley-Abbild.
Das Ende ist insoweit offen, so dass locker noch eine weitere Fortsetzung möglich ist. Bis jetzt eindeutig die bessere Serie aus dem Alien-Universum bei Marvel. Aliens, zieht euch warm an!

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brisson’s first attempt with the titular baddie from outer space, “Day of the Hunter”, ended up being a surprise hit with me. It was well-told, well illustrated, and was true to the Predator canon, while, at the same time, making the whole idea of the creatures new and exciting and I had hoped that the second volume of continuing stories would be much the same. Sadly that’s not really the case with “The Preserve”.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a serviceable sequel to the first one, as well as the “Predators” film staring Adrian Brody, and it does have some decent moments, but it never feels as grand in scale. The characters never feel that deep, and even though Theta returns to kick some predator ass, her arc feels rather weak. The whole situation also feels unoriginal, though I suppose maybe it all gets fleshed out in the third and final volume? Regardless, the excitement and novelty has worn a bit thin, even with the gore and language that pushes the envelope for basic Marvel entries.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong continuation of the previous trade. Ed Brisson and a new artist continues the story started in Volume 1. This one is tied more directly to the film franchise, but still serves well without that added context. More action packed and more grisly deaths to boot. This book is Rated Mature, and the gore does a good amount of heavy lifting, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Theta from the previous book continues to shine as Brisson's personal Ripley insert. I did knock this down a notch due to not doing too much different other than some more human characters to screw things up like other survival horror/action offerings. Curious to see how the next trade goes.

Read via Marvel Unlimited.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not up to the level of Brisson's first volume. This time, a bunch of people from different time periods all find themselves on a hunting preserve where the Predators train for their hunting expeditions. Theta, from the first volume, shows up and rescues some of them and a Predator manages to hide away on the ship that rescues everyone. A couple of the evacuees take it upon themselves to mutiny and take control, wanting to bring back Theta's Predator intel to the larger populace back home. And then things go to hell. The art is all right, but not nearly up to the level of Kev Walker's work last time out. I would be interested in reading more of Theta's fight against the Predators, if more was on offer.

[Dominic Sedillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume loads more than the first volume. The illustrations are really fantastic. The story borrows from the premise of the film “Predators” (the third film). There is a fun twist with the people being hunted.

I really liked the Allen character and it’s a shame we didn’t really get to see him have a big moment and even more shameful that they dispatched him ultimately.

Theta, the main protagonist, is more tolerable in this arc, but I wonder if it’s because she has an actual supporting cast and we don’t have to focus on her so much and her emo motivations.

I recommend! I hope the next arc continues in this vein.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This uses a lot of the elements from Predators where a bunch of killers wake up on a foreign planet hunted by Predators. It takes off from there, with the people all from various times on Earth. Although it's been many years, Theta from the first series returns as well. There's setup for the next series as well. So far, this has been better than Alien's time at Marvel. I do like that it references the movies as well. This is pretty graphic for a Marvel comic. There's beheadings and lots of bloody murders.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo I don’t know, these are really working for me. A mashup up Predators and Theta going up against Predators in a preserve and in the confines of a space vessel. I was actually hoping this was going to be a moment for her to build out her crew beyond Paolo and I thought they did a bit dirty by Allen as well as Sandy (she’s maybe effectively dead? Maybe just powered down?). I earnestly feel like this is doing a good job of playing in the same space as one of the films now without going full tilt into simply ripping off one of those narrative arcs.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like the movie, where there's a training planet for the Predators, but I ended up liking the characters trapped there. Theda finally makes sense. Don't know why they started her as a child in past stories, but if you're on a revenge trip it's better to be older. Art is serviceable and I won't ruin a new wrinkle they put in the predator universe that could be very interesting. Predator vs. Napoleon? Could happen.

[Michael Reddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a pretty good follow up to the first volume and a nice continuation of the Predator universe. Again we follow Theta as she hunts Predators. This time to she stumbles on a game preserve set up by the Predators to hunt in. The action is fast and furious throughout with art by Netho Diaz that does great job of conveying the brutality of it. The colors by Erik Arciniega are not what I expected in a Predator comic. I expected a dark and gritty color pallete and what we get is a somewhat colorful and vibrant one. This works surprisingly well, especially with how the blood of the various life forms all have different colors. The lettering by Clayton Cowells gives this a very 80' comic book vibe with how he used various fonts to convey the sounds of the action. I loved this.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really happy with this. This didn't change the formula, but it tied in a lot of older information. It used the idea of the predators capturing prey, putting them in stasis to hunt later in this. That was an idea that was from the 2010 Predator movie that kind of got glossed over and never seen again. This is reestablishes while continuing Theta's story, making it more concrete. Also I like that Theta seems to have grown more and is more...stable in this.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 2 out of 5]

By no means is this a great book, but it plays its role well and it's fun. We’ve seen Theta for eleven issues now, she still has no personality, there is still no reason to care about her as a character, and the story is taking a long time to get where it’s going, if it’s going anywhere at all. I probably should have known it would end very uninspired, but I made it to the end and this is what we got. There's not much that makes it stand out.

[The Smoog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half is just a retelling of the 2010 film Predators, so if you’ve seen that, you can skip those two comics. The second half is much better, a lot of backstabbing and internal conflict in space, all under the ever-present threat of the Yautja.

While the artwork was for the most part pretty decent, I have to say that I wasn’t enamoured by the way that the main character was drawn in the earlier issues, she bore zero resemblance to the character from the first volume.

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another action packed vol of the new Predator. Theta and Pallo are continuing there travels to locate the predators home world, but get sidetracked rescuing people. The rescue goes haywire and we see lots of action. Lots of Predators, lots of brutal action, good sci-fi story. I am digging this series. Art is fine, lots of bloody panels of the Predators tearing shit up, just what you want right?

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a tight action comic. Fans of the franchise have nothing to worry about here. Take some militant humans and sprinkle in some O.P Predators on a battle grounds and let the games begin. But, things get more interesting as in-fighting and escape plans are hashed. Excellent visuals throughout. I'd definitely pick up another Volume + there is Wolverine Vs. Predator to look forward to.

[Brandon Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good starting entry to a new series. I like the setup mirroring Predators (honestly, my favorite of the films) and how it progressed. The infighting amongst the mercenaries seemed a bit strained. It was reasonable, but just... bigger problems, you know?

At any rate, I enjoyed this and would read more from this series.

[Brian Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome sequel to Day of the Hunter

I thouroghly enjoyed this collection of issues following the !ain character of Day of the Hunter. The Preserve showcases some very eye catching artwork, while delivering in the twist and turns department. I will keep buying them if Marvel keeps putting them out there(after the price goes down after some time that is).

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic read

A human hunter of the predators is something that I wasn't expecting. A sheer beast of a protagonist seeking vengeance from foolish probably unblooded yautja who ruined a young girl's life.

[alejandro galvez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good addition to Predator.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The Predator concept is so fun to play with. You can plug and play him with essentially any franchise. Long live the Predator!

[Chalupa Batman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really am enjoying this series!

[Erik]

Big step down from the enjoyable first volume as this is just an even worse version of the Predators movie.

[Hiro Watanabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good artwork. Bad story.

[poier · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘S fine. Nothing groundbreaking or unusual. Violent, though. That’s good stuff.