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Predator Shaefer Trilogy #1
Predator
The world's attention is focused painfully on a brutal third-world civil war, a merciless sectarian conflict sparing neither soldier nor civilian, grandmother nor child. But amidst the terror and carnage, where great nations and powerful interests jockey for position and advantage, another blood feud rages in the shadows, one no more humane but decidedly less human. Two warring tribes from the stars have chosen Earth's killing fields as their arena, with each clan sworn to eradicate the other... and all who stand between them. Each is the other's prey, each the other's Predator.The hunt resumes as Dark Horse Books unleashes Predator once again into the graphic-fiction jungle. Features the creative team of writer John Arcudi ( Aliens , B.P.R.D., Doom Patrol ) and artist Javier Saltares ( Aliens vs. Predator, Ghost Rider).* Collects the hit 2009 Predator miniseries.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
4 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Mark Verheiden
272Ìýbooks34ÌýfollowersMark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 25, 2018
Absolutely as not good as Verheiden's awesome first and peerless run on Aliens comics by Dark Horse, but this first Predator comic book ever, who partly inspired the Predator 2 (1990) movie sequel, is still just how I remembered it: like an action packed cheesy bad 80s movie, so bad that it goes full circle becoming almost a masterpiece if you are into that genre of flicks.
And it is still far better than every Predator movie sequel released after John McTiernan's 1987 awesome original one.
Change my mind.
September 16, 2021
"Funny, those things are way past us technologically--their ships make the space shuttle look like a matchbox toy--
-- And yet they still get off on hunting and killing. I wonder why--?"
"Maybe they're just like us. Technology removes us from our true selves--takes us away from the beast inside. Maybe the hunt is their way of keeping the beast alive."
Predator: Concrete Jungle is a very cool book in that it's the first Predator comic ever. It's become quite rare, along with most Predator comics. From a combination of research and insight from my local comic book store, I've determined that this rarity is the result of three reasons:
1. The publisher, Dark Horse Comics, didn't print many of them in the first place; they were "limited runs"
2. The Predator franchise has a lot of "fan boys", who buy up all the copies quickly and hold onto them/don't re-sell them. Based on point 1, there were already not many copies out there, but combined with this point the number of used copies available is even lower.
3. Dark Horse Comics sold the rights to Predator to Marvel Comics in 2020. This caused several planned books involving this franchise, which would have collected some of these old comics in reprints, to be cancelled.
The result of this is that people ask crazy prices for individual comics, and for omnibus editions, in this series. It's hard to find one of the omnibuses for under $100 Canadian, which is crazy given they were something like $17.95 when they were initially released, and some of them were only released a few years ago.
The good thing about point 3 is, you will soon be able to read Predator: Concrete Jungle and other rare Predator comics, because Marvel is re-printing them in new large omnibus editions! The first one comes out in 2022, and you can find it on Amazon by searching for: Predator: The Original Years Omnibus Vol. 1
The cover shows a Predator holding up a skull and spine of a victim. Awesome! I might pick it up myself. But enough about that; let's talk about Predator: Concrete Jungle. I really enjoyed this series, which is a four-issue comic series released from June 1989 to March 1990. The series follows NYPD Detective John Schaefer, who is the brother of Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger's character from the 1987 film Predator), as he and his partner Detective Rasche deal with a Predator invasion in New York City.
The book also takes the reader to Central America, where Schaefer tries to learn what happened to his brother, who, if you're familiar with the 1987 film, was the only survivor from an elite special forces team that were systematically killed by a single Predator in the Central American jungle.
This series is action-packed, and I really liked Schaefer and Rasche as characters. The plot is admittedly a bit ridiculous, nonsensical, and scatterbrained at times, but I was always entertained and eager to read more. There's also some really cheesy dialogue, if you enjoy that (I do, in moderation). For example, there was one scene that unfolded in front of a store, whose windows had signs indicating they were having a sale, between two police officers. The scene went down like this:
"Hey Mack--what's going on?"
"We're being attacked by monsters from outer space."
"Oh, Jesus--not on a sale day!"
Incredible. Highly recommended!
-- And yet they still get off on hunting and killing. I wonder why--?"
"Maybe they're just like us. Technology removes us from our true selves--takes us away from the beast inside. Maybe the hunt is their way of keeping the beast alive."
Predator: Concrete Jungle is a very cool book in that it's the first Predator comic ever. It's become quite rare, along with most Predator comics. From a combination of research and insight from my local comic book store, I've determined that this rarity is the result of three reasons:
1. The publisher, Dark Horse Comics, didn't print many of them in the first place; they were "limited runs"
2. The Predator franchise has a lot of "fan boys", who buy up all the copies quickly and hold onto them/don't re-sell them. Based on point 1, there were already not many copies out there, but combined with this point the number of used copies available is even lower.
3. Dark Horse Comics sold the rights to Predator to Marvel Comics in 2020. This caused several planned books involving this franchise, which would have collected some of these old comics in reprints, to be cancelled.
The result of this is that people ask crazy prices for individual comics, and for omnibus editions, in this series. It's hard to find one of the omnibuses for under $100 Canadian, which is crazy given they were something like $17.95 when they were initially released, and some of them were only released a few years ago.
The good thing about point 3 is, you will soon be able to read Predator: Concrete Jungle and other rare Predator comics, because Marvel is re-printing them in new large omnibus editions! The first one comes out in 2022, and you can find it on Amazon by searching for: Predator: The Original Years Omnibus Vol. 1
The cover shows a Predator holding up a skull and spine of a victim. Awesome! I might pick it up myself. But enough about that; let's talk about Predator: Concrete Jungle. I really enjoyed this series, which is a four-issue comic series released from June 1989 to March 1990. The series follows NYPD Detective John Schaefer, who is the brother of Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger's character from the 1987 film Predator), as he and his partner Detective Rasche deal with a Predator invasion in New York City.
The book also takes the reader to Central America, where Schaefer tries to learn what happened to his brother, who, if you're familiar with the 1987 film, was the only survivor from an elite special forces team that were systematically killed by a single Predator in the Central American jungle.
This series is action-packed, and I really liked Schaefer and Rasche as characters. The plot is admittedly a bit ridiculous, nonsensical, and scatterbrained at times, but I was always entertained and eager to read more. There's also some really cheesy dialogue, if you enjoy that (I do, in moderation). For example, there was one scene that unfolded in front of a store, whose windows had signs indicating they were having a sale, between two police officers. The scene went down like this:
"Hey Mack--what's going on?"
"We're being attacked by monsters from outer space."
"Oh, Jesus--not on a sale day!"
Incredible. Highly recommended!
January 9, 2019
Predator comes to the city long before Predator 2. Dutch's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) brother gets involved with the Predators when he investigates the murders of a couple of gangs in NYC. Fun in a cheesy 80's action movie kind of way. Very over the top with lots of bad one-liners.
February 7, 2018
This story basically takes place between and in New York City. The main character is the brother of the Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the film ("Dutch"). He's an NYPD detective and almost looks just like Schwarzenegger and even comes with the same cheesy one-liners. LOL. This book is great, five stars!
January 24, 2024
Nice starting mini series to the Dark Horse Predator Universe. Nice art and a good read. Recommended
February 27, 2020
Predator: Concrete Jungle is an absolutely fun 90s action comic book. The book connects heavily with the original Predator movie and NYPD Detective Schaefer, brother of Dutch Schaefer, the protagonist of the original film, portrayed by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What makes this book fun is the gritty atmosphere, the action, the violence, the gore. The plot keeps the readers interested, but I'm not actually a fan of how everything went down in the end. The protagonist is a typical 90s action hero. A total badass that gets up to fight yet another battle, despite getting pushed down. However, the character is not properly fleshed down. His partner, Detective Rasche felt like a character that readers could more sympathize with and root for. The dialogues are mostly typical cheesy 90s one liners, which is both good and bad.
The art is done very well; very reminiscent of the 90s. I think the Predator has been drawn with beautiful detail.
What makes this book fun is the gritty atmosphere, the action, the violence, the gore. The plot keeps the readers interested, but I'm not actually a fan of how everything went down in the end. The protagonist is a typical 90s action hero. A total badass that gets up to fight yet another battle, despite getting pushed down. However, the character is not properly fleshed down. His partner, Detective Rasche felt like a character that readers could more sympathize with and root for. The dialogues are mostly typical cheesy 90s one liners, which is both good and bad.
The art is done very well; very reminiscent of the 90s. I think the Predator has been drawn with beautiful detail.
January 3, 2023
A fun throwback before Predator 2 made a splash on the big screen.
Funny enough alot of the start feels like Predator 2. Gang wars, fucked up city, cop storyline. All very familiar. I will say though by the half way mark this goes in a wildly different direction, a Alien invasion, and some brutal kills and fights. This is the story of Schaefer, who's the brother of Dutch from the first Predator movie. We follow him as he links everything together and learns about the Predators. It's a fun romp with a lot of 90's action with some cool kills from the Predators themselves.
I will say though the story feels disjointed, and jumping around to WAY too many areas at times. It starts simple but by the end, it goes in a insane direction, which is both good because entertaining, but a bit too wild that you question things.
Overall, if like a fun storyline with a cool 80's action star, and Predators murdering people, this is really solid. A 3.5 out of 5.
Funny enough alot of the start feels like Predator 2. Gang wars, fucked up city, cop storyline. All very familiar. I will say though by the half way mark this goes in a wildly different direction, a Alien invasion, and some brutal kills and fights. This is the story of Schaefer, who's the brother of Dutch from the first Predator movie. We follow him as he links everything together and learns about the Predators. It's a fun romp with a lot of 90's action with some cool kills from the Predators themselves.
I will say though the story feels disjointed, and jumping around to WAY too many areas at times. It starts simple but by the end, it goes in a insane direction, which is both good because entertaining, but a bit too wild that you question things.
Overall, if like a fun storyline with a cool 80's action star, and Predators murdering people, this is really solid. A 3.5 out of 5.
September 7, 2024
Haven’t read any comics in a long time but the new alien move had me wanting some of this stuff. This was a fun one, played out just like a cheesy 80s action movie. It clearly inspired predator 2 but instead of danny glover you get a side of beef who’s Dutch’s brother. I know predator 2 wasn’t widely considered great, but I liked it and it definitely holds up better than most of the other sequels.
August 2, 2020
This was a fun series to revisit. I remember reading it when it first came out and having mixed feelings at the time (mainly because I was annoyed it had Dutch's brother and not Dutch from the movie in it; plus, the artwork (mostly colors) were not my cup-of-tea). Now, though, having reread it for the Xth time, I enjoy it more and appreciate it more than when it was first published (it also helps to know that the author/writer was told he could not write about Dutch's character, so the author wrote about Dutch's "older, bigger brother" instead). Overall, the artwork is good; I would not say that it is "consistently good" as there were some parts I thought were rockier than others. I do like the story; I think it was well-written and a good, entertaining sequel to (extension of) the first movie. It expands a bit upon elements introduced in the first movie but also changes some things as well (in my opinion, but since "we are dealing with an alien species," it still works).
As I said earlier, the artwork was really hit-and-miss for me.
It was a fun series to revisit. Overall, I enjoyed it. I would probably have rated it 4 stars were it not for my issues with the coloring. Otherwise, I would probably rated it a strong 3.5 - 3.7 but rounded down to 3.0 stars because of the colors used in parts of the story that severely took away from or detracted from the story's movement or moment. All-in-all, though, I did enjoy reading it.
As I said earlier, the artwork was really hit-and-miss for me.
It was a fun series to revisit. Overall, I enjoyed it. I would probably have rated it 4 stars were it not for my issues with the coloring. Otherwise, I would probably rated it a strong 3.5 - 3.7 but rounded down to 3.0 stars because of the colors used in parts of the story that severely took away from or detracted from the story's movement or moment. All-in-all, though, I did enjoy reading it.
July 6, 2021
After Dark Horse went after the license for Aliens it seems to make sense they would show up with a license for Predator (and also Terminator shortly after as well). This series was originally written in 1989, which was a couple years after the movie came out, so it's not like Dark Horse rushed to cash in on the idea. I think the success with the Aliens comics helped them secure this franchise as well.
I find it interesting that Mark Verheiden is back behind the writing desk to launch this new series while he is also writing the Aliens series in tandem with this. I don't know if he burned himself out by writing and this first Predator series, because was pretty weak in my opinion. When this series first came out it was just "Volume 1" it wasn't called Concrete Jungle until later.
After consuming a lot of Aliens and Predator stories over the years, going back to read this I think this story was up and down for me. There's some stuff I really liked and some stuff I really didn't, the stuff I didn't like seems massively out of character for the setting, but this is also a problem I have with the early Aliens comics too. Back when these were first being released there really was no real knowledge about these creatures so I think these original comics came off a lot better back when I was younger. I was also in middle school and reading Predator/Aliens comics was just awesome in itself to me. I didn't really know if the story made sense in the given setting or not, but things have been fleshed out so much in these series that back tracking into these old stories sometimes feels misplaced or poorly written... but at the time they were written, I thought they were pretty great.
Concrete Jungle somewhat follows the same setup as the first Aliens volume. They don't talk about the main character. So, Dutch is not in this and at the time maybe there was an idea of Dutch fighting the Predator in a future film as Ripley went on to fight the Aliens in multiple films. But, as we all know, that never happened. Honestly, I'm kind of thankful for that, because that setups a world where we don't have to be focused on the adventures of one star character. Predator can have multiple encounters with multiple different people and really flesh out that universe a lot more. In any event, we don't get to continue our adventures with Dutch so instead we meet up with his brother who is a cop in NYC. To me, I thought this was kind of lazy... I don't know if it was a requirement, but Verheiden always seems to try to desperately tie things back to the original movie. So basically, we get this new character who looks like Arnold's twin... so, it's essentially like having Dutch in the comic?? Whatever, let's run with it...
In the first issue the Predator shows up in NYC drawn by the heat and the excessive gang violence of the time. If you're sitting there and saying "wow, that sounds an awful lot like Predator 2", then you are correct. It was interesting reading the letter columns in the original issues (which I don't believe are ever printed in these collected works), because one person wrote in asking about a rumor they had heard about a new movie coming and it being based on the comic. So, it seems like the writers of Predator 2 were aware of the comic series and the entire first issue and explanation seemed to feed the background idea for Predator 2. These original issues were way better, because a couple included interviews with people that actually worked on Predator and I thought these were really interesting things to read and give deeper insight into the films creation and what inspired people as they worked on the original movie.
Taking the Predator out of the jungle and putting it in an urban setting was a great idea. I loved this part of the idea. The part I didn't like is that in round about way, Schaefer goes looking for his brother in Central America. He is lead to the site where the first Predator detonated it's atomic bomb and we get to see the aftermath there. Schaef then faces off against a Predator there, presumably the same one he faced in NYC? And while there's a good fight, he rather quickly kills the Predator off. I just found this outlandish and ridiculous. In the movie Dutch couldn't take the Predator under similar conditions and Dutch would have been far more highly trained than his policeman brother! So we spend about a single issue here with that conflict...
Meanwhile, back in NYC Schaefer's partner, Rasche, is still trying to track down information about the alien creatures on his end. They got a hold of the Predator mask in the first fight and he gets the idea to look through it out the window and he sees tons of Predator space ships just floating around NYC. I guess Predator's can cloak a whole ship, which does make some sense. However, this felt a lot more like a , and the kicker is the characters even reference this fact! This is the part that I really thought made no sense in retrospect. Predators wouldn't really invade like this, but Verheiden clearly thought it was possible. This is another thread that they would steer clear of in future issues and I'm thankful for that, because it made the Predator more unique and not just some hi-tech Alien invader.
The art in this series was great for the most part. It kind of reminded me of the X-Men or Batman styled art around the same time, so it was pretty standard really. The Aliens comics definitely felt a bit more unique artistically speaking. A number of people complained about the coloring being too bright in the letters column... but I disagree. I think it's just right and makes everything feel "hot," which is kind of how it should be.
In the end, this was an interesting story for nostalgia reasons. I'm sort of glad the overall aspects presented in here were sort of abandoned as being too outlandish in the setting, so I remember the comic books getting much better as they really found their own voice for these franchises. I still have fond memories of the day I was finally able to buy the first issue for twenty-five dollars, which was quite a bit at the time. I remember saving up my allowance to finally kill of this missing gem in my collection! If you're a predator fan these comics are worth reading, but you have to go into realizing this is from 1989 and this really was the first material that tried to extend the Predator universe. It may not have made great choices along the way, but it's a decently fun adventure and I appreciate what it was trying to do at the time. And hey, it prompted some really good ideas and scenes for Predator 2, so it's always fun to see where some of those ideas originally came from.
I find it interesting that Mark Verheiden is back behind the writing desk to launch this new series while he is also writing the Aliens series in tandem with this. I don't know if he burned himself out by writing and this first Predator series, because was pretty weak in my opinion. When this series first came out it was just "Volume 1" it wasn't called Concrete Jungle until later.
After consuming a lot of Aliens and Predator stories over the years, going back to read this I think this story was up and down for me. There's some stuff I really liked and some stuff I really didn't, the stuff I didn't like seems massively out of character for the setting, but this is also a problem I have with the early Aliens comics too. Back when these were first being released there really was no real knowledge about these creatures so I think these original comics came off a lot better back when I was younger. I was also in middle school and reading Predator/Aliens comics was just awesome in itself to me. I didn't really know if the story made sense in the given setting or not, but things have been fleshed out so much in these series that back tracking into these old stories sometimes feels misplaced or poorly written... but at the time they were written, I thought they were pretty great.
Concrete Jungle somewhat follows the same setup as the first Aliens volume. They don't talk about the main character. So, Dutch is not in this and at the time maybe there was an idea of Dutch fighting the Predator in a future film as Ripley went on to fight the Aliens in multiple films. But, as we all know, that never happened. Honestly, I'm kind of thankful for that, because that setups a world where we don't have to be focused on the adventures of one star character. Predator can have multiple encounters with multiple different people and really flesh out that universe a lot more. In any event, we don't get to continue our adventures with Dutch so instead we meet up with his brother who is a cop in NYC. To me, I thought this was kind of lazy... I don't know if it was a requirement, but Verheiden always seems to try to desperately tie things back to the original movie. So basically, we get this new character who looks like Arnold's twin... so, it's essentially like having Dutch in the comic?? Whatever, let's run with it...
In the first issue the Predator shows up in NYC drawn by the heat and the excessive gang violence of the time. If you're sitting there and saying "wow, that sounds an awful lot like Predator 2", then you are correct. It was interesting reading the letter columns in the original issues (which I don't believe are ever printed in these collected works), because one person wrote in asking about a rumor they had heard about a new movie coming and it being based on the comic. So, it seems like the writers of Predator 2 were aware of the comic series and the entire first issue and explanation seemed to feed the background idea for Predator 2. These original issues were way better, because a couple included interviews with people that actually worked on Predator and I thought these were really interesting things to read and give deeper insight into the films creation and what inspired people as they worked on the original movie.
Taking the Predator out of the jungle and putting it in an urban setting was a great idea. I loved this part of the idea. The part I didn't like is that in round about way, Schaefer goes looking for his brother in Central America. He is lead to the site where the first Predator detonated it's atomic bomb and we get to see the aftermath there. Schaef then faces off against a Predator there, presumably the same one he faced in NYC? And while there's a good fight, he rather quickly kills the Predator off. I just found this outlandish and ridiculous. In the movie Dutch couldn't take the Predator under similar conditions and Dutch would have been far more highly trained than his policeman brother! So we spend about a single issue here with that conflict...
Meanwhile, back in NYC Schaefer's partner, Rasche, is still trying to track down information about the alien creatures on his end. They got a hold of the Predator mask in the first fight and he gets the idea to look through it out the window and he sees tons of Predator space ships just floating around NYC. I guess Predator's can cloak a whole ship, which does make some sense. However, this felt a lot more like a , and the kicker is the characters even reference this fact! This is the part that I really thought made no sense in retrospect. Predators wouldn't really invade like this, but Verheiden clearly thought it was possible. This is another thread that they would steer clear of in future issues and I'm thankful for that, because it made the Predator more unique and not just some hi-tech Alien invader.
The art in this series was great for the most part. It kind of reminded me of the X-Men or Batman styled art around the same time, so it was pretty standard really. The Aliens comics definitely felt a bit more unique artistically speaking. A number of people complained about the coloring being too bright in the letters column... but I disagree. I think it's just right and makes everything feel "hot," which is kind of how it should be.
In the end, this was an interesting story for nostalgia reasons. I'm sort of glad the overall aspects presented in here were sort of abandoned as being too outlandish in the setting, so I remember the comic books getting much better as they really found their own voice for these franchises. I still have fond memories of the day I was finally able to buy the first issue for twenty-five dollars, which was quite a bit at the time. I remember saving up my allowance to finally kill of this missing gem in my collection! If you're a predator fan these comics are worth reading, but you have to go into realizing this is from 1989 and this really was the first material that tried to extend the Predator universe. It may not have made great choices along the way, but it's a decently fun adventure and I appreciate what it was trying to do at the time. And hey, it prompted some really good ideas and scenes for Predator 2, so it's always fun to see where some of those ideas originally came from.
November 22, 2014
A veces leer (o ver) el universo expandido de una saga fÃlmica puede ser un dolor de cabeza para los fans, pues nos complica bastante el canon, por ejemplo, según este comic, "Depredador" ocurrió cerca a Riosucio, Colombia y los Depredadores claman venganza sobre sus muertos en lugar de honrar a quienes han sido capaces de derrotarlos, como se muestra en los films. A pesar de eso, es un historia entretenida, con personajes agradables (uno de ellos siendo hermano de Dutch, el personaje de Schwarzenegger en el film), buen dibujo e interesantes secuencias de acción, incluyendo una batalla campal en medio de Manhattan.
Recomendado a los fans de la franquicia.
Recomendado a los fans de la franquicia.
December 21, 2014
Better than it really had the right to be. This blows all the movie sequels out of the water.
July 14, 2019
Take the premise and setting of Predator 2, but add in some characters and scenes from Predator 1. And, you know, since the first movie was better than the second, this mostly works fine. It's also real nice to see them properly pissed for once.
October 23, 2024
The one that started it all! I remember reading this comic in the early 90s when it was reprinted in the UK. Decades later (and thanks to the omnibus edition) I have thoroughly enjoyed this reread, it is certainly a product of its time but it must be said it was a great time for comics.
June 15, 2019
Following the success of the original Predator film Dark Horse were quick to try and cash in on the popularity and created a comic that would become an unofficial sequel before Danny Glover took the spotlight in Predator 2.
Set in New York City, the story was originally set to focus on Alan ‘Dutch� Schaefer, Schwarzeneggar’s character from the first film, who had gone on to become a cop. The lead character was altered to Detective Schaefer, Dutch’s brother.
Fighting against gangs during the worst heatwave the city has ever seen, Schaefer comes up against the deadly alien hunter, and finds himself drawn into the secrets behind his brothers disappearance years earlier.
It’s easy to see the similarities between this book and the second Predator film; the shift from the jungles of South America to a US city, focusing on a police officer, setting the story amid gang wars in a heatwave, it’s all here. Where Predator 2 had a completely new cast and almost no connection to the first film outside of some nods in dialogue, Predator: Concrete Jungle feels like a true sequel.
Detective Schaefer (we never learn his first name) has a drive and desire to find his brother, something that even takes him to the jungles of Val Verde to see the aftermath of Dutch’s fight with the Yautja hunter. It’s this desire to find out what happened to his brother that drives the main plot, that keeps bringing him into contact with the Yautja, as well as butting heads with Dutch’s old commander General Phillips (also from the first film).
The book combines the personal story with a number of action set pieces, mixing together gun fights, fist fights with the Yautja in the jungle and an all out war with an alien army in the streets of New York. Writer Mark Verheiden manages these multiple set pieces well, keeping a balance between character and story development with the expected level of action.
The art by Chris Warner and Ron Randall is superb throughout, capturing the grim and gritty feel of the Predator universe whilst staying bright and colourful enough not to feel too depressing or drab. Dark Horse have some great artists on their payroll, and Predator: Concrete Jungle was big book with some of its best artist working on it; and it really shows even close to 30 years later.
The only real part of the book that lets it down is the conclusion, where the Yautja army appears to be defeated by some summer rain. It’s a misstep, but one that doesn’t take too much away from the overall quality of the book.
Predator: Concrete Jungle was the first comic set within the Predator universe, and shows how to go about creating a sequel in such a way that it’s clear Predator 2 took a lot of inspiration from the book. A must read for any Predator fan, the original sequel is still a great read.
Set in New York City, the story was originally set to focus on Alan ‘Dutch� Schaefer, Schwarzeneggar’s character from the first film, who had gone on to become a cop. The lead character was altered to Detective Schaefer, Dutch’s brother.
Fighting against gangs during the worst heatwave the city has ever seen, Schaefer comes up against the deadly alien hunter, and finds himself drawn into the secrets behind his brothers disappearance years earlier.
It’s easy to see the similarities between this book and the second Predator film; the shift from the jungles of South America to a US city, focusing on a police officer, setting the story amid gang wars in a heatwave, it’s all here. Where Predator 2 had a completely new cast and almost no connection to the first film outside of some nods in dialogue, Predator: Concrete Jungle feels like a true sequel.
Detective Schaefer (we never learn his first name) has a drive and desire to find his brother, something that even takes him to the jungles of Val Verde to see the aftermath of Dutch’s fight with the Yautja hunter. It’s this desire to find out what happened to his brother that drives the main plot, that keeps bringing him into contact with the Yautja, as well as butting heads with Dutch’s old commander General Phillips (also from the first film).
The book combines the personal story with a number of action set pieces, mixing together gun fights, fist fights with the Yautja in the jungle and an all out war with an alien army in the streets of New York. Writer Mark Verheiden manages these multiple set pieces well, keeping a balance between character and story development with the expected level of action.
The art by Chris Warner and Ron Randall is superb throughout, capturing the grim and gritty feel of the Predator universe whilst staying bright and colourful enough not to feel too depressing or drab. Dark Horse have some great artists on their payroll, and Predator: Concrete Jungle was big book with some of its best artist working on it; and it really shows even close to 30 years later.
The only real part of the book that lets it down is the conclusion, where the Yautja army appears to be defeated by some summer rain. It’s a misstep, but one that doesn’t take too much away from the overall quality of the book.
Predator: Concrete Jungle was the first comic set within the Predator universe, and shows how to go about creating a sequel in such a way that it’s clear Predator 2 took a lot of inspiration from the book. A must read for any Predator fan, the original sequel is still a great read.
February 11, 2021
Published a couple of months before Predator 2 came out it's unclear if this was influenced by the film or it's just coincidental that both follow-up stories to Predator are set in the city with the focus on a cop investigating the killings.
I enjoyed Predator 2 a lot, but Concrete Jungle is a lot better. It follows Dutch's (Arnie's character from the film) bigger, tougher brother, Schaefer, as he investigates the killings. There's also an added mystery regarding what actually happened to Dutch after his adventure.
Set largely in the city, the story does return to the jungle where the previous Predator blew up giving this a good connection to the original film.
The action was exciting and entertainingly over-the-top with Schaefer having the physique suitable for a face-off against a Predator.
The artwork is a little dated but everything is clearly portrayed.
A lot of fun and an interesting alternative take to the Predator 2 movie.
I enjoyed Predator 2 a lot, but Concrete Jungle is a lot better. It follows Dutch's (Arnie's character from the film) bigger, tougher brother, Schaefer, as he investigates the killings. There's also an added mystery regarding what actually happened to Dutch after his adventure.
Set largely in the city, the story does return to the jungle where the previous Predator blew up giving this a good connection to the original film.
The action was exciting and entertainingly over-the-top with Schaefer having the physique suitable for a face-off against a Predator.
The artwork is a little dated but everything is clearly portrayed.
A lot of fun and an interesting alternative take to the Predator 2 movie.
March 24, 2024
First volume was okayish. Nothing too grand, nothing too bland. I wish they focused more on the predators because I quite frankly don't give a rats ass about humans and their past. True, slowburn mystery can be fun, but the two protagonists were so typical and cliché that it was just... meh. I didn't like John Schaefer and thought he was really one-dimensional. He's the 'American Hero' stereotype that was so heavily advertised from the 70s to the 90s. The guy's only character trait is being hell-bent on getting revenge etcetera etcetera..
Yeah, no.
2 stars for me. I also dislike how they potrayed people of color; John seemed to always one-up them and it felt so Gary-Stu ish that I just... ugh.
Yeah, no.
2 stars for me. I also dislike how they potrayed people of color; John seemed to always one-up them and it felt so Gary-Stu ish that I just... ugh.
August 6, 2022
I may have loved this to pieces had I read it back in 1988 but it simply doesn't hold up on a contemporary read, at least as far as overall execution goes. The idea is alright but the story is so surface-level, macho, '80s action film complete with terrible one liners and an angry police captain, that it's too firmly rooted in a space and time that I don't have enough nostalgia for to give this one another star or two.
September 12, 2020
A very promising first issue. But as it went on it was stupidly over the top.
Not very compatible with the later established lore. Probably because it came before a lot of it was established. A disappointment.
Not very compatible with the later established lore. Probably because it came before a lot of it was established. A disappointment.
January 2, 2020
Decent, but too much of a retread of the first movie. Some preemptive echoes of the movie sequel, though.
December 13, 2020
Not impressed. Twisted story, they should stuck to the movie, which was way better.
May 12, 2023
Ah, so many memories come flooding back from when I first read this and how fired up it left me.
Still love the story and the artwork hits it perfectly.
Still love the story and the artwork hits it perfectly.
December 7, 2016
Predator Vol. 1 is a gritty and action-packed graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics. Sort of a sequel to the first film, Dutch’s brother, a New York City cop, runs across a series of mysterious murders and gets a tip that they’re connected to what happened to his brother’s commando team in Central America; leading him to go to Central America to find answers. It’s actually a pretty decent story and takes the series in an interesting direction. And while there’s a lot of violence, it tends to be more action oriented and isn’t all that gory. Still, some of the characters are a little over-the-top and the plot is a bit contrived at times. Yet while it has its problems, Predator Vol. 1 is an exciting continuation of the franchise (and would serve as an inspiration for the second Predator film).
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