Predator vs Wolverine #3 Review

[Wolverine12]

So far this series has been a blast and issue #3 continues that trend.

We start with Logan trapped under a boulder and underwater as we saw in issue #2. He cuts himself to create a "smoke screen" of blood underwater so he can escape from the Yautja before he gets to him. While we see this, Logan is narrating about how hunters become less dangerous the more they rely on tech, and the less they rely on instinct and trade craft, showing and telling the reader why the Predator won't catch him just yet. I thought this was a pretty cool nod to the first film where Arnold goes caveman, covering himself in mud and tricking the Yautja's tech.

We then jump to the past in the Weapon X facility. Logan is on a table, sedated having just gone through getting the adamantium bonded to his skeleton recently. The Yautja peels back Logan's skin and muscles to examine his metal covered bones as we get some exposition about how cool of a trophy this would make to add to the collection. Logan wakes up and stabs the Yautja, but the Yautja responds by burning off Logan's entire face with what I can only assume is some type of acid. He carries Logan to his ship and is getting ready to leave when the Weapon X program sends a couple of jets to stop him. The jets fire missiles at the Yautja's ship but they have no effect. The Yautja shoots down one of the jets and begins to fly into space. During the dog fight, Logan has begun to heal and wakes up in a berserker rage, he claws his way out of the space ship and falls to earth burning up severely as he re-enters earths atmosphere. The remaining jet fighter spots Logan falling back to earth, the pilot can't tell what is actually falling, and gives the Weapon X people the location of where Logan lands. We see Weapon X pick up Logan, and find out that during his escape Logan either took the Yautja's helmet or it fell out from the damage he caused. Professor Thorton is on site to collect Logan and also picks up the helmet. We learn that the Professor studied the Yautja tech and implemented it into the Weapon X helmet Logan wears during his combat training.

We cut back to current day, Logan goes back to an old Weapon X facility after doing some detective work and finds the Predator helmet locked in a lead box that was stored in a lead lined room. He take the helmet out of the box, knowing it will signal the Yautja and waits to battle the Predator again, this time on Logan's terms. The Preator arrives, now wearing a skull as a helmet instead of the high tech helmet.

Really fun issue. On one page we see the Predator's trophy collection, it has a bunch of skulls, human, dinosaur and what looks like a Rancor skull from Star Wars I thought that was a fun easter egg. My one complaint about this issue is that I would have really liked to see a mindless Weapon X version of Wolverine battle it out with a Predator, but honestly when Logan is in that state of mind I think he would just steamroll the Yautja so I understand why that fight couldn't happen. As always the art was fantastic, both in the modern day scene's and the flashbacks.

I know this might make some of you groan, but this series has made me want a Percy written 'X-Force vs Alien's" mini series. I think since he has only a limited amount of issues to tell this story it has really negated the wheel spinning that has happened in X-Force, so I think this format would work well for Percy to tell that story.

Finally, if the solicits in the back of the books are correct we get issue #4 in 2 weeks!

[Hulkout42]

For me i like This because it is fun to read as opposed to X-force which is just frustrating and annoying.

[Keno]

Great issue. I really like the bit how Logan decieves Yautja with bloodsmoke. The monologue was great in that panel. Best book of this month

[Jackraow21]

So far this series has been a blast and issue #3 continues that trend.

Totally agree. So far this series has lived up to my expectations and I’m eagerly looking forward to the finale.

We start with Logan trapped under a boulder and underwater as we saw in issue #2. He cuts himself to create a "smoke screen" of blood underwater so he can escape from the Yautja before he gets to him. While we see this, Logan is narrating about how hunters become less dangerous the more they rely on tech, and the less they rely on instinct and trade craft, showing and telling the reader why the Predator won't catch him just yet. I thought this was a pretty cool nod to the first film where Arnold goes caveman, covering himself in mud and tricking the Yautja's tech.

We then jump to the past in the Weapon X facility. Logan is on a table, sedated having just gone through getting the adamantium bonded to his skeleton recently. The Yautja peels back Logan's skin and muscles to examine his metal covered bones as we get some exposition about how cool of a trophy this would make to add to the collection. Logan wakes up and stabs the Yautja, but the Yautja responds by burning off Logan's entire face with what I can only assume is some type of acid. He carries Logan to his ship and is getting ready to leave when the Weapon X program sends a couple of jets to stop him. The jets fire missiles at the Yautja's ship but they have no effect. The Yautja shoots down one of the jets and begins to fly into space. During the dog fight, Logan has begun to heal and wakes up in a berserker rage, he claws his way out of the space ship and falls to earth burning up severely as he re-enters earths atmosphere. The remaining jet fighter spots Logan falling back to earth, the pilot can't tell what is actually falling, and gives the Weapon X people the location of where Logan lands. We see Weapon X pick up Logan, and find out that during his escape Logan either took the Yautja's helmet or it fell out from the damage he caused. Professor Thorton is on site to collect Logan and also picks up the helmet. We learn that the Professor studied the Yautja tech and implemented it into the Weapon X helmet Logan wears during his combat training.

Thought this was a really cool twist. Incorporating the Yautjas’ signature “tracking helmet” (for lack of a better term) into Logan’s history with Weapon X and making that the actual inspiration for the signature Weapon X helmet. And also incorporating some of the alien technology into it, no doubt. Would love to see a little more explanation on how he does this… I’m thinking perhaps the helmet is indeed for tracking purposes. So Professor Thornton studied it, and figured out how to use it combined with brainwashing and mind control techniques to keep his living weapon laser focused on tracking and destroying its target. Something like that. Perhaps it is also how they’re able to upload and program battle strategies and combat tactics, building schematics and other critical data feeds directly into Logan’s brain. Maybe the Yautja helmet kind of does the same thing when they go on a hunt? It downloads all the pertinent information about the terrain, indigenous species, etc., that they’ll need for that particular hunt. So Thornton just co-opted it for his own use in building living weapons.

We cut back to current day, Logan goes back to an old Weapon X facility after doing some detective work and finds the Predator helmet locked in a lead box that was stored in a lead lined room. He take the helmet out of the box, knowing it will signal the Yautja and waits to battle the Predator again, this time on Logan's terms. The Preator arrives, now wearing a skull as a helmet instead of the high tech helmet.

You skipped the part in the past, sometime after Logan’s escape from Weapon X, where he’s Muramasa’s pupil and training with him in Japan. That’s when the Predator arrives wearing the bear skull, not in the present day after Logan sets out the old helmet recovered from Weapon X. I think issue #4 is clearly going to give us a sword fight in Japan, with the Yautja again escaping, and we’ll see the outcome of the final battle in the present day illustrated by Ken Lashley. Which has been running through all of the issues in between the flashbacks.

Really fun issue. On one page we see the Predator's trophy collection, it has a bunch of skulls, human, dinosaur and what looks like a Rancor skull from Star Wars I thought that was a fun easter egg. My one complaint about this issue is that I would have really liked to see a mindless Weapon X version of Wolverine battle it out with a Predator, but honestly when Logan is in that state of mind I think he would just steamroll the Yautja so I understand why that fight couldn't happen. As always the art was fantastic, both in the modern day scene's and the flashbacks.

I know this might make some of you groan, but this series has made me want a Percy written 'X-Force vs Alien's" mini series. I think since he has only a limited amount of issues to tell this story it has really negated the wheel spinning that has happened in X-Force, so I think this format would work well for Percy to tell that story.

Finally, if the solicits in the back of the books are correct we get issue #4 in 2 weeks!

“Aliens vs. X-Force” has to happen now! I love it. But… which version of X-Force? If it’s the current X-Force team, then sure. Give it to Percy. But part of me would love to see the OG X-Force team versus the Aliens set sometime in the past. Give that to Deniz Camp and put Greg Capullo on covers and it’ll sell. For sure.

[MVComics]

this was a great read and the series has been 3/3 so far. I really hope it ends well. I also hope sabretooth war is as good as this.

[Wolverine12]

@Jackraow21, you’re right I totally spaced that the bone skull scene took place in Japan during the Muramasa saga lol. I read the issue a few hour’s before I posted the review and did it based off memory. That scene was super cool too, not sure how I messed that one up.

[Jackraow21]

No worries. Thanks for posting the review! It was a badass issue. Can’t wait to see how it wraps up later this month.

[Jackraow21]

Predator Vs Wolverine Tops Bleeding Cool Bestseller List
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/pred...stseller-list/

[MVComics]

This series has been doing really good sales wise but I'm not surprised lol

[Keno]

This comic deserve such good sales.

[nj06]

I really enjoyed issue #3 and this series overall. Another good read with solid art & dialogue. As others have mentioned, incorporating the Yautja helmet tech into the Weapon-X program is nice little twist as well. I'm looking forward to the next issue.