Review: Alien vs Predator - Thicker Than Blood
These are no ordinary pirates, however. They are horrific alien butchers with no sign of any interest in looting. All they do is slaughter...
The captain is hunkered down in the forward lounge with a few of the remaining survivors. Her children Maria and Tyler are also doing their best to stay alive, pursued through the ship by one of the invaders. They have one advantage: Tyler is no ordinary boy; he is an android programmed to protect his sister and he has a few special abilities help towards that goal.
The kids head for an escape pod but access is blocked by the boarding ladder of the alien ship. Venturing into it to find a way to make it disengage, they inadvertently release something being held captive by the aggressors... something even more dangerous...
Alien vs Predator - Thicker Than Blood by writer Jeremy Barlow and artist Doug Wheatley is one of many adaptations of probably the most explosive science fiction crossover of all time. The xenomorph Alien: the perfect natural killing machine, driven to hunt and feed, ferocious and formidable... The Predators: a race of technically advanced hunters who target the most challenging prey in their quest for the ultimate blood sport. This is truly a clash of titanic proportions as two unstoppable forces collide head-on.
The contrast of similarities and differences between the two players is what makes for such a classic match. The xenomorph is driven by pure instinct, the actual predator here, whereas the hunters referred to as Predators are in fact much more humanoid in more than just physiognomy, driven by the adrenaline junky's blood fever jonesing. When these two clash the hunters soon find that their perfect quarry is the very definition of being careful what you wish for...
Instead of gun-toting Arnie or Sigourney types to stand up to these beasts, we have two child protagonists; bratty privileged Maria and her goofy kid brother Tyler. Instead of assault rifles they have to use their ingenuity to save the day. It helps that Tyler is synthetic, though - in keeping with the Alien universe - his personality is totally human. He is the annoying little brother (though not technically younger) who soon turns out to be Maria's best of all possible siblings.
Wheatley delivers finely polished panels, capturing both the sinister creep of both antagonists and the raw human emotional reactions of the kids. The theme here is family, an attachment that goes beyond simple biology. Alliances built upon common needs and co-operating towards a shared goal are something even one of the Predators can appreciate when he is enlisted by the children to join their united front: "...call it good."
There is plenty of action here, as you would expect (most of the gore being green rather than red), but also humour and sensitivity. The stakes may be high, but if a stuck-up teen and her geeky brother can overcome their differences and work together, anything is possible.
Zak Webber
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