Predator Vs. Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens #4 - Dark Horse Comics

PREDATOR VS. JUDGE DREDD VS. ALIENS No. 4, June 2017

“Dark Horse Comics” have kept very quiet as why this comic book series’ finale was ultimately delayed from hitting the shelves for a staggering eight months. But considering just how much ground John Layman’s script covers within the confines of just twenty-two pages, it was quite possibly due to the former “Wildstorm” Editor and artist Chris Mooneyham desperately trying to storyboard an alien invasion of Mega-City One and its subsequent (surprisingly swift) downfall all in the space of a single pamphlet.

Indeed, considering that Issue Four of “Predator Vs Judge Dredd Vs Aliens” depicts the Archbishop Emoji’s apocalyptic death cult being massacred by Doctor Niels Reinstot’s “xenomorph-infected man-animal hybrids”, Judge Dredd’s extensive hunt for the lethal extra-terrestrials and creation of an uneasy alliance with the Yautja, as well as the lawman’s discovery, successful penetration and explosive destruction of the creatures’ subterranean hatchery, it’s incredible that the Milwaukie-based publisher didn’t decide to simply extend “Splice And Dice” to include at least a fifth instalment… As it is however, this concluding chapter’s narrative moves at such an incredible pace that it disappointingly turns what should have been a cataclysmic rematch between H.R. Giger’s lethal creations and the future metropolis’ finest into just simply yet another in a long line of hostile invasions which is all-too readily defeated by a couple of judges; “Control, this is Dredd. Alien organisms have been eliminated.”

Fortunately, despite the terrifying tempo of this “ultimate science-fiction crossover”, Layman still manages to provide a few moments of magic within his narrative, and cause a couple of surprises along the way too, such as the bug-eyed “self-proclaimed geneticist” coldly killing his psychic partner-in-crime, the “robo-messiah”, and later transforming into the “ugly, mother spugger” queen, Intercivus raptus regina, by self-injecting himself with the DNA serum he had originally concocted for Cassandra Anderson. Similarly, there’s plenty of fun to be had watching the Mega-City One judges and predators battling it out side-by-side, as they are literally swarmed by adult aliens and scuttling face huggers.

Whatever the cause for this magazine’s postponement, Chris Mooneyham’s pencilling shows no sign of haste, and instead delivers plenty of thrills with his gorily graphic illustrations of citizens being literally torn to shreds, and a wonderfully envisaged egg-laying alien monarch. In fact, the comic book artist’s drawings of an unshaven Dredd blazing away at his enemies one moment, and then angrily sticking a big finger in the face of the formidably tall Yautja in the next, was arguably worth the wait for this title’s culmination alone…

Script: John Layman, Artist: Chris Mooneyham, and Colors: Michael Atiyeh