Posted By Dan Greenfield on Feb 20, 2024 | 2 comments

A Dark Horse three-parter written by Mark Schultz…

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Welcome to BURIED TREASURE, Pete Stone’s new recurring feature that spotlights great, lesser-known comics that demand your attention…

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By PETER STONE

In 1997, Gene Colan was looking for work outside of DC Comics. He was old school and was one of those guys who didn’t know what to do with himself when there wasn’t a job on his board.

Enter Dark Horse and Mark Schultz with Predator: Hell & Hot Water. 

Schultz cover

Schultz had already created his own comic called Xenozoic Tales where he channeled Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson and the EC guys to come up with a humans-and-dinosaurs title that was a joy to read and look at. Dark Horse had the Predator license but at that point in franchise history, Hollywood wasn’t sure it could pull off a third movie because the plot would end up being generally the same as the first. (There have since been five features, including crossovers with the Alien franchise.)

In any event, Schultz came up with a great new story idea just for Gene “the Dean”: A Predator that fights terrible underwater creatures… giant squids, unknown beasties and maybe a shark or two. That, to me at least, sounds like the beginnings a great third movie. (I enjoyed 2022’s Prey, but sometimes you need to branch out and do something completely different. “Underwater Predator” sounds pretty awesome to me.)

For decades, Colan was inked by some good artists and some not-so-great artists. (Neal Adams was always told me he was the one who could ink Gene the best. That’s why he wanted Gene to work for Continuity Comics — so he could show the world how to ink Gene Colan.) But rather than have someone ink his work, Dark Horse chief Mike Richardson or editor Bob Cooper decided to just use Gene’s pencils and Gregory Wright provided some great coloring over the expressive lines.

The basic story, a three-part miniseries, features a Predator who comes to Earth to challenge himself against the powerful creatures under the surface of the ocean. His vessel is seen crashing into the water, so the U.S. military sends a team to “bag the bogey.” After that, well… we all know the deal. Half the team is killed by the Predator as they scuba through the dark Chilean waters. Finally, the last two members of the team, including a woman who refuses to use weapons, manage to survive the Predator’s attack as a mysterious sea-worm finishes off the alien.

Now, I’m not saying that this would have been an amazing movie… but it certainly was an excellent place to start. A good screenwriter could turn that basic story into an exciting and different film. I’m just saying that sometimes comic writers come up with some pretty unique ideas. (Jack Kirby, Jim Starlin, Frank Miller, etc.)

Gene provided some excellent art for the entire series. His Predator was not as detailed as the earlier Chris Warner-illustrated comics, but it was so visceral and alive. The underwater creatures swayed and undulated. The giant squid was terrifying and deadly as it tried to devour the Predator, its tentacles wrapping around the smaller alien, making for a desperate fight to the death.

Gene Colan was always professional, drawing each page with the same intensity as the previous one. So, when he was drawing this killer Predator series, each issue was wonderful and brutal at the same time. He was never gruesome, but the reader always knew what was happening. Even the moment when a character’s head is severed from his body, it wasn’t something you had to look away from. You were focused on the reactions of his friends and teammates. Gene understood storytelling and focus. He knew what the readers (at least at that time) wanted and never went too far.

Not since Nathaniel Dusk for DC more than a decade earlier had we seen Gene ’s excellent, unencumbered pencils in a story. He had produced sketchbooks showing off his wonderful pencils, but comics are based on the black line. So, it was rare that a story was reproduced from Gene’s pencils. (At one point I asked Neal if he would consider printing a story in pencil form. He informed me very seriously that comics were all based on the black line. You had to ink the work.) In this case, Gene’s pencils were so complete and beautiful; these days someone would computer color the work, which has its benefits and its detriments. It would be interesting to see.

In the end, Predator: Hell & Hot Water is a great series. It’s never been reprinted or collected to my knowledge, but it certainly should be. I’m willing to bet most comic fans don’t even know that this series exists. Maybe, if we all start talking about it someone will say we have to reprint it in a great format. Hardcover? Artist’s Edition? It is certainly worth it. Even Mark Schultz did a great job with the dialogue and overall story, but it’s Colan’s work that really sells this three-issue series.

For any of you who haven’t read or heard my story about Neal, Gene and Urth 4, you can find it here at 13th Dimension in the NEAL ADAMS CHRONICLES. As I said earlier, Neal was truly convinced he could show the world how well he could ink Gene. So when he obtained pencils of Gene’s last Captain America story, he couldn’t wait to ink them. He inked a good 20 pages and many people bought them through Continuity’s weekly internet show. Each one is legendary.

Gene Colan was a national treasure. I just wish more people truly understood how good he really was. If you can find it, I highly recommend Predator: Hell & Hot Water. It’s fabulous.

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MORE

— BURIED TREASURE: KEVIN NOWLAN and GRIMWOOD’s DAUGHTER. Click here.

— Dig NEAL ADAMS’ Never-Published Inks Over GENE COLAN’s CAPTAIN AMERICA. Click here.

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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s twice-weekly online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com, and their Burbank, California, comics shop Crusty Bunkers Comics and Toys.