Predator: Captive

I acquired this a long time ago and managed to keep it--Predator: Captive, a one-shot from Dark Horse Comics' Predator series, April 1998. Written by Gordon Rennie, art and color by Dean Ormston. A team of corporate scientists studies the captive Predator in an artificially created habitat, located in an advanced research complex deep in the Nevada desert. But who is really studying whom?

The story is well written and well paced, and I haven't seen much like it in terms of artwork. The economy of the paneling, as well as the smart composition of the panels themselves, give this comic a cinematic aspect. But my favorite thing about this one is the overall visual style itself, which creates a consistent mood.  

The linework and the coloring have an appearance of rapidity that I admire (and was highly valued in art school), and the warm color scheme is applied expertly. Perhaps my favorite element of the artwork is the gouache-like coloring and the slightly-bleeding line quality, which create a painterly feel. As a design choice, this works well to balance stylistically the stark, graphic rendering of light and shadow--the high contrast and silhouetting. Below: a few more pages and panels.