Predator versus Spider-Man (2025) #1

Predator versus Spider-Man

by Benjamin Percy, Marcelo Ferreira (artist), Paulo Siqueira (cover_art)

SPIDER-MAN IN PREDATOR'S GRITTIEST SERIES YET! In Predator vs. Wolverine, we saw a single Predator stalk Earth's greatest prey, the killing machine Wolverine. In Predator vs. Black Panther, Yautja invaded Wakanda and nearly dethroned its king. Now Ben Percy turns his twisted brain to Marvel's most beloved Spider-Man! A heat wave sends NYC into a blackout and Spider-Man on patrol as tempers boil across the city. But beneath its grimy sewers and subways lurks a threat unlike anything Peter Parker has faced before. Introducing "Skinner," a Predator of no honor and no clan - only a thirst for blood. Exquisitely rendered by superstar artist Marcelo Ferreira!

Genres: Horror, Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Spider Man

Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2025

About the author

Benjamin Percy is the author of seven novels -- most recently The Sky Vault (William Morrow) -- three short fiction collections, and a book of essays, Thrill Me, that is widely taught in creative writing classrooms. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire (where he is a contributing editor), GQ, Time, Men's Journal, Outside, the Wall Street Journal, Tin House, and the Paris Review. His honors include an NEA fellowship, the Whiting Writer's Award, the Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the iHeart Radio Award for Best Scripted Podcast, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories and Best American Comics.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predator vs. Spider-Man #1 is surprisingly enjoyable! The concrete jungle setting is a fantastic backdrop, allowing the Predator to truly blend in and string up a gruesome collection of bodies. You've got Peter Parker hot on his trail, but Kraven's in the mix too, while poor MJ is trapped underground in a metro station with the beast. The setup and gore are definitely working for me.

I'd give it a solid 3.5 out of 5, probably closer to a 4.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While seeing Kraven get some love and respect in a way that makes sense, I feel this was the weakest of the crossovers.

The fight with Spider-Man wasn't that interesting or fun. It felt like a connection comic to get us to the finale

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
That was excellent. Percy would make an excellent ongoing Spider-Man scribe.

Comics did not use to be so gory. Love it. Is the comics code authority still even a thing?

It's cool as hell to also introduce Kraven at the end.

[Phillip Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

The throwback Spider-Man logo on the cover is fitting: this book is very much in the 90s x-treme style. It's nothing cerebral, but is executed very well and left me wanting more. Bonus points for not being set in the main continuity, which means Peter can be with MJ!

Funniest part was when the Predator skinned a dude's face while he was still alive, then kills him by impaling him through the back and out of his chest... while the word "fuck" is censored on the same page.

[Adam Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grew up loving the predator movie franchise. Was very skeptical of this comic but happy I gave it a shot!

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a ton of fun. Fast paced and not taking itself seriously. A lot of story beats are presented in this issue and I hope that the rest of the story can keep up with them. It was also more brutal than I was expecting, in a good way.

[JSH Placie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I expected. I expected it to be a Yautja playing cat and mouse with Spiderman across New York City. There is some of that here, but it's really not the main plot. Kraven the hunter shows up early on, which I really wasn't expecting. This version of Kraven is more anti-hero than villain. He's introduced saving a newsie from muggers. He does it in a brutal way, but saves the man none-the-less. In story, it's not clear why he would go to any effort to save a civilian from muggers. On the meta level, it seems clear that the author wants us to view Kraven as sympathetic.

Kraven does the heavy lifting against the rogue Yautja who serves as the main antagonist (called Skinner) in this story. Spiderman barely interacts with Skinner at all. There's actually a pretty nice subplot involving MJ doing some normal human heroics on the street level. Spiderman spends most of his time battling a team of Yautja who have been sent to execute Skinner for his dishonorable behavior (he hunts the defenseless).

I suspect that the pitch to Marvel brass actually was a Kraven vs Predator pitch. And Marvel brass was like, "Eh...that's not going to sell very many comics. Put Spiderman in it." If that's the case, I give the creatives a B+ for completing the assignment as instructed. Spiderman does some investigative reporter stuff. He does some pissing off the cops stuff. And he gets some climatic heroics. I don't want to spoil the ending, but he gets something really important to do that isn't actually beating the antagonist.

As far as the art goes, it's pretty mid for 21st century comics. The production values are high and the art is certainly better than anything I can do. There's just nothing outstanding about it. The pencils in some of the action panels are confusing. But in fairness, drawing Spiderman action must be very challenging. Capturing his acrobatic and high-speed fighting style in a way that is both clear and fluid is no simple feat. So if this book sometimes fails at that, it's like watching a figure skater fail at a triple axil. The shit's hard.

I will give the inker credit for doing great work with creating heavy dramatic shadows. The colorist also contributes to this, resulting in an oppressive atmosphere which does excellent visual storytelling. This synergizes with some of the descriptive writing.

I'd like to give a special mention to the writer for his description of a heat wave. While at times it's a bit redundant, mostly it captures the essence of being in a city when it's just unbearably hot, and then cranks it up a notch past that. Perfect hunting conditions for a Yautja. Between the inks, the colors, and the writing, one can almost feel oneself in a city where the heat is an enemy.

While we are in the special mention category, we get some minor J Jonah Jameson heroics as well. It's also worth mentions NYPD's representative in this story, Detective LePearl. She's kind of pissed at everyone. She's chasing Skinner, but she's not happy with any of the other parties involved with the case. She's good at her job, but maybe just a bit out of her depth. I mean, are superheroes and hunting-obsessed aliens even covered in the academy? Well, maybe in the Marvel universe they should be. In this book it seems like they aren't, and that's not LePearl's fault.

The ending teases a space adventure with Kraven that I suspect that we won't get, even though I'd like to see it. Overall, while I found the book uneven it's worth a read if you are a fan of these two universes. I'd still like to see a Predator vs Spiderman that is actually focused on Spiderman though. This wasn't it.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an okay story. The introduction (first few pages) strongly reminds me of the beginning of Dark Horse's first limited series with Dutch's brother as the protagonist and a smidge like Predator 2 (but not as well done as that series or the movie). It has a lot of gore which makes sense, I guess (Duh! It's Predator, right?!?), but I felt like the first two movies handled the "shock value" without having to be as gory as the artwork was in this story (and perhaps I have become inured to what is in the movies based on how much I have watched them over the years).

The artwork is garbage. Great artwork can save a bad story, but horrible artwork can kill a good story. I don't know who I would have liked to have done the artwork in this issue, but I would have preferred somebody else. Maybe the artist who did the Wolverine: Revenge miniseries? I liked the artwork in that series.

I don't really know how much potential this story really had. On the one hand, I guess it is an interesting premise, but I think I would rather have read a series about Kraven the Hunter battling a Predator (or three) instead of Spider-Man. The way this story is written, it felt like it could have been "just" a giant-sized issue or two issues because of how much it bounces around (even in this first issue). I say that because I reread it to finish this review as I had forgotten a good chunk of it from when I first read it back in April, hahahah!

It's okay. On the one hand, the Batman v. Predator crossovers also had a lot going on those stories, too, so I really should not be surprised that this one had different arcs introduced in the first issue. It's funny, though, 'cuz that first miniseries Dark Horse did was pretty straightforward in its direction and focus, and I thought it did fairly well as a whole. This story so far pales in comparison and I do remember how it ends, and the fourth issue is a pretty weak ending to the story, in my opinion, but c'est la vie. They can't all be homeruns. I guess I am glad I read it? (If only so that I don't have to wonder how it went had I read it, hahahah!).

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to this mini-series, immediately establishing that the gore aspect of the Predator franchise will be lived out properly and clash nicely against the often corny whippersnapper vibe of Spider-Man.
Cool art, smooth pacing, good writing so far. I think this is gonna be a very fun run.

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using this as a review for the collected volume. Predator Vs. Spider-Man is a blast. Writer Benjamin Percy gives the fans exactly what they want from a story like this, and the artwork by Marcelo Ferreira is fantastic, easily the best artwork out of all the Marvel Predator Vs series. If you're a fan of either of these characters, you're going to want to add this one to your collection.

[alejandro galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!

So good ! A must read book! Don't miss out! This book is straight fire! Leagues better than Black Panther Vs Predator. This was impressive. Very dark. Art was wonderful as well. A perfect book.

[N A.R Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all 4 issues I think this entire story arc is a lot of fun. It stays true to a Spidey I love whilst implementing a rich lore from the Predator to keep both fandoms happy. worth the read and makes me want to see if black panther / wolverines are equally as entertaining!

[Andy Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

percy is on fire. this is shaping up to be the best pred crossover yet

[David Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it bleeds.we.can kill.it

Fun read just standard set up for what's to come in all in.

Nice art and story
Spider vs yautja

[Mercury Marrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far so good

A good start. The art is reminiscent of Mark bagley. Wouldn't mind if the price was 4.99 tho. Good start.

[Leo Kessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

PEAK. love percys writing as per usual and marcelo ferriera's art is beautiful

[DonHeimscheißer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great comic with amazing art and a solid story so far. The Spider-Man vs. Predator matchup is intense and leaves you wanting more after every page.

[Richard A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Gritty, just as Predator is supposed to be. Spidey will have no time for "quips" in this one.

[Hannah Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5/5

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a predator on the loose!

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

this issue was okay. a cop thinks Spider-Man or peter is connected to serial killings. kraven turns up who is the oredator's really target. issue 2 wasn't good.

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great combination of horror and superheroes. Plus Kraven?!?!

[Sisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Приятно изненадващ брой. Комбинацията е интересна, илюстрациите са страхотни. Да видим как ще продължи по нататък, дано не го развалят!

[Cloe Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good cmbination of horror and superheroes! Fits perfectly. And the ending with Kraven? Perfect!

[Andrew Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not up-to-date on Predator in the comic world. I loved the first film and enjoyed the second one. I haven't been impressed with the other installments except for the group of prisoners mimicking the Most Dangerous Game on an alien plant. This issue echoes the second film, seeing bad guys strung up throughout the city. Apparently the race of Predators are called the Yautja. Who knew? You knew. Now I know. So far, though I'm not keen on the I-have-jurisdiction-and-pent-uo-rage detective LaPearl, Marcelo Ferreira's art captures that city grit with Parker's simplicity and sense-of-humor, as well as the onslaught of slaughtered prey. Two predators see each other as their prey, from what I've gathered, and I believe MJ and Spider-man are gonna get caught in the middle. I appreciate that the cussing is represented by symbols. My sons know enough about Predator (and of course Spider-Man) that I'd like them to read this series with me.

#1, #2, #3, #4