Predator: Cold War

Predator Shaefer Trilogy #2

by Mark Verheiden

Beautiful, bold Lt. Ligachev was two months into her first command position

in the Siberian oil fields when her men were slaughtered by an invisible foe. Detective Schaefer has played the Predators' deadly games on the mean streets of New York. Now Ligachev and Schaefer are sent by their governments to winter-ravaged Siberia to eliminate the Predators - if they can keep the Americans and Russians from killing each other first.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Adventure

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of machismo and bad one-liners, this is a schlock action movie in comic form. Shaefer from Predator: Concrete Jungle gets sent to Siberia to once again take on the Predators. This book oozes 80's testosterone.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel of Predator: Concrete Jungle could be described like Predator (1987) meets Danko (1988) in an action-packed gore-fest.



Again, dialogues and storyline are so bad like coming from some of the worst 80s b-movies that they make this volume too a must read if you are into that genre of flicks.



Reading these old Predator comic books is for me like eating some sort of junk food: it sucks but it is sooo tasty. Yum!

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice entry in the Predator comic series. Good art and writing. Recommended

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cold War is anything but a cold war as Predators attack the Russians.

But a story simple enough, Predators in a ice cold area attacking Russians would be awesome but instead we get Dutch's good old brother back, this time with more quips than a average MCU movie character. Not too sure why we needed him here, but here he comes. As Macho as ever. But he doesn't do much. It's actually the new character introduced who's most interesting, a Russian Military woman having to deal with these damn Predators.

The Kills are excellent, some really brutal ones, but the plot is all over the place and I was wondering if Verheiden always starts off more grounded and then just goes insane last two issues. I'm seeing a trend now.

A 3 out of 5.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good escapist fun. Not as gruesome as some readers here have suggested, but the book itself does have a label of "Suggested for Mature Readers." So if you are squeamish, maybe not for you. Overall, an entertaining little comic set during the Cold War era where an American detective and a Soviet soldier have to collaborate against some Predators. It is a quick read.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. This book, like The Flood, which I have also reviewed, is, as franchise-based books usually are, easy and not too mind-squeezing to read. It was somewhat pleasant (well, maybe pleasant isn't the right word) to read while in a Predator sort of mood, and you don't really have to think much, which is good at times. I will warn you that, while it was action-packed like The Flood, and while The Flood is certainly violent, Cold War is much more bloody and graphic. But it was easy reading, as before mentioned, and anyone who has seen the Predators on film will know what to expect: entertaining violent action. No contemplation here.

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this series the predators crash land in Siberia Russia and cause havoc. The story is decent, the artwork is very good. And the gore is of course... great 😁

[Adam · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

After "The Big Game," which was pretty good, we are now returning to the story of Shaefer from the first comic books. I've recently re-read this, but I first read this a long time ago near where it was first released, and I really can't remember my first impressions of it back then. I think I just really enjoyed the real novelty of the Predator fighting it out in a winter setting. I remember thinking the covers were pretty awesome and i do still think that.

However, upon revisiting this... I have to say it wasn't a great story. The general premise of the story where the Predator ship crash lands in Siberia, I think that part of the tale is actually quite awesome. Especially with the backdrop of it all occurring during the Cold War, hence the title of the book. The first major problem is that for the first couple of issues it is really unclear that that the Predators had crash landed there. The letters people wrote into Dark Horse after the first issue, a solid half of them kept being like "Hey, just so you know, the Predators hate the cold..." By then issue two was out so they couldn't make it more clear, by issue three though the confusion had gotten all cleared up. I don't know, maybe Mark Verheiden thought it would just be obvious that this was the case... but the problem there was that as soon as the Predators show up, they go about doing the Predator hunting thing, instead of panicking about being in Siberia.

Since Verheiden clearly wanted a Cold War analog to the story, I felt in the end that it was another missed opportunity in some ways. I think this would have been a better story if it was just about the Russians handling the situation. But no, the Americans have to always stick their nose into everything... I mean, that is sort of realistic in this case, so it's not outlandish, I just think a Russian tale would have been more interesting to me.

The real downfall, for me, in this book was the return of Shaefer. I really just do not like the guy. I found him okay in the first series, because at least Rasche was around to serve as a bit of his foil, but in this book, he's not. They are both working very separately from each other. So, the real problem here is that Schaefer's ridiculous sarcasm and inability to treat people like a normal person makes him so incredibly unlikeable. Everyone he works with hates him, everyone he deals with around town hates him, even the criminals he busts finds him insufferable for the same reason everyone else hates the guy. Heck, I hated him, it got so frustrating reading a dialog only to have Shaefer never answer a question with a real or serious answer. Even when he winds up in Russia, he starts using all this stupid American slang, and he doesn't even care that they have no idea what he's talking about when they're in a life or death situation and need help! And then the sarcasm, I appreciate good sarcasm and well timed especially. But seriously, every conversation? Why? It's just tedious after a while.

So, the general premise of the story is that after the Predators crash land in Siberia, their ship is damaged and starts leaking a lot of heat or radiation. The American's see this on their spy satellites, but General Philips "really" knows what it actually is. And yes, that is General Philips from the first Predator movie and first comic book series. Here he puts together a small infiltration force to get the Predator tech out of Soviet hands, he needs Shaefer to help brief the men, similar to an Aliens premise I guess. However, Shaefer is massively uncooperative and just gives his men sarcastic answers when asked direct questions, so no one likes him and doesn't want to work with him. All Shaefer does is tell them they're all gonna die if they fight the Predators... it's such a waste of time/dialog to be honest. I think that's why I would have just preferred a Russian tale.

Meanwhile in Russia, the characters are really great! Ligacheva is the commander in charge of a small fueling outpost in Siberia. She's been sent there, mostly because of sexism... I mean, I don't even know how realistic it is for them to have women commanders at during this time frame? The US certainly didn't. In any event I quite liked her character and even the men from the station and military were pretty good. So, it's not like Verheiden can't write pretty good characters, he clearly can. She's driven to protect her men and her country when it comes to the Predators and she's one of the few who basically understands what's going on, so when the Russians send additional forces she tries to warn them that this is no American special force on the ground. The problem here is that they are not inclined to believe her when they find Philips' team, which is a great story idea!

You'd think Shaefer would help her more given she has some clue as to what's going on, but not really. It's just sarcasm and him walking off to "do what has to be done" half the time. I really wish this guy had stayed in the first series and we never hear from him again...

Oh well, in the end, the story wasn't that great. I had some other misgivings, but I'm tired of complaining now, so I'm just gonna end this here... if you liked Shaefer and all his dry sarcasm and unhelpfulness in life or death scenarios, then you're going to love this story.

[falcon greyjoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

the illustrations weren't as cool as the first ones but I liked the story. too much militar terminology and too much preparation instead of more action throughout. it kinda felt like anti soviet propaganda because they straight up refused to team up with them against the killer aliens from space just because they were soviet?? anyways, laura palmer mentioned 😁

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this second "volume" of the "Schaefer trilogy." I thought it was an interesting take - what would happen if the Predators landed in a frozen part of Earth? How would they cope, since they prefer the heat over the cold? It introduces an interesting (and smart and attractive) female Russian officer as a partial-counterpoint to Schaefer and his cynical attitude. The author/writer is hit-and-miss regarding character development; the Russian Lieutenant Ligachev has the most and best character development. I thought she was also the most interesting character in the story. The "returnees" from the first volume (General Phillips, former Detective Rasche, and Detective Schaefer) see very little development in (to) their characters. Rasche could be said to see some development, I suppose, but not really that much. The other characters are fairly forgettable, as they truly seem like cardboard stereotypes instead of true characters. The "action" was so-so; there was very little suspense to be honest. It was more "let's see how this turns out" as opposed to really being worried that Schaefer was ever truly in any kind of danger. I do realize it is meant to be "mindless fun" and does not necessarily require the "hero" to have any kind of "development" as a character, but sometimes it is still nice to have some level of "intelligence" behind how the characters function (as opposed to the general stereotype that "all soldiers are sub-human, non-intellectual morons and idiots" that Hollywood used to like to portray them as being around the time this was written).

As much as I liked the premise of having a batch of Predators (crash-)landing in Siberia, I honestly felt like the cold should have affected them more than it did. They do not have any kind of cold weather gear. Their bodies let off so much heat that when they walk through the snow, they melt the snow and create deep footprints that then freezes. The depth of the footprints also implies how much heat their bodies generate and release. For example, if the wind chill is -25 degrees F and the wind is 25 mph, that equates to -56.2 degrees F. If the temperature gets as low as -75 degrees F (like the story describes) and if there is a "slight breeze" of 3 mph, the wind chill is -91.7 degrees F. If the wind is 5 mph, then the wind chill is -98.6 degrees F, and if it is 10 mph, the wind chill is -108.9 degrees F. These creatures hate the the cold and thrive in the heat; logically, the cold should have affected them more than it should have affected the humans because of the amount of body heath they would be losing to the extreme cold and how hard their bodies would be working to counteract the effects of the extreme cold, but it seems to not have affected them in the least bit.

Not only that, but if the Predators were melting that much snow every time they took a step, they should never be able to sneak up on ANYBODY, period. Even if a Predator was standing still, he should be melting so much snow and ice because of his body heat, he should be sinking into a hole filled with freezing water! Each time one would take a step, he (or she, I suppose) should be leaving behind footprints that showed where it came from and where it was going. I suppose some if it would have to do with the soldiers looking in the "right direction," but in the "flashback" part of the story, when Lt. Ligachev is undergoing the "after action report" of what happened to her squad, the squad can clearly see the footprints in the snow that were filled with ice and one of the soldiers can feel the heat being generated by the Predator. When it "finally" reveals itself, it is standing right in front of them, yet it is not standing in a pool of ice-cold water and there is no evidence that it is standing there, despite the vast amount of heat its body is releasing. I personally think the Russian soldiers should have been able to take it out, on the one hand, considering how cold the brute had to be, or, if not being able to kill it, should have been able to wound it. But the creature, despite hating the cold, does not appear to be truly affected by the cold like it should be.

I did find it funny that the Americans' "much vaunted technological superiority" failed to work when facing off against the Russian soldiers. On the one hand, I could see it happening. There is a level of arrogance that Americans do seem to have that makes it believable, but at the same time, it still felt 'unbelievable' that the soldier would not have been warned about the various hazards and weakness of their weapons and suits (or that these items would not have been tested by the Army, anyway, on some kind of "proving grounds" in the Arctic to make sure they did work as promised as well as to discover any kind of "bugs" or weaknesses in the respective systems).

Also, if the soldiers and General Phillips' staff know that these creatures see in infrared (as implied), then they should know that their "specially-designed cold suits" would be emitting an enormous heat signature for the Predators to be able to see with their technology. It really did not make any sense to send soldiers out wearing "heat beacons" after an alien species that tracks and kills via a creature's heat signature.

I liked Lt. Ligachev and hoped she would become a "future love interest" for Schaefer, based on how the story progressed, how they developed a "relationship" of sorts, and his confession to his good buddy, Rasche, that he actually likes the Russian Lieutenant. We never know what happens to her, though (unless she shows up in a subsequent comic, but sans Schaefer). I thought she was an interesting addition to the storyline and felt her character could have gone quite far (especially as she gains a deeper understanding of Schaefer and why he is the way he is despite their limited time working together). I also felt that Schaefer's reaction (response?) to the Russian was an indication of some growth and character development for him, as well.

I do not know how I feel about now-Sheriff Rasche showing up in the story. It did not feel that credible to me, to be honest. Nor did I know how I felt about his going to the Russian Ambassador like he did; it felt like "treason" to me. Still, though, his joking with Schaefer at the end was a bit funny.

It was fascinating inside the Predator's ship; we get a glimpse of some of the equipment and interior, but no explanation of what each piece of equipment does. The vessel has clearly suffered some kind of malfunction, causing it to crash land where it did. The Predators do show how resourceful they can be by taking human technology and adapting it to their needs to get their vessel flight-worthy. Schaefer and Ligachev have other ideas, though, and that is one more crew of Predators who will no longer be tormenting the Earth.

I know the first Predator movie had a helicopter crash and its CIA-crew killed while on a "top secret mission" of some kind. It is implied it has to do with the Communist rebel camp on the other side of border strengthening its manpower before some kind of big push to overthrow a duly elected government friendly to the US of A. I suppose one could make the argument that it was actually trying to locate a Predator (despite being shot down and its crew killed by human weapons). The second movie indicates there is some kind of "secret, shadowy government agency" at work, studying these creatures and trying to capture one. That being the case, I suppose the case could be made that this aspect of the story (i.e. - General Phillips actually heading up this "secret, deep-black, intelligence agency") has enough credibility to be "true" as far as the story goes. Personally, I felt like it was still a pretty big stretch and that the author got the Weyland-Yutani Corp and other "skulduggery" of his Aliens mini-series mixed up with his Predator stories. The author makes it sound like it is a bad thing that there is a government agency associated with the military trying to acquire alien technology to better protect the interests of the Earth (or, the US government and the US government's Terran interests). Honestly, what does the writer want? The Earth to be completely at the mercy of any aliens who want to come and declare "open season" on the planet and its inhabitants? I think it is the worst part and weakest part of the story (series), myself, and I find myself wishing he had not gone in the direction that he did (especially in terms of Schaefer being abducted and forced to join the mission to Siberia against his will). Myself, it makes perfect sense to me that the governments of Earth would be trying to acquire any and all alien technology (as well as alien specimens) to study in order to better defend the Earth against any further alien incursions. I do not blindly trust the government, but neither do I "curse" the government, either, and think we would be better off without it. Probably less government, but that is neither hear nor there. In any case, it is funny how Schaefer has such a "bad attitude" and is still considered "one of the good guys," as are the Russian soldiers (at least, that is how they come across to me), but the American soldiers are portrayed as "the bad guys" in this story.

It is funny how the story just "ends." There are no repercussions to the Americans being on Siberian soil. None of the Americans are apparently interred and interrogated by the Russians. The story just ends. Until Dark River was published, nobody really knew what happened to the Americans, and, sadly, nobody knows what happened to Lt. Ligachev (as far as I know; maybe the third story in the trilogy will have that information).

Also, I liked how General Phillips referenced the events that took place in the Predator: Big Game mini-series. That story took place in-between these first two stories about Schaefer, and the General mentions how he was not invited to participate in that mission (in which a Navajo soldier fights for survival against a Predator that decimates a US Army base and the units sent out to hunt it down and kill it). Granted, the soldiers do not know what they are getting themselves into at the time. At the same time, that story also "promoted" the idea of all American soldiers (other than the "chosen one") being ignorant, stupid, uneducated males. Despite its negative portrayal of American soldiers, it,too, was an interesting story and it "expanded" the "Predator Universe" with it being mentioned in this story.

While I was ambivalent about Sheriff Rasche being in this story, I did like how strong his bond of friendship with Schaefer was and how far he was willing to go to save his friend. Even though I "disagreed" with how that part of the story went down, I still thought this focus on their friendship was one of the highlights of the story. He was willing to sacrifice quite a bit for his friend and former partner; I felt it spoke quite highly of Rasche and how much he valued his friendship with Schaefer.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I thought it was an interesting premise that the writer failed to even adequately explore in a story format. That being the case, it does have some good artwork especially when Ligachev and Schaefer are inside the Predator's spaceship, some crazy moments, and a crazy ending. I would probably rate it 2.6 - 2.8 stars, rounded up to 3 stars.

[✮Octjillery✮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

[My reviews are generally for me/my memory and can therefore contain spoilers. They're typically not here to provide you with a reason to read or not read something.]

Note: I read this via the first massive omnibus (on Kindle). The plan is to review each trade/mini-series/whatever as I finish them, rather than the whole omnibus or every single issue.

This mini is a follow-up of sorts to the Concrete Jungle mini that started off all of the comics. There is also a reference to the events of Big Game ("There was already an incident down in New Mexico"), so we're building up the lore as we go. Rasche and Schaefer are dealing with their experiences in different ways, with Rasche suffering from some pretty intense PTSD, and Schaefer on a mission to find out more about his still-missing brother.

Overall, this is pretty standard testosterone-fueled 80s action and dick-measuring contest. A police officer answers Schaefer's office phone and complains that if he "wanted to play secretary, [he] would have shaved [his] legs this morning." Rolling my eyes out of my head. Rasche thinks of his wife as "a good kid" when he decides to run off to help Schaefer somehow. Weird. But he goes to some crazy lengths to come in clutch for Schaef.

Lt. Ligachev was likeable. Despite the above paragraph expressing my disdain for the more machismo side of things, the franchise doesn't do too bad a job of including some solid female characters. Alien is better about it, but still.

I got so tired of the back and forth between the Russians and Americans, and the one-liners. This took me a while to get through because I'd read like one page and do something else for a few minutes.

I'm really just working my way through to get all the lore, because I want to get to more Yautja-focused comics.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure with Dutch's bigger, meaner brother - this time in Siberia where a bunch of Predators have crashed. Not quite as fun as the first book, though Shaefer is a lot more sardonic in this one. Still pretty entertaining with the same art style as before. The novelisation is better, though.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun and entertaining. The book deals more with the characters than the first book did. But the threat of the Predators cannot be felt in the same extent as it actually should. In fact all the politics masks the main plot. I think this book could have been something much more.

[Pante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schwarzenegger's "Red Heat" gets a spiritual sequel, which is a spin-off to the Schwarzenegger's "Predator" and the main character is a brother of a guy, played by Schwarzenegger. What could possibly go wrong?

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

American written story about Predators in the Soviet Union made in 1991? Sign me up.

When I was a kid I read Concrete Jungle and really liked it. Now, almost 30 years later, here is the sequel. Its fine. The cynical military industrial complex subplot was nice.

[Steen Ledet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Change of location does little to infuse new ideas. Interesting to see how quickly movie material got adopted.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another trip down memory lane yields more fun memories of this book, I remember absolutely loving this even though I didn't understand half of what was written in it 😂

[Michael Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good art enjoyable characters and an entertaining plot.

[Jacob Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow up to the first Predator story. This continues the story of Dutch’s older brother and his journey to find him & get revenge on the predators.

This story is told from the perspective of 3 characters. I won’t say one of them, but you get a Soviet angle, & and an American angle of a situation. I think that’s pretty cool, and it’s also unique that this takes place in the winter snows of Siberia. We haven’t ever seen a Predator movie or hardly any comics with this setting.

Is it better than the first story? In some ways yes. But I would say it’s on par for the most part. I really like the characters in this story. It adds so much to some from the previous story.

How I read & best way to read this story? Get the first vol of Predator the original years omnibus by marvel comics. It’s so worth the money to have access to these great stories.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Junk-food for the soul.

Nothing deep and nothing beautiful about the art, but good old-fashioned fun.