Aliens/Predator: The Deadliest of the Species #2 | The Hunt

Aliens/Predator: The Deadliest of the Species #2 continues an ambitious twelve issue saga from 1993. The chapter is titled “The Hunt,” and it pushes Caryn Delacroix deeper into a terrifying new reality.

Chris Claremont writes the story, bringing his character focused approach into the Aliens and Predator universe. Jackson Guice provides the pencils, while Eduardo Barreto handles the inks. Gregory Wright supplies the colors, and Tom Orzechowski provides the lettering.

Caryn begins this story far removed from the comfortable existence she once knew. She is now trapped inside a deadly situation involving a relentless Predator. Even worse, she cannot be certain whether everything around her is actually happening.

The mysterious computer known as TOY creates another layer of uncertainty. Caryn may be experiencing a lethal virtual reality scenario rather than the world she understands. That question becomes difficult to answer when survival demands her complete attention.

The Predator stalks Caryn through this nightmare, turning the issue into a tense game of pursuit. Caryn proves far more capable than her former sheltered life might suggest. She fights to survive and becomes involved both against and alongside the Predator.

Then the situation becomes even worse.

Caryn encounters an Alien horde while trying to escape. The combination of Aliens and a Predator gives the chapter the franchise confrontation promised by the series. It also forces Caryn into the center of a conflict much larger than herself.

That uncertainty is one of the issue’s strongest elements. Readers are never dealing with a simple monster attack. Reality, technology, memory, and survival begin overlapping around Caryn.

John Bolton provides the striking cover artwork. His painted image uses a bold red background with Caryn standing before an imposing Predator figure. The restrained composition gives the cover a very different appearance from many superhero comics of the same period.

The creative team also gives this issue strong collector appeal. Claremont was already one of the most recognizable comic writers of his generation. His involvement makes this series especially interesting for collectors familiar with his celebrated mutant stories.

The Deadliest of the Species arrived during an important period for Aliens and Predator comics. Both properties were expanding far beyond their original films during the early 1990s. This twelve issue series offered a much larger story than a typical short crossover.

“The Hunt” was later included in collected editions, including the complete 1996 collection. It also appeared again within an Aliens vs. Predator omnibus. Those later reprints show the lasting place this storyline earned within the broader comic history of the franchises.

This issue is not generally considered a major key. Its appeal comes from its creators, atmosphere, John Bolton cover, and place within the larger saga. For Aliens, Predator, Chris Claremont, or classic 1990s science fiction collectors, issue #2 is a memorable chapter worth adding to the run.