Spider-Man vs. Predator #1: Hunters, All The Way Down

There hasn’t been anything particularly shocking about Marvel’s recent set of Predator crossovers—at least, nothing beyond what the premise already promised. As the publisher finds itself stuck between the corporate standards of two major IPs, the chance for cross-franchise stories to actually surprise has been slim to none. Even so, Ben Percy has found success in his crossover work—on both Wolverine and Black Panther’s clash with the iconic alien hunter—by playing it safe but doing so with technical precision. That same pattern of safe success is exactly what defines Spider-Man vs. Predator: an occasionally goofy mashup that delivers on expectations, but never really exceeds them. No surprises, but what’s here is solid and satisfying.

There’s not a ton more to unpack with this debut. Percy makes great use of Predator lore and logic to bring them into the bowels of New York City, where Peter Parker’s life naturally overlaps with the hunter’s sinister game. The writing leans on the most iconic parts of Peter’s world—like his ties to the Daily Bugle—to ground why Spider-Man, of all people, ends up having to deal with an alien assassin from another planet.

Those ties get pushed to their most cartoonish limits, with both properties leaning into recognizability over any real effort to add new flavor. That said, Percy knows how to pace a story and steadily escalate tension, leading up to a genuinely wild Predator. There’s a strong build of pressure that puts Peter’s personal life in the crosshairs, especially with Mary Jane’s safety on the line. It’s all capped off with a welcome appearance by J. Jonah Jameson—clearly written with J.K. Simmons in mind—and a final-page stinger that’s just as fun as it is predictable.

The art is a major win, even if it’s slightly undercut by coloring that gets the job done but doesn’t go far enough. Ferreira’s linework blends both worlds seamlessly. The yellow-heavy palette does a decent job evoking heat—every panel feels like it’s sweltering—but because of how flat that yellow is, it ends up looking more like everything’s been dusted in mustard powder. You get “heat” through association, but not through stylization. The coloring is much stronger in the moments where that yellow tint fades, and location-specific lighting takes over.