One day I was looking for some nice comics crossover and what stuff I‘ve found! With title consisting of my favourite hunter (Predator, not Tarzan, to be precise), I don‘t need to add it took just an eye-blink before I‘ve started browsing online second-hand bookstores – as the original 4-part limited series was published in 1996, there as no other option anyway (although I have to mention that all 4 separate parts were also published in one volume, available, for example, through Amazon).
Yes, it was not that cheap (the price was OK, but postage from Canada to the UK added its value, unfortunately), but those of you collecting stuff know – if you need to have it, then you need to have it. Simples!
OK, so let‘s deal with the comics itself. Published by the Dark Horse Comics in the first half of 1996, this nice crossover was created by Lee Weeks (comics artist known for titles as Marvel‘s Daredevil and many more, also worked for Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics) and Walter Simonson (the comics writer and artists, known for, e. g. Thor, Fantastic Four etc, for Marvel, and Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion for DC
Comics, also known for his work on titles like Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator.
The story itself is of necessity a shorter one, combining already existing crossover of Tarzan and Pellucidar stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs with Predator universe. I am still sorry to this day I haven‘t been able to follow Tarzan through his all adventures, back home in then Czechoslovakia there were only first 4 volumes readily available (although majority of Tarzan books were translated into Czech language, these editions were rare and not available in libraries or for sale), and I have encountered Burroughs‘s Pellucidar (and John Carter) cycle only later in my life, so I am not familiar with all the inhabitant of the Earth‘s Core land, you know. But this knowledge is not really necessary, as one quickly grasps the whole story. Well, it‘s not Game of Thrones, thank God.
And although I‘ve enjoyed the whole story, I have to say I am not satisfied with the outcome. Of course, Tarzan is – as always – the main hero, so it‘s understandable he would be a winner, but don‘t kid ourselves. Although coming from somewhat modern world down to the Earth‘s Core, he seems to master the Predators‘ technology quite easily, which, taking into the consideration the very first Predator movie and the fight of Arnie‘s Dutch character against the fearsome alien hunter, this part of the story seems to be very very unlikely. In other words, I hold on to the opinion Predator (or Predators, as there was not just one) would make a bloody salad out of Tarzan in no time.
Other than that, I have to say, this series was nice and for me, as the comic virgin (still!), quite enjoyable. But if pressed to choose, I‘d follow Predator comics rather than Tarzan ones.
