Predator: 1718 is a comic book short story that was first published by Dark Horse Comics in the special anniversary anthology series A Decade of Dark Horse #1, in July 1996. It was written by Henry Gilroy, illustrated and colored by Igor Kordey, lettered by Steve Dutro, and edited by Randy Stradley.

In the Predator comics line, Predator: 1718 was preceded by Dark Horse Classics - Predator: Jungle Tales, published concurrently with Predator: Dark River, and was followed by Predator: Strange Roux.

Contents show]

Plot

Dropping anchor at an island in Guinea in 1718, Captain Raphael Adolini, leader of a small band of pirates, is suddenly faced with mutiny over a stolen case of gold which was destined for a church. Adolini wanted the gold returned, much to the anger of his crew, who turned against him. In the following battle, a watching Predator joins the fray and fights back-to-back with Adolini, attacking the rebellious crew with an extendible sword. In the climactic scene, with the crew dead and the Predator and Adolini about to battle mano-a-mano, the captain is shot in the back by a surviving crew member who was hiding. Denied his trophy, the Predator angrily blasts the crew member away. With his dying breath, Adolini whispers "Take it..." to the Predator, throwing his beautifully engraved pistol. With Adolini dead, the Predator takes a moment to think about what has happened — and with some curious respect, leaves the dead Captain his extendable sword... "Take it". The final scene sees what looks like a shooting star moving across the night sky, far above a now silent island — and a pirate ship in the bay, never to leave anchor again.

Reprint History

Predator: 1718 was first reprinted in the Decade: A Dark Horse Short Story Collection trade paperback in April 1997, with a cover by Dave Gibbons featuring a spoof of Mount Rushmore made up of various Dark Horse characters, including the Predator. The release included all of the stories from the four original issues of A Decade of Dark Horse.

The comic was collected again as part of Predator Omnibus: Volume 2 in February 2008, with new title page cover art by Kordey.

The comic was released digitally through Dark Horse Digital on April 10, 2013, collected with Predator: Hell Come a Walkin' and reusing Dean Ormston's cover art from Predator: Hell Come a Walkin' #1.

Behind the Scenes

In Predator 2, the scene where Greyback hands Danny Glover the flintlock pistol dating from 1715 was based on an idea conceived by screenwriters Jim and John Thomas for a possible Predator movie that would take place in a time where was no modern weapons available to combat the creatures, much like the finale of the original Predator. This concept, which was explored in Predator: 1718, was allegedly also the subject of a potential Predator sequel script written in the mid-90s.

Gallery

Cover to Predator: Hell Come a Walkin'/1718 digital release

Add a photo to this gallery