In the decades that Dark Horse Comics had the Predator license, they produced countless crossovers – with the Predator most famously interacting with Aliens, but also encountering several DC super heroes, Judge Dredd, Witchblade and many more characters besides (including a surreal, but surprisingly good pair of mini-series featuring the all-American, usually wholesome Archie characters).

Until Marvel picked up the license – thanks to parent company Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox and all of their properties – the Predator (species name: Yautja, for those of you who don’t know) hadn’t come into contact with any Marvel characters.

Even then, it’s surprising that Marvel have taken so long to capitalise on having the Predator available to cross over into their universe; yet the feeling here is that they wanted to wait and truly do justice to both sides of the crossover.

Benjamin Percy’s script here takes us into three different time periods in which Wolverine has encountered the Yautja; the benefits of the X-Man’s longevity and healing powers mean that we can be presented with a true, century-spanning epic.

Which is what we get here, in a truly spectacular opening issue for this four issue mini-series.

Flitting between the present day, Alaska in 1900 and Team X ‘many years ago’, the tale being told is meatier than you’d perhaps expect, as well as being pretty graphic and gory in places.

Any concerns that the introduction of the Yautja to the Marvel Universe would be somehow toned down or neutered are quickly laid to rest, with an opening sequence that sets us up well for what’s to come.

My only real complaint is with the art, which is handled by a different artist in each time period covered.

Actually, that’s not a fair statement; both the present day art – by Ken Lashley – and the Team X sequences (by Andrea Di Vito) are superb.

It’s Greg Land (with Jay Leisten inking), covering the major 1900 flashback sequences, who disappoints; I’ve long despaired at the obvious photo referencing of Land.

Not only does he clearly use images swiped from elsewhere, but it’s made so obvious when faces barely, if at all, change expression – as well as having inappropriate expressions for the scene – between one panel to the next.

It just ends up feeling incredibly stiff and lazy as a result.

There’s some dire stuff in the 1900 scenes, from a visual standpoint, though this really does only rear its head with the rendering of human characters.

Otherwise, when it comes to depicting animals and even the Predator itself, for the most part it’s pretty well done.

Still, some awkward art aside, I was hugely impressed with the Predator’s Marvel Universe debut. This is a cracking read and, after decades of What Ifs running through every Predator/Marvel fan’s head, we are finally getting what we want.

And it really doesn’t disappoint. This is a crossover that’s done right; really justifying the extended wait and doing justice to both the Yautja and Wolverine himself.