The Predator is one of the coolest monsters to ever appear on screen. From his armor to his uniquely terrifying appearance, Yajuta’s shadow looms large in the pantheon of pop culture, and his desire to hunt down the most powerful beings in the universe means he’ll face off against characters including Batman and Wolverine. Masu. I attended a panel featuring Predator at LA Comic Con on Saturday, courtesy of Launchpad Podcast hosts Matt Corrigan and Aaron McClain. A cosplayer wearing a Predator costume also appeared on the panel!
The Launchpad Podcast featured three guests who have played important roles in Predator history. Richard Chavez (who played Poncho in the first Predator movie), Mark Verheiden (writer of multiple Predator comics, including the iconic Predator: Concrete Jungle), and Sam. De La Rosa (inker who worked on Concrete Jungle and two other Predator comics issues) Chavez compares the original Predator era to the veteran era, especially with Jesse Ventura. We started talking. I realized that I had a hard time making the forest set. He also talked about the original Predator design and how Stan Winston and Kevin Peter Hall helped bring the Predator to life.
Verheiden then spoke about the origins of the concrete jungle. He could not use Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character Dutch due to image rights issues, so he gave Dutch a brother. He also said that he wanted to stay true to the feel and source material of the original film, and wanted to place the Predator in different environments. “Concrete Jungle” is set on the streets of New York, and its sequel “Cold War” is set in Siberia. “‘Predator’ is one of the three movies that changed my life,” Verheiden said, citing “Alien” and “The Evil Dead” as the other two.
De la Rosa also talked about being a fan of the original Predator and his work on Concrete Jungle. Due to his commitments with Marvel at the time, he was only able to work on two issues, but he was happy to have accomplished both. De la Rosa also mentioned that he worked on the variant cover for Predator vs. Wolverine, but said he had redrawn the cover after being notified because he had placed the Predator’s wrist blades incorrectly. Ta. All things considered, it’s still a pretty cool image.
Then the conversation turned to who everyone wants to see Predator fight. Chavez pitched a story about Pancho coming back to life, and Verheiden jumped in, saying, “And Ash Williams meets him!” De la Rosa suggested that Ka’Zar should attack him or Venom. It was clear that the panelists and attendees alike had nothing but love for the Predators, and it was great to hang out with fellow Predator fans.
