*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*

The brewing war between Elden and Francis is finally at its zenith in Alien vs Predator: Fire and Stone #4. The ongoing feud between the aliens and Predators is almost completely in the background at this point. Elden has routinely had the aliens doing his bidding. Always on the lookout for the next big game, the Predators have maintained their hunt for the aliens. But as we enter the final issue, our final four combatants are: Elden (final form?), Mutated Francis, Accelerant Predator, and one normal Predator. Here we go.
We begin with Elden facing off with a Predator, he wants to explain but his foe will have none of it. All Elden wants are answers! Why can’t he get them?! Maybe it’s because you led an army of xenomorphs onto a ship and slaughtered everyone. Just a thought. Suffice to say, this battle does not go well for the Predator, and it is bested by Elden. Adding insult to injury he is left to be finished off by a pack of Elden’s alien buddies. Naturally, the Predator doesn’t go down without a fight, and the conclusion to this battle is quite good.
Next we have Mutant Francis, who looks like the Croc after being exposed to the accelerant. He may have cured himself, but stumbled across an entirely different problem. It’s quite odd witnessing the battle between him and the Accelerant Predator. Both are so different from what we normally see in these universes. I was not a big fan of the shift to these morphing creatures, but it did make sense in the flow of the story. In his current state, Francis struggles to fight and begins to be taken to task by the Accelerant Predator.
After finally disposing of his enemy, Elden heads off to assist Mutant Francis. After all of the bloodshed and frustration, Elden finally realizes that he needed Francis the entire team. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I enjoyed this conclusion. Despite the weirdness of seeing too mutant freaks battling out in the end, the relationship between these two characters was fully fleshed out.

SUMMARY

I haven’t been shy in stating my appreciation for Francis this entire Alien vs Predator: Fire and Stone series, and I thought they gave him a fitting ending. Not having the title characters as the main protagonists in the final issue was a risky choice, but in the end it worked, despite the oddities. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for Elden. He could have some interesting conversations with David that’s for sure. Overall, the series was a mixed bag. It never quite seemed to find a center, however it boasted one of the best issues in the entire story arc. That alone made the AvP series worth it.

Release Date: 1/14/15

Writer: Christopher Sebela

Artist: Ariel Olivetti