Superman and Batman vs. Aliens and Predators # 1 (of 2)
DC Comics/Dark Horse
WRITER: Mark Schultz
ARTISTS/COVERS: Ariel Olivetti

Superman and Batman separately set out to explore a mysterious pyramid-- err, spaceship-- found buried in the Andes. By coincidence, they run into each other and must now join forces against the inhabitants of the structure-- the Aliens and the Predators of the popular movie franchises. Obviously, Superman alone could probably handle an army of these creatures so the writer has to contrive a way where these extra-terrestrials can actually cause a Kruptoniam to break a sweat. Schultz does this by taking some... 'liberties' with the Aliens and Predators. Batman actually holds his own against the Aliens and then actually has a conversation with the Predators. Despite a few gory deaths, neither the Aliens or Predators really look like much of a threat against the 'Big Two.' These creatures may be slightly different from the versions seen on the big screen but they are recognizable enough to please their respective fans. The painted art by Olivetti is pretty-- very pretty. So pretty in fact that neither the Aliens or the Predators look very frightening. That said, the story is quite satisfactory in itself. It just doesn't seem very special. Just change a few names -- to avoid paying the licensing fees-- and this story could easily appear in a regular issue of "World's Finest." As a special, it gets three out of a possible five stars. If this were just another issue of World's Finest, selling for a lot less money, it would get five stars.