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Prometheus: Fire And Stone #3
Released by: Dark Horse Comics
Released on: November 12th, 2014.
Written by: Paul Tobin
Illustrated by: Juan Ferreyra
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Continuing the story told in the first and second issues, Prometheus: Fire And Stone #3 catches up with scientist Francis Drake and his android assistant Elden as they remain trapped in a cave away from the rest of the survivors. Hordes of aliens are roaming the area and the human population is quickly dwindling. Francis, suffering from a terminal illness, decides he might be able to save his own life by filtering the newly discovered accelerant through Elden's biomechanical systems, all while Captain Angela Foster and what's left of her team try to find man and machine before it's too late.
As Angela closes in on the cave, we see that Francis' efforts to filter the accelerant through Elden's systems for his own gain have had a tremendous effect on the android: his skin is peeling off and he's not only more aggressive but he's somehow become much smarter as well - and he's not happy with Francis, not at all.
Back at the Helios, effectively operating as the crew's base of operations, seven aliens show up. Foster radios Angela who tells him to seal the ship and not let anything in until the threat has been taken care of. They oblige, and they also prepare for takeoff. Angela's search and rescue team find Francis and he tells them that Elden is trying to kill him and when he tells Angela why, she disciplines him for misconduct. They head back towards the Helios hoping that when they arrive, they can distract the aliens but when they arrive, the ship is covered in them. So Angela's team splits up, one group heading off to use the second ship, the Perses, to open fire and get the aliens off of the Helios so that the others can get inside. On their way to the Perses, however, they realize that Elden is still very much alive and still very upset about what Francis did to him…
It stands to reason that the third issue of a four issue mini-series would end on a serious cliffhanger so it's no surprise that that is exactly how writer Paul Tobin finishes this penultimate chapter. Tensions are running high not just because of the alien thread and not just because Elden has obviously changed into… something else, but because certain human characters are starting to crack under the pressure of the situation and show their true colors. The ramifications of certain character actions from the first two issues are definitely coming home to roost now and it'll be interesting to see how (or even if, given how this is tying into the Aliens, Aliens Vs. Predator and Predator Fire And Stone runs) this all gets tied up.
Juan Ferreyra once again scores top marks for his fantastic artwork. He continues to make the aliens a creepy and intimidating presence and his work on the now mutated Elden is also interesting. The colors bring out what should be the natural beauty of the jungle planet on which all of this is taking place while the illustrative style that brings its inhabitants to life serves to contrast that beauty with some rather horrific imagery. It works and it works well and it's once again all wrapped up in an excellent cover from David Palumbo.
