Batman Versus Predator III: Blood Ties

Batman versus Predator #8-11

by Chuck Dixon

It's a familiar rite of passage: a father takes his son on a hunting trip, hoping to impart some wisdom to his offspring. There's just one thing wrong: the father and son are deadly Predators, fearsome hunters from another galaxy, and the son's prey is Batman's teenaged partner, Robin. Co-published with Dark Horse Comics.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Horror, Science Fiction, Action

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.

His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan.

In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989.

His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million , Contagion , Legacy , Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan.

He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey .

While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998.

In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.

On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story and art were absolutely not as good as previous rounds of Batman vs Predator, but a decent storyline, a very good ending (reminding me this! https://youtu.be/VfsFV7VGBzI XD) and a great depiction of an Alfred funnier, tougher and more active than usual saved the day.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Predators return and this time Robin is involved. I liked that Dixon brought in some of Bat's rogues gallery as well, with Mr. Freeze having a large roll. Of the three crossovers, this felt the most in continuity. I like the art as well.

[Benji's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent conclusion to the Batman/Predator Trilogy. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I did like how we got to see some of Batman's Rogue Gallery in this one. Nothing too memorable though and there's a good chance I'll forget having read this in a few months...

At least the artwork wasn't terrible.

[Vigneswara Prabhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dynamic duo of Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) have to face off against a father-son Yautja pair out of commence the initiation of the young hunter by hunting capable prey. That's it. They go up against one another in multiple confrontations, until one side emerges the victor.

The action this time around is much more localized, and the kill count way low. There is none of the characteristic brutality one associates when there are Predators on screen, and the story passes by way to quickly.

Only interesting plot point to mention is how they incorporated Mr. Freeze and his subthermal abilities being a natural counter to the Predator's heat vision. I'm surprised they didn't explore this is more detail.

A decent entry, nothing to write home to, mostly catering to the genre specific fans of the crossover. Giving it 3 out of 5

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice 3rd mini series in this Crossover. Nice plot continues the previous two mini series storyline. Good art, nice read. Recommended

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final compilation in the series. I never realized that a third series had been written! I did like the idea of a 'father-and-son' team involved in the hunt and that the hunt was a rite of passage, an initiation in which the 'son' becomes whatever version of a man a Predator becomes. It moves at a good pace; Batman is a bit brisk with Robin (because he wants to protect Tim, he and Alfred claim). It also involves Mister Freeze as a 'key component' of the story (unlike Catwoman, who merely has a cameo and a pathetic one at that). I do not really know what to say about the character development; there really is none unless you consider Tim Drake's working at odds with Batman and Alfred to discover the mystery behind the gruesome deaths and the person or creature suspected of being behind them, all while trying to track down Mister Freeze; well, maybe none I suppose it does 'build' the mythos of the Predators a bit by having a 1.5-armed father working with his son to pass an initiation rite of some sort in their 'father-son hunt'.

The artwork in this is actually really good; in some respects, it is even better than the first two series as it maintains its consistency throughout the story. Batman looks good in it, as does Robin. Alfred is so-so; sometimes he looks pretty good, art-wise, and other times, he looks like somebody else (and I am not talking about when he is in disguise). I do not quite know how to describe it, but the characters and the vehicles and the city and the backdrop(s) all looked 'better' than in the first two stories. I know I previously defended the artwork for the cloaked Predators in my other two reviews, but if I were to rewrite them, I would say the artists should have taken lessons from the artist who did this book - he did an amazing job of translating the Predator's "cloak" into comic book form! I could not believe how close to the movie he was able to come! I do not know how to "copy" a picture into my review; every time I try to do so, I get an error message, but if I could figure it out I would post a pic to show how good (awesome) (amazing) the Predators' cloak is in this comic. It is well done.

I think one of the 'best scenes' of the cloak is when the youthful Predator drops down from the top of the screen at a drive-in theater and Tim can see his image as he drops to the ground and stands there because of how the movie is distorted with its passage. It is not very long, and I would have loved to have seen the artist do some more pics of the Predator falling down the screen and how it warped the film's image, but what little is shown leaves enough for the imagine to visualize what would have happened.

I could not decide if the artist inserted the faces of some actors throughout the comic or not - I swear Wayne Knight has a 'cameo' in this comic, signing over the 'delivery' of a helicopter prototype to Alfred in disguise.

In regards to the story: I did like the idea of a 'father-and-son' team going after Batman and Robin as a kind of 'rite-of-passage.' I thought it was a great idea; it seems like Richard Grayson was already Nightwing by the time the first series came out, anyway, so the two of them would not have worked out so well. Bruce's playing it 'close-to-the-vest' put Tim's life in danger, albeit accidentally; one wonders how things might have worked out had he been more forthcoming. There is a 'lot' going on in the story, though, considering there is the search for Mister Freeze (to find out what he knows and why he survived the aliens' attack), Batman is searching the city for the two Predators, the two Predators are a bit choosy in who they kill, and Robin is trying to solve two mysteries at once. Then, you have the splitting up of the two teams where Batman is hoping to trap both of them and suddenly realizes the other is chasing after Robin.

It was also interesting to see the Predator father as being crippled/wounded - it was missing the lower part of its . . . left arm? (I think it was the left arm; sometimes I thought it switched to the right arm throughout the comic, and I do not have the comic readily available to me at the moment to double-check; if I remember to check later, I'll correct this part of my review.) I do not ever remember seeing a crippled Predator in the few comics I read, which should make this one some kind of bad-@$$ Predator in that it was still able to hunt and take trophies.

I did like (appreciate) how this story also followed the mythos of the Predator movies. It had the 'worst summer temperatures on record in Gotham," it had the Predators only going after people who were armed (although they seemed to focus more on criminals in this storyline and less on the police), and I liked how Batman also used cold temperatures to his advantage.

I almost felt the search for Mister Freeze took away from the story, but I 'get' that Robin needed something 'useful' to do if he was to appear in the comic.

I also enjoyed Batman's overconfidence when going after the one Predator; he never once considered there might be two working in tandem. It nearly gets the best of him as well. Of course, this leads to the destruction of the prototype helicopter and an amusing scene where Lucius is chewing some hapless employee out before learning Wayne Enterprise is going to be shut down for twenty-four hours for "testing and clean-up" by "OSHA." Bruce's response to Fox's complaint about Wayne being a twenty-four hour operation - "Give everybody a paid day off! You'll be a hero!" was pretty amusing.

I did feel like Catwoman was a waste to have in the story - I suppose it was a 'cameo' but it still felt like she was a wasted character. At least she wasn't portrayed as "slinky-sexy" as the Huntress was in the second series!

It would have been interesting to see a conversation between Alfred and Batman over Alfred's keeping a double-barreled shotgun around. Alfred seems to go back-and-forth about guns and whatnot whereas Batman seems to oppose them in general (which is always funny, considering how he was portrayed early on as using guns). For example, there was a "recent" Justice League issue where he is pointing a gun at Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne has no real issue(s) with Alfred using a gun like he did in that case. So, it would probably be more correct to say Batman does not approve of criminals using guns or "heroes" using guns to take care of criminals.

In any case, it was a fun story to read. It was an interesting take on the Predator mythos. The artwork was very good. It moved at a fast clip, and it kept me entertained. I am glad that I read this final entry into the Batman vs. Predator series. It may not necessarily be 'required reading' for anybody, but I did find it to be 'fun escapism.'

[Erin the Avid Reader ⚜BFF's with the Cheshire Cat⚜]

I can't believe this actually exists.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman vs. Predator III: Blood Ties is a comic book crossover featuring a duel between Batman and a member of the titular extraterrestrial race from the Predator film franchise with cameos appearances of Victor Fries as Mr. Freeze, Selina Kyle as Catwoman, and Tim Drake as Robin. Batman vs. Predator III: Blood Ties collects all four issues of the 1997–1998 limited series. It was written by Chuck Dixon with art by Rodolfo Damaggio, and was published by DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

A Predator has returned to Gotham City, but this time it is not alone as it has brought its child. It is on Earth, Gotham City, in particular, to show its child the thrill of the hunt where the younger Predator will cut his teeth on Tim Drake as Robin. Now Bruce Wayne as Batman must find and neutralize the threat while trying to keep Robin out of the path of these deadly aliens. However, to counter them, Batman may have to make a pact with another deadly enemy, but one he knows, Victor Fries as Mr. Freeze.

Batman vs. Predator III: Blood Ties is written and constructed moderately well. Chuck Dixon's narrative is marginally better than his predecessor. While Dixon's portrayal of the Predator as an antagonist is more than unstoppable killing machine, but just barely with a mentor-mentee relationship. The narrative fair slightly better with the inclusion of Tim Drake as Robin and his encounter with the deadly alien race. Rodolfo Damaggio's penciling is done rather well and is rather typically for penciling styles of that time.

All in all, Batman vs. Predator III: Blood Ties is a mediocre conclusion of the original graphic novel that postulates a fight between Bruce Wayne as Batman and the Predator race.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes it takes it ONE page to fuck up your entire experience with a comic.

The plot... pretty cool. The use of Robin. Superb. The way it used Mr. Freeze... absolutely brilliant.

The problem: one page... Barbara Gordon tells Tim Drake that aliens don't exist. . Barbara Gordon who- in the Post Zero Hour timeline has known Superman personally since she was 17 years old- says aliens don't exist. Barbara Gordon who at the time this story was set was a member of the justice League who worked alongside not only Superman, Martian Manhunter, Orion and Barda... but Green Lantern who wears alien tech on his ring on his finger- said aliens don't exist. To add insult to injury one of his monitors was open to the archive of a little newspaper called The Daily Planet.

And if that statement couldn't be anymore dumb, Tim Drake, who has known Starfire, an extraterrestrial being, for longer than he's been Robin, believed her. Tim Drake, who even before Young Justice was pretty buddy-buddy with Superboy, believed her.

Now, in the case of Superman, he looks human, he was raised a Kansas farm boy and they've both known him personally for years. It's easy to not think of someone who is your friend as 'The Other' even when they are. But c'mon... they both know J'onn Jonnz. He doesn't use his shapeshifting powers any more than he has to... so it's kinda hard to mistake him for human.

So those one-two pages.... even though they were super small... just destroyed by ability to enjoy the whole thing.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given how bad the previous installment was, this one was surprisingly good. A balanced mix of good old fashioned Batman storytelling and detective work, mixed with the alien horror of the Predators. The members of the Bat Family are not there for show, especially Alfred. Also the Batman mythology merges well with the Predator one, with Mr. Freeze, for instance, being invisible to the Predators because he virtually has no heat signature.

The art may not be amazing, but it is solid and consistent sequential storytelling.

My only peeve is Batman's drawn out denial to include Robin or acknowledge that it is in fact the Predators they are fighting. After a certain point, it serves no purpose other than to keep them separated. There is also some weird stuff about Batman not being able to maintain flying vehicles, so he has to steal one from Waynetech, essentially himself, but it makes for a good bit of Alfred acting, so it didn't really bother me.

Overall, a good, fun comic to wrap-up the this crossover line and many steps up from the previous one.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, I loved this one. Two Predators–revealed in the closing moments of the comic to be father and son–start terrorizing the Gotham underworld. Batman and Alfred pretty much immediately figure out what’s going on, Robin (who is finally in one of these!!) is like “uh what” as they keep him in the dark. (Mostly at Batman’s insistence, of course.)

There’s also a brief appearance from Mr. Freeze, which makes sense because this was coming out around the same time as Batman & Robin. When Batman benches him, Robin–in his Tim Drake guise–goes with his friends to a drive-in movie theater to watch some old scifi/horror shlock, but is attacked by one of the Predators during the movie. There’s some really cute mixing of the dialogue in the movie with what’s going on with Tim and the Predator.

Eventually, the Predator chases Tim back to the Batcave and him and Alfred have to try to fend him off. Bats dispatches his own Predator attacker and informs Tim that the alien hunters saw Batman and Robin as a father and son, and were attacking them together accordingly as part of the younger Predator’s initiation.

This is a lot of silly fun, and I really appreciate the inclusion of Robin obviously. I was really hoping we’d get that in the third one, and Batman trying to bench him and him ending up in trouble anyway is such a classic story, really glad they went that route.

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Check out my compilation review of the Alien and Predator franchises on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...

[Riccardo Caputi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad, just pretty bland. I have to say that Gotham feels very alive in this comic, though. I enjoyed Catwoman's little scene and seeing the Zesti Cola billboard (a recurring world-building element in Dixon's Batman). In some moments, it's also a quite entertaining story. However, I found the ending quite underwhelming.

[Doh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I preferred both the story and art in this compared to BVP2. I liked the added touch of Mr Freeze and the Predator.

[Mark Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure, not quite as dark as the preceeding two, involving Batman and Robin vs two predators, with a little bit of Mr Freeze thrown in.

[Jeremy Hannaford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was actually kind of impressed how boring this was

[Andrew Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mister Freeze, wearing only a thong and a pair of goggles, fights Robin. I mean what is even happening here I can’t ughhhhh

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takes a long time to get going but is pretty fun when it does. Batman's plan pulls a bit from Predator 2 but it's more enjoyable than that movie.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous comic-y goodness.

[Bene Vogt · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best BATMAN VS PREDATOR series there is, which means next to nothing.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time its Batman and Robin against the Predators. Only Batman doesn't want Robin to know anything about the aliens. A fun story, a good read.

[Stephen J. Golds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ending was a complete cop out
Worst of the 3 volumes but still readable