Predator: Hell & Hot Water is a three-issue limited comic book series that was first published by Dark Horse Comics from April-June 1997. It was written by Mark Schultz, illustrated by Gene Colan, colored by Gregory Wright, lettered by Steve Dutro, and edited by Bob Cooper, with covers by Schultz. The story features a Predator that visits Earth to observe dangerous deep-sea creatures as potential worthy adversaries by using humans as bait, and marks the first undersea adventure for the Predator franchise.
In Dark Horse's Predator comics line, Predator: Hell & Hot Water was preceded by Predator: No Beast So Fierce, and was followed by Predator: Primal.
Publisher's Summary[]
#1: Two days ago, the crew of a Chilean fishing vessel saw something fall from the sky. They were into the Humboldt current, watching the approach of a fast-moving weather front, when they heard a roar like a huge turbine in the sky. The rain swept over them, and through the sheets coming down through the clouds they saw a vision that at times took on material definition and flickered with an electricity of its own. Captain Rafe Cromartie has a pretty good idea what's down in those cold waters — he's pretty sure he's fishing for Predators. But knowing what you're fishing for and knowing how to catch it are two totally different things.
#2: One crew member is dead, his skull and spine ripped out, and Matteson is missing. That leaves the team no choice — they have to go back into the waters to search for their absent comrade. They're prepared to battle a Predator, so they believe they're prepared for the worst, but the horrible truth is that the Predator may be the least of their troubles.
#3: As if a Predator weren't problem enough! Rafe Cromartie has already lost a good part of his crew to the undersea hunt for the Predator. Now it looks as though the rest of the crew — and Rafe himself — are about to fall victim to another undersea horror: a huge, tentacled worm creature! It looks as though Rafe and crew are caught between Hell and Hot Water!
Plot[]
When a Chilean fishing vessel in the Humboldt current detects a descending spacecraft of unknown origin and reports it to the authorities, a clandestine organization, possibly OWLF, tasks Captain Rafe Cromartie and his team of mercenaries with tracking and capturing the suspected Predator by pairing them with a contact in Chile who has received top-secret deep-cover emergency training based on all cumulative knowledge of the alien creatures.
Reprint History[]
Dark Horse Comics[]
Cover to Predator: Hell & Hot Water trade paperback by Schultz.
Predator: Hell & Hot Water was first collected as a trade paperback edition in February 1998, featuring a new cover by Schultz.
The series was collected again as part of Predator Omnibus: Volume 3 in June 2008.
The complete comic was released digitally through Dark Horse Digital on May 13, 2013, reusing Mark Schultz's cover art from issue 3.
Marvel Comics[]
Following Marvel Comics' acquisition of the rights to Predator comic books, the comic will be collected as part of Marvel's Predator: The Original Years Volume 2 collection, alongside many other early Dark Horse stories. The collection is set to be released in March, 2024.
Behind the Scenes[]
As the first successfully executed high seas Predator adventure, Hell & Hot Water was perhaps an inspiration for the later sea-themed novel Predator: South China Sea from DH Press.
Writer/artist Mark Schultz also worked on the series Aliens: Apocalypse.
Gallery[]
Issue covers[]
Other[]
