1944: As U.S. Sergeant Sal Romero is parachuting into Nazi-occupied Europe, young Nazi officer Felix Bruckner becomes the host for an unspeakable evil. In the aftermath of their violent meeting, Romero is reborn as Ghost Rider ’44, who sets out not only to take revenge on Bruckner and the Nazis, but to save mankind from annihilation! Hellhunters #1 takes us back to the kind of story where it was clear who the bad guys are and kicking Nazi ass was something you cheered on.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed growing up was watching “old” war movies with my father and grandfather. Often John Wayne leading a pack of soldiers against a clear enemy with cheesy dialogue but still a bit of machismo about it. There were black and white “classics” and more “modern classics” like The Dirty Dozen which had fun with the genre while focusing more on the personalities of the characters and what they brought to the action. Hellhunters #1 feels like it taps into those classics in a way as we’re introduced to a new Ghost Rider who’s out to kick Nazi ass.
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Hellhunters #1 does a solid job in introducing its hero and villains and infusing the horror genre with war comics. It’s very much an introduction quickly taking us through the two origins both of which don’t have much in depth but really, it’s not needed. The Nazis make a deal with a devil and a dying soldier makes a deal to come back as Ghost Rider. Beyond that, that’s all we really need to know. The two sequences that lead to each of those moments are solid and in some way hit some cliches but still are more than entertaining in a pop sense.
The art by Adam Gorham is solid. With color by Frank Martin and lettering by Travis Lanham, the comic feels cold throughout. But, what’s interesting is the visual balance between it being a traditional war comic but also featuring horror elements. It does a solid job of mixing the two. Some of that is due to the lettering by Lanham who gives each of the otherworldly beings a lettering style that captures their essence and highlights their ethereal nature.
Hellhunters #1 is a fun start to the series. It’s clear we’ll see more heroes of the time and it’ll be interesting to see where it all goes from here. But, overall, it nails its concept of a war comic with horror elements and delivers a combination of the two that feels like B-movie entertainment in a good way. This is one to just sit back and enjoy.
Story: Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art: Adam Gorham
Color: Frank Martin Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
