Spinning out of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s acclaimed run of ‘Incredible Hulk,’ witness the origin of Ghost Rider ’44 in ‘Hellhunters!’
Last year in the pages of his terrifying run of INCREDIBLE HULK, writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson introduced Sergeant Sal Romero, AKA GHOST RIDER ’44, a Spirit of Vengeance who raised hell on the battlefields during World War II. This December, his epic backstory is told in HELLHUNTERS, a five-issue limited series written by Kennedy Johnson and drawn by Adam Gorham (IMMORTAL HULK, STAR WARS: DARTH VADER).
In the present day, Ghost Rider ’44 can only reawaken “when the monsters come.” During WWII, there were plenty of them—including Felix Bruckner, a Nazi officer who underwent a mysterious transformation of his own. When Bruckner’s demonic army begins its march, Sal will be forced to embrace his supernatural new gifts to turn the tide of the entire war.
Some of Marvel’s most badass heroes fought on the frontlines of World War II and HELLHUNTERS will see Ghost Rider ’44’s battle alongside the likes of Wolverine, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes, and, from the pages of Jason Aaron’s Avengers, Soldier Supreme.
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!
“Ghost Rider ’44 is definitely my favorite guest star that’s appeared in our INCREDIBLE HULK series so far,” Kennedy Johnson explained. “I had a fully-realized origin story for Sergeant Sal Romero in my head before my partner Nic Klein brought him to life with his art, and the character turned out so unbelievably cool and fun, we knew the ‘War Devil’ arc wouldn’t be his last appearance.”
“Now, with fan response being as overwhelming as it has, superstar artist Adam Gorham and I are giving Marvel fans the ORIGIN of Ghost Rider ’44,” he adds. “The forgotten story of the toughest, bloodiest, scariest, most bad-ass squad of Nazi-killers to come out of WWII: the HELLHUNTERS.”
“HELLHUNTERS is shaping up to be a dream book for me,” Gorham shared. “Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s scripts blend horror, super heroics, and two-fisted pulp into one gritty adventure. On this title, I am pushing myself harder than ever to deliver visceral and gruesome action that I hope leaves readers blown away and wanting more.”
