Spinning out of the pages of Incredible Hulk, another Ghost Rider variant is taking center stage as Marvel announces Hellhunters, a five issue limited series telling the origin story of Ghost Rider '44.
Hellhunters flashes back to World War II to tell the story of Sgt. Sal Romero, who becomes a Spirit of Vengeance to help his squad, the eponymous Hellhunters, take on a Nazi who has become possessed by demonic forces.
Written by Ghost Rider '44's co-creator Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Hellhunters is drawn by artist Adam Gorham, and will bring in WWII-era guest stars such as Wolverine, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes, and even 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," reads Marvel's official description of Hellhunters #1. "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 variants and spin-offs are popular right now, with the upcoming Hellverine ongoing title bringing back Wolverine's dead son Akhiro as a Spirit of Vengeance. Now, with Ghost Rider '44 taking the lead in Hellhunters, Spirits of Vengeance are becoming a hot commodity (pun intended) at the House of Ideas.
"Ghost Rider '44 is definitely my favorite guest star that's appeared in our Incredible Hulk series so far. 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," explains writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson.
"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. 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," adds artist Adam Gorham. "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."
Hellhunters #1 goes on sale December 15 with a main cover by Gorham and a variant cover by Taurin Clarke.
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