Hellhunters is a book that has mass appeal for a number of reasons. It expanded upon writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run on Incredible Hulk, especially the origins of the WWII Ghost Rider Sal Romero. It features characters Marvel fans know and love, including Peggy Carter and a younger Nick Fury. Plus, the idea of fighting against Nazis is an evergreen story; the supernatural elements happen to be the cherry on top. The question is, does Hellhunters #2 keep up the momentum of the first issue?
In a word, yes. A large part of that has to do with the appearance of a certain Canadian named Logan – yes, that Logan. Turns out the demonic Nazi forces that led to Romero’s transformation attacked his outfit and possessed one of his friends. But Hellhunters #2 zig where other Wolverine guest appearances would zag, and treats his appearance as part of the story rather than just an “Oh look, Wolverine is here!”
In fact, Hellhunters #2 underlines its titular team dynamic more than once. Logan shares the same enemy as Romero and his group, while the Soldier Supreme Sebastian Szardos manages to turn the tide with his ghostly rifle. Johnson and Adam Gorham make it quite clear that everyone will have to work together, regardless of nationality, because they are hunting the same evil. It’s a message that more people need to hear, especially in this day and age.
Credit: Marvel
Johnson’s script has one standout moment, though, in the interaction between Romero and Szardos. Romero freely admits that he has little idea about how his Ghost Rider powers work, and Szardos points out that even if he accomplishes his goal of killing the demon who killed his men, the aftermath won’t be pretty. “You sold your soul to a demon. For revenge, the dumbest of all rewards. What’re you gonna do when you get it?” Szardos says, and that lingered with me long after I closed the book.
What also lingers is Gorham’s artwork, which hasn’t lost its violent edge. Bodies are impaled, ripped apart, or, in Romero’s case, alight with hellfire. It’s Logan who has the standout moments; when the other Hellhunters aim to take down a pair of Nazi soldiers, he gets to them first – and eviscerates them using a pair of Bowie knives. Making this savage sequence even more unsettling is how Frank Martin slowly drenches the page in blood red, only reverting when Logan snaps out of his berserker rage.
Martin also plays with different hues depending on the demonic forces. When it’s Romero, his Ghost Rider fire burns a dark reddish orange, surrounding his body and his signature chain. When it’s the Nazi demons, their bodies are shrouded in the icy cold blue of death, with violet crystals jutting out. It even spreads to Travis Lanham’s lettering: Romero’s word balloons carry a fiery trail!
Hellhunters #2 doesn’t lose what made the first issue great, as it continues to pack plenty of horror and action into its pages alongside some great character dynamics. Johnson and Gorham are firing on all cylinders here, which only makes me excited for the next issue.
Hellhunters #2 is available wherever comics are sold.
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