Hellhunters has been, if you’ll pardon the pun, a hell of a ride. Seeing some of the Marvel Universe’s most badass characters fight the forces of hell during World War II is a slam dunk of a pitch, but it wouldn’t have worked as well as it does without Phillip Kennedy Johnson or Adam Gorham. The duo work together like a well-oiled machine, similar to the group of warriors they’ve gathered together, and they bring their A-game to Hellhunters #5.
Hellhunters #5 is mostly filled with wall-to-wall action, given its premise. The demonic forces of the Unhallowed have frozen over the English Channel, intending to kill off the Allied forces and win World War II for the Axis powers (not to mention the obvious world domination.) But the Hellhunters intercept, utilizing the demonic gifts given to them by the Spirit of Vengeance Zatharos.
Those demonic gifts lead to some of Gohrman’s best visuals yet, especially because of the visual contrast between fire and ice. All the Hellhunters bear weapons that are crafted from hellfire, and either fit their specialties or reflect the future awaiting them. Nick Fury sports a fiery sniper rifle, Peggy Carter wields a flaming shield, and of course Logan has claws made of flame which hints at his eventual future as Wolverine. In contrast, the Unhallowed bear the cold blue color of frostbitten corpses, with their leader Calaphel turning out to be a massive frozen winged demon.
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This might feel counterintuitive, but it shows that Johnson and Gorham have done their research. After all, Dante’s Inferno does describe the ninth circle of Hell being a frozen lake; why wouldn’t the demons who reside there have control over ice? The contrast is further underlined by Frank Martin’s colors, which pit arctic blue against glowing reddish-orange flame. And of course, Travis Lanham gives each of the demons their respective voice; Calaphel’s voice is a bleeding, jagged collection of words while Ghost Rider ’44 still has the spikey barrier around his words that resembles a chain.
Speaking of Ghost Rider ’44, Johnson gives him a pretty damn epic final moment against Calaphel, while also leaving the door open for future adventures. (Anyone who’s read Johnson’s work on Incredible Hulk, where Sal Romero first appeared, or Thunderbolts: Doomstrike know that those future adventures are just around the corner.) Johnson also addresses the fact that the Hellhunters took on demonic powers, with a single sentence that speaks volumes: “The devil don’t give power for free. It always gets paid back.”
Knowing the history of some of these characters, it definitely makes sense what the price they’ll pay is. But in any case, Hellhunters #5 closes the book on a horror-filled, action packed story. It also makes you want even more hellfire-slinging, Nazi-killing action, and I hope to see more of these characters in the future. Maybe Johnson and Gorham could do a Ghost Rider 1944 spinoff.
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