Unknown Soldier

"A Very Private Hell - The Bounty Hunters"

Cover Date July 1982
Issue #265
Pages 8
Type Original Story
Cover Price $1.00
Featured Character Hans von Hammer
Also Featuring Monika; General von Kurtz

Synopsis

The opening chapter of the three-part 'A Very Private Hell' story arc. General von Kurtz, still desperate to break the stubborn spirit of the Rittmeister, raises the stakes by placing a massive bounty on the flyer's head. Instead of a traditional military hit, a specialized team of mercenary bounty hunters is commissioned to capture Hans von Hammer alive so his symbolic value can be systematically corporate-weaponized by the German High Command. Trapped on the ground while facing this specialized new category of danger, von Hammer relies on the protection of the nurse Monika, while his solitary Black Wolf tracks the encroaching threat from the margins of the airfield

Collector Notes

This issue marks the beginning of the final chronological story arc of the original Bronze Age run. Robert Kanigher expertly injects gritty Western and espionage thriller conventions directly into the World War I aviation landscape. John Severin's hyper-detailed, texturally rich line art gives the tactical ground movements and character framing a raw, weathered realism. Complemented by Gaspar Saladino's signature narrative lettering, the script turns the legendary reputation of the 'Hammer of Hell' into a deadly physical curse

Creative Team

Writer Robert Kanigher
Penciler John Severin
Inker John Severin
Letterer Gaspar Saladino