Captain America is used to fighting Nazis, but he's about to face a completely different threat in a graphic novel arriving in 2022.
CBR can exclusively announce Captain America: The Ghost Army, an original graphic novel from Scholastic's Graphix imprint by New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz and artist Brent Schoonover. The historical adventure stars an 18-year-old Steve Rogers and his sidekick Bucky Barnes, as the duo goes to war with Nazis in Transylvania. What they don't expect is a run-in with the undead Ghost Army, who can rise out of the ground and are unaffected by any weapons used against them. There is also the threat of Baron Mordo looming in his castle atop Wundagore Mountain.
"As a life-long comics reader, I'm incredibly excited to be writing for Marvel, and for Captain America specifically," Gratz told CBR. "Ed Brubaker's work on Captain America is one of my all-time favorite books, particularly his now-iconic Winter Soldier storyline. One of the things I most loved about that run was the flashbacks he gave us of Cap and Bucky fighting alongside each other in World War II, and it's that youthful spirit of camaraderie and heroism I'm trying to recapture in Captain America: The Ghost Army."
Gratz also discussed how The Ghost Army will include several references and Easter eggs for longtime Marvel readers. "I see the book as a modern expansion on that relationship first created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon and built upon by Stan Lee, so I know I'm following in some huge footsteps here!" he said. "Another thrill for me was that Marvel encouraged me to put in references to lots of other Marvel comics continuity. So while The Ghost Army is designed to be a super fun introduction to Captain America for a kid who has never picked up a Marvel comic book before, it's also got a lot of Easter eggs for adults who've been reading Marvel comics since they were kids themselves. My hope is that adult comics fans will share Captain America: The Ghost Army with the kids in their lives, and that they'll have a blast reading it together."
"Captain America: The Ghost Army is a perfect example of how Marvel storytelling can open exciting new doors into the context and influence of history," Sven Larsen, Vice President, Licensed Publishing at Marvel Entertainment said. "Captain America has been one of our most iconic characters across the decades, and seeing Alan Gratz and Brent Schoonover bring the earlier years of Steve Rogers' career to life has been incredible. Like all of our original graphic novels with Scholastic, we hope this story will introduce both new and loyal fans to some of our most inspirational characters, and to a time where Cap, along with Bucky Barnes, interacts with real-life history and heroism in a thrilling new way."
Alan Gratz is a lifelong Marvel comics fan, and his novels Refugee and Ground Zero are both currently on The New York Times bestseller list. Refugee is also currently in the process of being adapted into a graphic novel, set to be released in 2023. Brent Schoonover's previous comics works include Deadpool, Hulk, WWE, Army of Darkness, Ant-Man, Suicide Squad, Archie Comics' Jughead.
Captain America: The Ghost Army goes on sale Aug. 1, 2022. Three exclusive character sketches, along with the graphic novel's cover and ISBN information, can be found below.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE GHOST ARMY
- Written by ALAN GRATZ and illustrated by BRENT SCHOONOVER
- Graphix | On sale August 2, 2022 | Ages 8-12, Grades 3-7
- Hardcover ISBN: 9781338775907; $24.99
- Trade Paperback ISBN: 9781338775891; $14.99
- In this thrilling historical adventure, 18 year-old Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) and his young sidekick, Bucky Barnes, encounter a threat like none they've ever met while fighting the Nazis in the dark forests of Transylvania -- a Ghost Army. The dead of this war and wars past are coming back to life, impervious to bullets, flames, or anything else the Allies can throw at them. The armies rise from the ground in the night and seem to disappear without a trace.
- How can Cap and Buck fight something that's already dead? And just what does the mysterious Baron Mordo, sitting in his castle atop nearby Wundagore Mountain have to do with this?
- Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz merges the worlds of historical fiction and superhero comics in this one-of-a-kind graphic novel that is sure to be met with major enthusiasm from fans of all ages.
Source: Scholastic