Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch mugshot photo

Bryan Hitch has been a leading creative force in American comic books for over 30 years. Having worked on characters such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, Superman and The X-Men for 12 years, he co-created The Authority with RED’s Warren Ellis.

Widely regarded as a game-changing series, Comicbookresources.com said, “The Authority is the DNA of 98 percent of the superhero comics published today!” For his work, Hitch was labelled as the first ‘Widescreen’ comic book creator.

After working on DC Comics’ then best-selling Justice League comics, he and Mark Millar together created the ground-breaking Marvel series, The Ultimates. In that book, Hitch and Millar created a tonal template for modernizing the classic Marvel characters known collectively as The Avengers for a general audience, and it’s a direction that all the Marvel movies have since followed.

In July 2004, Joss Whedon, who would later go on to write and direct “The Avengers,” wrote of The Ultimates, “[Bryan] Hitch is one of the greatest artists of our day. You get the right mix of writer, artist and characters, set ‘em loose and you get a book that’s not only diverting, it’s necessary. That’s how good the Ultimates is.”

Prominently, Hitch took Nick Fury, a traditionally white character form Marvel history, and based him specifically on Samuel L Jackson. This “casting” was later picked up by the Marvel movies, when Jackson portrayed Nick Fury in a post-credits sequence at the end of “Iron Man” and continued to portray the character throughout the series of films.

James Chinlund, Production Designer on “The Avengers” said, “I was especially blown away by the work of Bryan Hitch in the Ultimates series. His work had a profound impact on our designs and approach on the Marvel movies.”

In 2010 The LA Times named The Ultimates as The Series of the Decade. Since his work on The Ultimates, Hitch continued to work on a variety of key Marvel projects until 2011, when he created America’s Got Powers with the British TV broadcaster Jonathan Ross.

Real Heroes, his first fully solo creation, was published through Image Comics in February 2014.

Outside of comics, Bryan Hitch has worked on a number of film and television projects. In 2005, Russell T. Davies revived “Doctor Who” for the BBC and invited Hitch to join him on the project. Instrumental in creating the visual direction for the show, Hitch designed the TARDIS set and numerous creatures, aliens and space ships

Davies explained how they approached Hitch: “I showed producers Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson the comics, they went mental, we summoned The Hitch, and here we are… Now Bryan can give us concepts and wild ideas to spark us off in new directions”

Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams invited Bryan to work on the relaunch of “Star Trek.” Although unable to join the production full time, he was uncredited, but consulted directly with Abrams over key visual elements and contributed the design for Spock’s space ship as seen in the finished movie.

Looking to repeat the influence his work has had on the Marvel Studios movies, 20th Century fox hired Hitch to work as a consultant, specifically for their Marvel Universe movies.

Hitch worked with DC Comics as writer and artist on Justice League notably on their Rebirth initiative before drawing a major Batman series, Batman’s Grave and helping reinvent DC’s classic Hawkman character.

Since then, Hitch relaunched Venom for Marvel comics, drawing 16 consecutive issues before helping create a new Ultimate Universe with the recent event series, Ultimate Invasion. A Superman Black Label series, The Last Days Of Lex Luthor for DC comics, has just published its premiere issue.

Bryan co-created REDCOAT with Geoff Johns, which is just the tip of a new creative explosion with GHOST MACHINE.

He resides with his family just south of London.

Ghost Machine //
Characters
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bryan-hitch

Bryan Hitch //
Bibliography
Jan 15, 2025
Redcoat #9
Everyone has a drinking buddy, but there’s none more magical than Johnny Appleseed! An American legend, Johnny lived an adventurous life, particularly when he crossed paths with our immortal British redcoat Simon Pure, who shared his pursuit of a good time with good drink. What secrets does Simon reveal in his inebriated state? Plenty.
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Dec 18, 2024
Redcoat #8
New Storyarc! Another tale of everyone’s favorite immortal British redcoat! It’s 1873, and travelers are disappearing within Labette County, Kansas, without a trace. Now, Simon Pure finds himself on the trail of the latest missing person and his young daughter, leading him to one of the strangest and most violent clans of killers to have ever operated in the United States. But is this amount of evil too much for even Simon Pure to handle?
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Oct 02, 2024
Redcoat #6
The fate of America rests entirely in Simon Pure’s immortal hands! Though he’d rather drop it and run! Simon, Benedict Arnold, and 13-year-old Albert Einstein face off against the hooded cult-master, the Grand Architect. Will Simon risk his immortality to save Einstein and America? Also: Simon tests the true bounds of his eternal life…and the result will terrify both you AND him!
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Aug 21, 2024
Redcoat #5
Immortal mercenary Simon Pure is no Einstein. Lucky for him, Simon has the real one helping him. Except this Albert Einstein is 13 years old and still discovering the revolutionary genius he’ll grow up to be. But, hey, that’s still a lot smarter than Simon, who needs all the brain power he can get to defeat the hooded cult called The Founding Fathers. They’ve been hunting Simon for over a century, and now that they have him…what do they intend to do with him?
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Jul 17, 2024
Redcoat #4
A tale 126 years in the making! The clandestine cult of hooded figures called The Founding Fathers has finally caught up to the cocky—and eternally unlucky—mercenary Simon Pure. For the first time since their macabre ritual gave Simon immortality in 1776, we learn new secrets behind that moment and the magic that powered it! Also: can 13-year-old Albert Einstein tap into his genius to help Simon? He’ll think about it, but the odds aren’t looking great.
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Jun 19, 2024
Redcoat #3
THE UNNAMED’s immortal hero, Simon Pure, has made a lot more enemies than friends through the centuries. None more so than the macabre cabal of hooded cult figures relentlessly chasing him through those centuries! But 13-year-old Albert Einstein claims to know how to help Simon unlock his true powers…if Simon will let him.
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
May 15, 2024
Redcoat #2
THE UNNAMED’S REDCOAT IS JUST GETTING STARTED! It is 1892! The year of Coca-Cola, the first public basketball game, and Lizzie Borden picking up an axe! It’s also the year that immortal mercenary and former British Revolutionary War soldier Simon Pure finds himself the target of a mysterious cult. One that seems to know everything about him. And now Simon must do something he’s never done before—accept help. Help in the form of the most unlikely of allies: a 12-year-old Albert Einstein obsessed with unlocking the secrets to Simon’s magic!
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Apr 03, 2024
Redcoat #1
SERIES PREMIERE! Immortal. Mercenary. Kind of a tool. Meet Simon Pure, the newest UNNAMED hero, created by comic all-stars GEOFF JOHNS (GEIGER) and BRYAN HITCH. British redcoat and all-around rogue, Simon mysteriously became immortal in 1776 after a run-in with the clandestine cabal known as the Founding Fathers, which included George Washington, John Hancock, and many other prominent American Revolutionary War leaders. Since that fateful day, Simon has led a life of adventure and avarice, rubbing elbows (and sometimes fists) with many of history’s most renowned figures, including his nemesis Benedict Arnold, Albert Einstein, Annie Oakley, and many more. One thing they all agree on: they never want to see him again! But what are the true origins and extent of Simon’s power and the mysterious organization behind them? And how has it secretly shaped America and the world? Simon’s on a quest to find out! Don't miss out this new entry in the exciting Ghost Machine rollout—and it's 34 pages of story for only $3.99!
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Jan 24, 2024
Ghost Machine #1 (One-Shot)
Written and illustrated by JASON FABOK, GARY FRANK, BRYAN HITCH, GEOFF JOHNS, LAMONT MAGEE, FRANCIS MANAPUL, BRAD MELTZER, PETER J. TOMASI, MAYTAL ZCHUT, and more! A GROUNDBREAKING NEW ERA FOR COMICS, CHARACTERS AND CREATORS LAUNCHES NOW! An all-new powerhouse, creative collective collides into comics with GHOST MACHINE’s 64-page special, introducing its all-new shared universe of strange, fun, exciting and action-packed characters: GEIGER! REDCOAT! ROOK! THE ROCKETFELLERS! AND MANY, MANY MORE! What ties Geiger, Redcoat, Widow X, and the other mysterious, historical heroes of The Unnamed together? Why is Rook the key to saving the war-torn world of Exodus? How will everyone’s soon-to-be-favorite family of the future adapt to a new life in the present? THE STORIES ALL START NOW! CREATORS YOU KNOW. CHARACTERS YOU’LL LOVE. WELCOME TO GHOST MACHINE.
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow
Feb 02, 2022
Geiger 80-Page Giant #1
GHOST MACHINE presents a MONSTROUS 80 PAGES of all-new stories featuring GEIGER, as well as his allies and enemies! First, in an extra-sized lead story, GEOFF JOHNS & BRYAN HITCH introduce the mysterious man known as REDCOAT and reveal his bizarre ties to the American Revolution, the Unknown War, and Geiger himself. Then, discover the secrets of the Warlords of Las Vegas—Bonnie Borden! Goldbeard! Mr. Karloff! And more!—in a series of tales written and drawn by some of the greatest writers and artists today! Plus, the special origin tale of Geiger’s favorite two-headed dog, BARNEY, and a PREVIEW of GEOFF JOHNS & GARY FRANK’s new upcoming series: JUNKYARD JOE!
comic /Image Comics Right Arrow