💥 Perché la Bonelli cancellò Gregory Hunter? Il mistero del ranger dello spazio dimenticato

💥 Why did Bonelli cancel Gregory Hunter? The mystery of the forgotten space ranger

June 21, 2025

Have you ever heard of a comic series that had all the ingredients for a cult hit—science fiction, adventure, parallel universe—yet only lasted a short time?

Here is Gregory Hunter , a perhaps forgotten title but full of potential, published by Sergio Bonelli Editore from March 2001 to August 2002, for a total of 17 issues.

What is it about?

The protagonist, Gregory Hunter, is a man with a troubled past: a former pirate, a former bounty hunter, adopted by the Space Rangers. In a parallel universe where a technology has been discovered that allows interstellar travel at almost zero cost, humanity has expanded throughout the galaxy, creating borders, colonies, alien dangers, and space criminals.
Gregory becomes a Space Ranger , facing monsters, corrupt empires, ancient mysteries and even a personal curse: every time he causes the death of a man he sees a wraith appear and shoot him, the bullet passes through him, but each time he feels a little more “solid”.
Alongside him are characters like Badger, a Tallarian (quadrumane creature), and Sandrach, an alien from Aarkon; the artwork is entirely by Elena Pianta, and the author is Antonio Serra.

Because it didn't last long

There are several reasons why the series is short.

Sales did not live up to expectations: although it was an ambitious “Bonelli-style” science fiction project, it did not reach the hoped-for audience.
Complex subject matter and somewhat niche genre: a more “classic” science fiction, influenced by Star Wars and Jack Kirby, but in Italy the dialogue between mainstream comics and space science fiction focuses more on consolidated genres.
Format and publishing context: Bonelli is best known for westerns, adventure, and crime; bringing a pure science fiction series to market required a wider audience or a different launch campaign.
Perhaps also a question of distribution and target: a series defined as “limited” from the beginning, which was known to have a short life.

Because it still deserves to be known

It is an original work in the Bonelli panorama: a space Ranger, an uchronic setting, a fusion between classic adventure and space science fiction.
The drawings and screenplay are meticulously crafted: Elena Pianta, the artist, and Antonio Serra, the screenplay, bring quality to the project.
It becomes a collector's item: whoever owns the complete series (17 issues) has an uncommon piece of Bonelli publishing history.
For those who run a newsstand or bookshop: offering this complete series can attract enthusiasts and the curious, also as an opportunity to explain "a short series, only one year - but it's worth reading."