GUNFIRE #9 - February 1995

Hard News

Credits: Paul Kupperberg (writer), Chris Wozniak (artist), Lois Buhalis & Clem Robins (letterers), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Tabloid journalist Cricket Kelly turns her sights on Gunfire, and after investigating his ties to Van Horn Industries, discovers his secret identity as Andrew Van Horn. When one of her informants is killed by a mystery man, she suspects Gunfire of the murder. He soon clears himself by rescuing Kelly and her camerawoman Phyllis when they invade one of Ragnarok’s bio-genetic labs. The villain Wavelength is sent to guard the lab, but when he tries to use Kelly and Phyllis as hostages, Gunfire continues the fight and defeats him.

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Review: No Len Wein this issue, and Chris Wozniak is still filling for Ed Benes. This isn’t as impressive as Wozniak’s previous issue, the opening pages are especially rough, but overall I still like this look for the series. Kupperberg’s story is mainly treading water until Wein returns, although he does pick up on the obnoxious reporter character briefly introduced by Wein in the previous issue. Cricket Kelly had a memorable scene in the last issue, when she seemed thrilled to be annoying Gunfire because she thought she could get him to punch her on camera, but this issue doesn’t make her as absurdly entertaining. This is generic fill-in material; the only twist in the story comes when Gunfire refuses to buy Wavelength’s bluff and continues the fight when he grabs Kelly and Phyllis as hostages. I’m not sure if this scene is meant to be a statement about Gunfire as a character (I doubt it, since he’s supposed to be a peace-loving activist forced into this role), or if the scene is just poorly choreographed. Oh, and of course the story ends with Cricket Kelly deciding to keep Gunfire’s identity a secret.

GUNFIRE #8 - January 1995

The Trail of the Dragon!

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Chris Wozniak (artist), Lois Buhalis & Clem Robins (letterers), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Ragnarok sends a holographic projection of himself to Lacey’s hospital room, explaining that he’s ordered her death because she’s interfered in his affairs. She begs for her life and is given another chance. Meanwhile, Benjamin’s brother Billy drugs him and leaves him in an alley. He’s discovered by the mob that’s been pursuing Billy. They mistakenly kidnap Benjamin, forcing Gunfire to rescue his friend. During the battle, Gunfire is drugged by a mobster and hallucinates a giant dragon. The criminals get away, but Gunfire picks up a Hong Kong Airlines ticket they’ve left behind.

Review: A fill-in issue by Chris Wozniak of Excalibur, uh, fame? I was expecting this to out-Benes Benes to an insane degree, but instead I discover that Wozniak had reinvented his style pretty dramatically by 1994. Instead of ridiculously disproportionate muscle bound freaks, missing pupils, giant hair, creepy smiles, and all-around bad cartooning, this issue brings us a gritty Janson/ Sienkiewicz impersonation. There’s even a bit of the old Marc Silvestri/Kyle Baker style in here. And it isn’t bad at all, even if the anatomy is occasionally ridiculous. Wozniak turns out to be a perfect fit for this issue, illustrating the story’s drug hallucinations with great style, and adding much-needed visual flair to a few dull subplot scenes (such as the two pages spent on Gemini discussing a damaged computer disc they swiped from Ragnarok’s base). The storylines still aren’t offering any great surprises, but Wein’s picked up the pace from the previous issue, and he’s even having a few of the characters acknowledge just how absurd some of these plots are. I’m interested to see what happens next, which is a feeling I haven’t felt since the #0 issue derailed the book.