GUNFIRE #13 - June 1995

This is the Way the World Ends!

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey, Charles Barnett, Denis Gulbey, and Ande Parks (inkers), Clem Robins (letterer), Lee Loughridge (colorist)

Summary: After Ragnarok teleports away, Gunfire summons Justice League America to help him stop the chain reaction that’s destroying the Earth’s core. With the JLA’s help, the excess magma is released from the inner core. During their mission, Ragnarok teleports in to taunt Gunfire, who eventually blasts him into a pit of magma. When the Earth is saved, the JLA leave as Gunfire ponders his possible future without Van Horn Industries.

Irrelevant Continuity: The JLA of this era consists of Diana (who’s in her post-Wonder Woman bicycle pants stage), Hawkman, Aquaman (the harpoon-hand version), Crimson Fox, Blue Devil, Fire, Ice (apparently called “Icemadien” in this era), Obsidian, and someone named Nuklon, whose haircut is fantastic. According to a footnote, this story crosses over with Aquaman #9.

We Get Letters: A reader wants to know why Gunfire isn’t Comics Code Authority approved. The editorial response is that the title is CCA approved; the seal disappeared a few issues ago due to “gremlins.” The editor then acknowledges that “we’re all adults here” anyway, which is a pretty shocking admission in 1995 that the Code was essentially pointless. (Or at least that DC perceived it to be; it’s possible that kids were reading this book since comics were still sold on newsstands in 1995).

Review: In the face of overwhelming apathy, DC finally relents and cancels Gunfire with this issue. Someone somewhere still seemed to have faith in the character, though, because the issue’s final page and letter column pretty much confirm that Gunfire will soon be joining the JLA. I don’t think this happened, even if Gunfire would’ve been a perfect fit for this largely forgettable (and somewhat laughable) cast. Unfortunately, the reading public never got to experience Gunfire’s rivalry with Nuklon, his close connection to Blue Devil, his unrequited love for Fire, and that drunken night in Bangkok with Hawkman.

Aside from setting Gunfire up as a future member and providing a “big” finale for the series, it’s hard to understand what the JLA are doing here. Gunfire’s the one who’s stupidly responsible for this problem, and of course he’s the one who provides the final push needed to save the Earth, so it’s hard to see what the point of dragging the JLA into this was. You could argue that the series needed the sales boost, but 1) it was already cancelled and 2) it’s hard to imagine this version of the JLA attracting readers to anything.

So, what isn’t resolved by the final issue? Well, we never learned the secret of Monika, Gunfire’s horny chauffeur with no doubt sinister motives. And, the secret of Yvette’s money troubles was never revealed, nor was the subplot that had her moving in with Gunfire’s aunt Lacey resolved. There are also the mysterious earthquakes that kept striking Hong Kong a few issues ago. And we never learn why Ragnarok has changed his motivation from learning the secret of eternal life to simply destroying the Earth (although I guess his name is a clue.) I’m sure I missed a few other dangling plotlines, but it’s hard to get too worked up about any of this. Gunfire settled into a lull early on and only seemed to invigorate when Chris Wozniak turned in some unexpectedly good fill-ins. The early concept of a young political activist granted lethal powers and an arms company he didn’t want was quickly abandoned in favor of subpar Amazing Spider-Man plots from the early ‘70s. The book never developed much of a personality and its only appeal seemed to be its willingness to be extremely traditional in a period that wouldn’t even allow Superman to have short hair. The old school storytelling didn’t mesh with the basic concept, or the art of Ed Benes, leaving this a title without much of an audience at all.

And even judged as a straightforward superhero comic, Gunfire became too dumb to be taken seriously. Take this issue for instance, which presents a lead character that’s responsible for potentially destroying the planet and killing his father in the course of a handful of pages. At no point in the story does Gunfire have anything that resembles a legitimate emotional reaction to the events. Instead, he’s too busy swooning over the Justice League to even contemplate the ramifications of any of his actions (and, mind you, this is a really crappy incarnation of the Justice League). The guy’s too cardboard to be taken seriously, and I have to say it’s kind of surprising he even got a thirteen issue run.

GUNFIRE #12 - May 1995

Shafted

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Clem Robins (letterer), Lee Loughridge (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire races to V.H.I.’s headquarters to witness a test of the laser drill that will harness geothermal energy. Not long after the test begins, Ragnarok enters with his genetically mutated monsters. Gunfire and his friends fight the monsters, but when Gunfire charges the air around him for a final strike at Ragnarok, he’s tricked into firing the energy down the shaft. Ragnarok boasts that the blast will trigger a chain reaction that will destroy the earth.

Review: The letters page announces Gunfire’s cancellation, aborting such promising storylines as “Yvette makes a deal with the devil” and “Gunfire moves to the moon to protect the planet from his powers.” Surely, this is a terrible loss. A fan letter blames the glut of DC releases from this era for the book’s premature end, but it’s hard to imagine Gunfire standing out even without the competition. The hero has no compelling motivation, his personal life isn’t that interesting, and most of his villains have been a joke. It’s hard to find a reason to care, and it’s even harder to discern why Gunfire wants to be a hero in the first place.

The issue opens with Gunfire racing to the demonstration, chiding himself for being late, when he sees a mugging in an alley. He makes a joke about the futility of pretending he can ignore the crime and proceeds to stop it, which would be fine if his name was “Spider-Man,” but at no point in this series has the audience witnessed a convincing character arc that brings Gunfire to this point. He’s gone from reluctant hero to generic superhero pretty quickly, without developing much of a rogues gallery or supporting cast along the way. (Ed Benes’ inhuman artwork hasn’t helped either. Even when the females in this issue run for their lives, they’re still striking Penthouse poses.) He’s a boilerplate hero dressed in ‘90s fashions, and the combination of “bland” and “silly” doomed this book early on.

GUNFIRE #11 - April 1995

Blood is Thicker…

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Clem Robins (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire invades Komodo’s mansion, as the Gemini twins locate Billy in New York. Komodo reveals to Benjamin that Billy is a former employee who accidentally got Komodo’s daughter killed during one of his assignments. Gunfire duels Komodo for Benjamin’s life, but can’t win without cheating. The Gemini twins enter with Billy, just as a mysterious earthquake strikes the mansion. Gunfire saves Komodo, and in exchange for his debt of honor, demands Komodo free Billy. Billy thanks Benjamin for speaking up for him, but Benjamin tells him to stay out of his life forever.

I Love the ‘90s: Komodo: “Y-you cheated!” Gunfire: “Welcome to the ‘90s, ace!”

Review: This is the second issue in a row that has the editor begging readers for letters. That’s rarely a good sign. I can’t imagine this story arc inspired much of a reader response, either, unless a portion of the audience is intimately familiar with Hong Kong and wants to nitpick anything the creators got wrong. (Someone might also be inclined to point out that sword duels aren’t particularly common in modern Asia.) This issue does bring us some of the more creative uses of Gunfire’s powers we’ve seen, like what happens when he uses them on two metal dog chains, and there is a decent amount of plot worked into one issue, but it’s really more of the same. The characters are still pretty drab, the ongoing subplots aren’t engaging, and the art is a mess. Thankfully, we’re two issues away from the mercy killing.

GUNFIRE #10 - March 1995

The Hong Kong Shuffle

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Clem Robins (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire arrives with Yvette in Hong Kong, unaware that his V.H.I. business associates are plotting against him. His search for Billy leads him to a factory that’s actually a front for the mobster Komodo. In his mansion, Komodo realizes that Billy is a victim of mistaken identity. However, Komodo decides Billy must be the one to pay his brother’s debt of honor. Meanwhile, Gemini searches for Ben in New York, while Lacey informs Ragnarok that Gunfire is in Hong Kong.

I Love the ‘90s: The story opens with a soliloquy on Hong Kong, reflecting on its unknown future after China regains control in 1997.

Review: Hong Kong is a great setting for an action/adventure story, even if Ed Benes is utterly incapable of selling the environment. I’m not saying I expected him to pull out a Geof Darrow, but I never saw Benes’ idol Jim Lee slack off so much when asked to draw a foreign environment. Unfortunately, Benes has replicated far more of Lee’s weaknesses than his strengths. Not that the story is a great inspiration, anyway. It’s nice to see Gunfire and Yvette travel to a new location, but the story does little to take advantage of anything that makes Hong Kong (a.k.a. “Libertarian Island”) unique. Really, we’re just getting more Asian mobsters and familial blood debts. The subplots are also dragging, with five full pages wasted on the Gemini twins getting into a bar fight and an Aunt Lacey/Ragnarok conversation scene. This wouldn’t be riveting with any artist.

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.

GUNFIRE #7 - December 1994

The Big Blow-Out!

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Carlos Garzon & Brian Garvey (inkers), Lois Buhalis (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire’s aunt Lacey is targeted by the assassin Blow-Out. After failing to kill her with a car bomb, he invades her hospital room and takes aim. Gunfire, in his civilian identity, is forced to use a nearby I.V. stand as a weapon. As Lacey slips away, Benjamin helps Gunfire escape and return in costume. Gunfire defeats Blow-Out by snatching the pin from his grenade as his helicopter flies away. Meanwhile, the Gemini twins investigate Ragnarok’s headquarters, and shadowy figures stalk Benjamin’s brother.

I Love the ‘90s: “Extreme Crimes call for…Extreme Justice.” I don’t want to focus too much for Extreme Justice since it’s already been such an easy target for comics bloggers, but the ad for the series that runs in this issue is just too perfect.

Review: What can even be said about Blow-Out? Is he a forgotten G. I. Joe from the franchise’s final days, when Larry Hama really had to stretch for names? Is he a lightbox tracing of a Jim Lee Punisher drawing, right down to the headband? Or perhaps a rejected paramilitary parody character from the Slapstick miniseries? At least he isn’t a cyborg…

So, Gunfire faces another weak villain who a) looks ridiculous, and b) is about as much of a threat as L’il Archie. I suppose a small wrinkle is introduced, as Andrew has possibly exposed his secret identity to his conniving aunt, but that’s the only plot advancement that feels as if it might have potential. The subplots have the Gemini twins facing some of Ragnarok’s genetically altered faceless goons, as they embark on a mission the title’s hero couldn’t be bothered with, and Ben’s brother Billy being chased by mystery men with dragon face tattoos. (I wonder, has any comic with an Asian supporting cast member not done a story with the Yakuza or some other form of Asian mobsters?) This title hasn’t exactly been a thrill-a-minute before, but this installment is particularly dull.

GUNFIRE #6 - November 1994

It’s all done with Mirrors

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey & Rus Sever (inkers), Lois Buhalis (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire investigates one of Ragnarok’s warehouses, only to get caught in a trap. He narrowly escapes, leaving with no answers. Elsewhere, his aunt Lacey hires Mirror Master to stop him from announcing Van Horn Industries’ conversion from munitions to alternative energy. As Andrew Van Horn, Gunfire hires the Gemini siblings as bodyguards. When they’re unable to stop Mirror Master from invading the press conference, Gunfire steps in. Using his armor’s technology, he sees past Mirror Master’s tricks and defeats him. Meanwhile, Benjamin is ambushed by his twin brother in his apartment.

Irrelevant Continuity: Mirror Master is upset that someone has been impersonating him. A footnote points to Justice League of America #90.

Review: This is the virtually the same plot from two issues ago, only now the comedy of errors element is gone. Lacey’s back to order more (non-lethal) hitmen to target Andrew before he can give that important speech, and this time she has the date right. The first absurd assumption is that stopping a press conference is actually going to stop a business plan from going forward. As if Apple would’ve never sold an iPad if that original press conference had been interrupted by a 1960s Flash villain. The second is the new direction that Gunfire is forcing upon V.H.I. Wein uses comic book pseudo-science relatively well to justify the switch (a giant laser is now going to be used to explore geothermal energy instead of cutting people into pieces), but how is V.H.I. going to totally change operations in one day? How can the business afford to stay open during the period when it isn’t selling weapons but has no geothermal energy to sell, either? Was this business model dreamed up by Ben or Jerry?

So, the basic plot has problems, but it’s nice to see Gunfire face another non-armored foe, his second in seven issues. Mirror Master is an unexpected choice for Gunfire to fight, and while it’s not hard to figure out how this battle is going to end, Wein has some fun with the action. I don’t know if the Gemini siblings have a compelling reason to be in the story, but there’s a certain logic behind their appearance. If Gunfire truly is a reluctant hero, and he’s rich, it would make sense for him to hire bodyguards to take care of all of the fights he’d rather avoid. That doesn’t mean that Gemini siblings are a gripping concept on their own, though. I get the sense that they’ve appeared in some other series and I’m supposed to be carrying over some existing fondness for them. All I know about them from reading this issue is that they’re freakishly tall, tan, and can’t take on Mirror Master. I’d ask for a refund, Andrew. You’re going to need that money soon, anyway.

GUNFIRE #0 - October 1994

Forward Thrust!

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Ed Benes (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Lois Buhalis (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire invades the offices of Ulti/Tech, giving Benjamin time to hack into their records and reveal their connection to Van Horn Industries. Following the trail of a mystery man named Ragnarok, Gunfire travels to a castle in the Adirondack Mountains. After defeating Ragnarok’s armed guards, Gunfire faces Ragnarok. To his horror, Ragnarok reveals himself as Gunfire’s father. In disbelief, Gunfire agitates the air particles around him and creates a giant explosion. He escapes, but discovers Ragnarok is still alive.

Irrelevant Continuity:

· Following the Zero Hour miniseries, every mainstream DC title released a #0 issue. Each zero issue was supposed to reveal a secret about a major character, or serve as an origin recap (or an origin clarification, depending on how Zero Hour impacted the book’s continuity). After Zero Hour, of course, DC continuity was never altered again.

· Gunfire learns how to turn a round object into a grenade, and how to “agitate air” and create explosions this issue.

· Benjamin’s brother is flying to the United States. He has an ominous smile, so you know this isn’t going to end well.

I Love the ‘90s: Benjamin downloads all of Ulti/Tech’s database, including several video files, on to one floppy disc.

Review: Gunfire began as a very ‘90s concept executed in a very ‘70s style (maybe '80s). And while Len Wein is still writing straightforward action stories about a reluctant superhero and his assorted supporting cast members, the capable artwork of Steve Erwin has been replaced by future internet punching bag Ed Benes. Yes, why keep an artist who can draw like Mike Zeck around when you can hire someone who draws like Jim Lee on a bender? This is perfectly logical in 1994.

Benes’ work is pretty much what you would expect here. He really likes Jim Lee, but doesn’t have the underlying drawing skills, so he produces a steady stream of grimacing characters bathed in superfluous detail lines striking awkward ballet poses at one another. The layouts are also a mess during most of the action sequences, making me appreciate Steve Erwin’s clean page designs even more.

The story is on the same adequate-but-not-great level as the previous issues, although the revelation that Gunfire’s father is still alive (“N-no…It’s not possible…We buried you!!”) drags this down past the level of predictable melodrama. Of course his father is still alive and is secretly a supervillain with crazy armor and Dr. Doom’s speech pattern looking for the elusive answer to immortality. That makes perfect sense. In fairness, Gunfire refuses to believe the revelation, so maybe Ragnarok will turn out to be some form of imposter. Still, the shift in direction doesn’t leave me excited for future issues.

GUNFIRE #5 - September 1994

The Day of the Exomorphic Man

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Steve Erwin (layouts), Brian Garvey (finishes), Bob Lappan (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire is released from prison on the condition that he continues adventuring when the police need his help. Meanwhile, Gunfire’s aunt Lacey retrieves the remains of Slater. Using Van Horn Industries technology, she reanimates him as the Exomorphic Man. Lacey sends the disoriented Exomorphic Man to stop Andrew before he can publicly announce that V.H.I. will no longer produce weapons, unaware that the press conference has already been cancelled. As Gunfire, Andrew shows Exomorphic Man his face in the mirror after their fight, which leads to him deliriously falling several stories out of an open window.

Irrelevant Continuity:

· Gunfire mentions odd events that are happening around the globe, such as “the fall of Metropolis” and numerous dinosaur sightings. He also hears his deceased father’s voice later on in the issue, an event he dismisses as a part of the global oddities. Presumably, these are Zero Hero tie-ins, since this comic is filled with ads for the event.

· Gunfire can now fly, thanks to the new armor upgrades created by Benjamin and Yvette.

· Yvette is mysteriously broke, and Lacey Van Horn is somehow using this to her advantage by allowing Yvette to live in her mansion.

I Love the ‘90s: We see a couple of giant car phones this issue, as Lacey tries to contact her assistant Meagan and cancel Exomorphic Man’s attack after she discovers the press conference has been cancelled.

Review: Since this is the last issue before the Zero Hero-related #0, why doesn’t the story end with whiteness consuming the world, followed by several all-white pages? Or did that only happen in the issue of Robin I have from this cover month? Anyway…

Gunfire’s journey as a reluctant hero continues, as he’s forced to prolong his role as Gunfire in order to avoid jail. That’s a respectable angle for Wein to play out, and he adds another wrinkle by revealing that Gunfire’s associates, Benjamin and Yvette, don’t really want to continue doing this, especially if they’re being pressured by the police into helping. Wein also introduces another supporting character subplot, as the audience learns that Yvette has somehow gone broke and must turn to Gunfire’s shady aunt for help. Lacey Van Horn so far comes across as a typical soap opera villainess, but she is humanized a bit by her edict that Exomorphic Man merely scare her nephew and not kill him. And speaking of Exomorphic Man…hey, at least he’s not another ‘90s Guy in Armor. Erwin and Garvey do a great job on his visual, and I’m glad they’re getting something else to draw. Steve Erwin is the kind of underappreciated Buescma-style artist that unfortunately began to disappear during the mid-‘90s, so I’m glad DC hasn’t replaced him yet. Oh, wait. It’s his last issue? Never mind.

GUNFIRE #4 - August 1994

Squeeze Play

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Steve Erwin (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Bob Lappan (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire leaps from the train, protected by his armored suit. The train derails and destroys what remains of his father’s weapons technology. Later, Andrew is visited in his new apartment by Detective Rivera, who’s still investigating Gunfire. Suddenly, the armored Marauder breaks in, targeting Rivera. Andrew exposes himself as Gunfire and chases away Marauder. Rivera promises to keep Andrew’s identity a secret, but is incensed the next day when Gunfire illegally trespasses on the property of the company he suspects employs Marauder. Rivera stumbles into Gunfire and Marauder’s fight and stops Marauder by destroying the computer network connected to his armor. Gunfire is then placed under arrest.

I Love the ‘90s: Ben, who’s watching the Marauder fight on a series of monitors, compares the picture quality to a laser-disc.

Review: The issue doesn’t get off to a great start, as it opens with a predictable cop-out resolution to the previous chapter’s cliffhanger. The basic premise to the new storyline, Gunfire versus his third Armored ‘90s Guy in a row, isn’t very promising either. However, Wein has worked around some of the standard superhero clichés by changing the dynamic of Gunfire and Rivera’s relationship. Rivera discovers Gunfire’s secret ID when Gunfire protects him from a mob hitman (conveniently hired by the same mob family we know has ties to Van Horn Industries), and is actually pretty reasonable about the ordeal. He thanks him for saving his life, but still expects him to make a statement, which will be kept confidential. So, Gunfire’s secret ID is known to the police, but not the general public. He can live with that. Gunfire isn’t a “duly deputized officer of the law” though, so when Rivera catches Gunfire breaking and entering the very next day, he isn’t going to let him get away with it. The nuanced relationship between Rivera and Gunfire has a lot of potential, and I’m glad Wein isn’t taking the more obvious route of making Gunfire and the police automatic allies or enemies.

Is there anything else of note this issue? Oh, yes. The first hints that Monika can’t be trusted are dropped. How else do you explain her lusty desire for Gunfire’s half-mullet/half-ponytail?

GUNFIRE #3 - July 1994

Enter: Purge!

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Steve Erwin (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Bob Lappan (letterer), Steve Mattson (colorist)

Summary: The police spy on Van Horn Industries, suspicious of Gunfire’s connection to the company. Andrew is caught using his powers to destroy his father’s weapons technology. Solomon Perggia, a.k.a. Purge, arrives to steal the weapons, killing all of the police except for Detective Connover, whose life is saved by Gunfire. Soon, Gunfire ambushes Purge and his men on a train that’s carrying more weapons components. When Purge attempts to use his powers on Gunfire, he agitates the molecules of Purge’s armor and sends him exploding into the sky. Gunfire, however, is left on a runaway train.

Irrelevant Continuity: Purge reveals that he’s an Italian mobster who discovered his metagene after getting shot twice in the chest. He has the power to absorb life energy, but unlike a southern X-lady with bad taste in men, Purge’s power devolves his victims into goo. He turned to Gunfire’s father for help, only to discover Gunther Van Horn was mechanically replicating Purge’s power and using it as a weapon. He now wants all of the Van Horn technology based on his biology. So…does the post-post-post-Crisis DC Universe still have “metagenes”?

Review: The Solomon Perggia/Purge storyline continues, as we discover that the elderly mobster from the previous issues not only has super powers, but his own indestructible suit of armor that rivals the one worn by Iron Man…or F.A.C.A.D.E. at least. This is obviously ridiculous, but Wein plays it so straight I’m compelled just to go along with it. Purge is given a fairly convincing death scene this issue, which doesn’t stop the creators from ending the story with yet another cliffhanger, as Gunfire is trapped on a runaway train that’s about to go off the tracks. This is very traditional, old school superheroics. I personally enjoy it, but it still seems an odd fit for a character once described as having “the most ‘90s powers ever.”

The subplots offer the first real glimpse of Gunfire’s love life, and we discover that he is absolutely not Peter Parker. Gunfire’s having casual sex with his chauffeur Monika, which bothers his friend Ben (who’s perhaps better versed in sexual harassment law than Andrew). Yvette’s still in the background, literally, as she hides out in their base and watches the events from a distance, helping out whenever the plot needs her to. Another addition to the supporting cast is made when Detective Connover debuts as an investigator on the Van Horn case. He discovers Gunfire’s secret ID and is rescued from sure death by him within a few pages, quickly setting Connover up as Gunfire’s ally on the police department. Those always come in handy in superhero comics. Again, this is all very traditional stuff (although Gunfire’s relationship with Monika is a little racy for a Code-approved comic of the time). That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but the series does feel somewhat tame for the era.

GUNFIRE #2 - June 1994

On the Rebound

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Steve Erwin (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Bob Lappan (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Gunfire rescues Yvette from Ricochet, who’s ordered to abort the mission. The next day, Andrew van Horn is visited by a detective investigating the dead bodies found at the battle site. He directs Detective Rivera to his attorney, and soon leaves to investigate a break-in at a Van Horn warehouse. Once again, he defeats Ricochet and more of Slater’s men. However, he unwittingly keeps one of the men’s helmets, unaware it’s broadcasting to Slater. Slater uses the bug to learn of the location of the top-secret CDI weapon and sends Ricochet to JFK Airport to retrieve it. Gunfire arrives for a final battle that sends Ricochet into the Long Island Sound. Slater’s employer, Mr. Perggia, decides to oversee matters personally as the armored Purge.

Review: And I thought this book was trying to avoid clichés. The structure of this comic -- resolve cliffhanger, let villain escape, set up a second confrontation with villain, let villain escape, wrap up with final battle that uses established plot device to defeat villain -- is about as tried and true a superhero formula you can find. Maybe it’s considered a novelty to attach this kind of a story to a ‘90s gun guy, but that’s a stretch. Even the revelation of the mystery plot device Slater is hunting (which was treated with a decent amount of humor last issue, since Gunfire had no idea what he was talking about) just whimpers out -- we discover it’s a “Cellular De-Integrator” (CDI) weapon, which means it melts people. Since this is a Code-approved book, most of the human melting occurs off-panel, and even if it didn’t, that would still be pretty tame during the days of Spawn.

So, what isn’t predictable about this issue? We discover that Yvette is actually Gunfire’s ex-girlfriend and not his current love interest. That does give her a slightly different role as the main female supporting cast member, I suppose. The audience also discovers what happens when Gunfire tries to use an actual “rifle” (drawn as a Liefeld gun) -- his powers cause the gunpowder to explode. So, he decides he’s better off using long, pointy objects to project his powers (why exactly is this book called Gunfire, again?). There’s also an attempt to deal with how exactly casualties work in a masked vigilante’s world. Gunfire is a “had no choice” killer, by nature of his powers. While most vigilantes can just leave their victims behind at the crime scene and never think of them again, Wein’s introduced the question of what happens when those bodies are discovered on the hero’s property. Van Horn tries to dismiss the problem by passing the detective off on his lawyer, but he can’t deny that he actually did kill these men and has some legal responsibility to face. I don’t know if this will produce a meaningful storyline, but it seems like the only promising concept in the issue.

GUNFIRE #1 - May 1994

Deadly Homecoming

Credits: Len Wein (writer), Steve Erwin (penciler), Brian Garvey (inker), Bob Lappan (letterer), Martin Thomas (colorist)

Summary: Following his father’s funeral, Andrew van Horn is harassed by Slater, a representative of one of his father’s business associates. Slater wants Andrew to turn over his father’s mystery project, and after Andrew’s initial rejection, he returns with armed thugs. With the help of Andrew’s friends Benjamin and Yvette, Slater is chased away. However, Yvette is soon kidnapped, forcing Andrew to rescue her as Gunfire. After finally reaching Yvette at a Van Horn Industries construction site, Gunfire is confronted by the armored Ricochet.

Irrelevant Continuity: Gunfire debuted during DC’s 1993 “Bloodlines” annual crossover event. (Deathstroke the Terminator annual #2, to be precise.) The gimmick is that each issue introduced a “New Blood” character, making every installment a surefire collector’s item. This worked about as well as Marvel’s 1993 new character annual stunt, although DC did get Hitman out of the deal.

I Love the ‘90s: Gunfire’s hairstyle looks like it could be anything from a mullet to a ponytail to (horror!) a rattail, depending on the angle it's drawn.

Review: When Rob first told me about the New Blood kid Gunfire, my initial thought was, “Great. Another superhero with a very big gun, low-grade rage, and a girlfriend with breasts bigger than her head.” -- Opening statement in this issue letters page, presumably written by some member of the editorial staff.

So, we’re deep enough into the ‘90s for a comics company to be openly cynical about the lone, gun-toting vigilante archetype. DC didn’t seem to jump on to this fad as quickly as the other companies, so by the time they finally had to cave in they were apparently willing to avoid many of the clichés. This is still a book called Gunfire, though, starring a character with the ability to “agitate the molecules of solid objects…then fire them off in short bursts like bullets” essentially making his gimmick a Gambit meets the Punisher riff. Regardless of the creative team’s efforts to make him unique, time isn’t going to be kind to this concept.

Now, how is Gunfire different from Punisher, Solo, Grifter, Cable, Huntsman, Cyborg X, Trencher, Deathblow, Maverick, Chapel, etc? Allegedly, Andrew van Horn has a social conscious, putting him at odds with his predictably evil capitalistic father, Gunther. Having inherited his father’s company, Andrew must reconcile his family’s business practices with his personal beliefs. (I said “allegedly” earlier because the social conscious aspect of the character never comes up in the actual story, but it’s mentioned repeatedly in the letter column.) So, he’s starting off with a bit of an Iron First/Green Arrow/Iron Man riff. Obviously, at least some variation of this has been done, but I don’t know if it was ever attached to a gunman character before.

Another attempt to pull Gunfire away from the clichés is to emphasize his status as a rookie superhero. This could easily introduce a different series of clichés to the book, considering the number of titles dedicated to neophyte heroes still learning the ropes, but Wein has avoided a few of the more obvious ones in the first issue. Andrew’s best friend and girlfriend already know about his superpowers, and they’re even actively involved in creating his superhero persona. Yvette is far from a whiny shrew, although she’s predictably kidnapped and used as bait by the issue’s end. I’m not sure what other non-cliché qualities she might have, aside from the more modest proportions the editors seem so proud of, but the series is young. Her thick French accent can be tiresome, though, especially if you’re the kind of reader inclined to ridicule Chris Claremont’s accents. Looking at the cover, there’s apparently been some form of miscommunication regarding Yvette. At no point in the interior of the comic is Yvette depicted as Asian. Gunfire’s pal Benjamin is Asian, however, making me wonder if the characters’ ethnicities somehow got mixed up and improperly communicated to the cover artist.

The plot of the first issue cuts back and forth between Gunfire’s rescue mission and the events that led to him donning the superhero disguise. There’s very little to pick apart; Len Wein’s written and edited comics for a long time and he clearly knows what he’s doing. It would be easy to mock the fact that Slater’s men can’t recognize Gunfire as Andrew van Horn, even though his modest mask exposes his mouth and red hair, but it’s no more absurd a disguise than Green Lantern or Robin’s domino masks. I don’t know what exactly happened in the “Bloodlines” annuals, but I’m assuming there’s a good reason why Wein is skimping over the origin of Gunfire’s powers. Instead, we’re introduced to his supporting cast and offered some insight into how the Gunfire persona was created. (Gunfire’s armor is crafted by Benjamin out of ceramic, which honestly doesn’t sound very impressive to me).

Gunfire is still lacking in much of a specific personality by the issue’s end, but he’s thankfully not a one-liner spewing ‘90s tough guy. He’s just designed to look like one. And even if that design was passé within a week of the comic’s release, Steve Erwin’s pencil work has aged much better. There’s a bit of an Image influence in the inking, but the story is clearly told and the characters all look realistically human. The final product isn’t quite what you would expect, which possibly worked against the series. Traditional superhero fans probably didn’t want another gun guy, and gun-crazed vigilante fans probably didn’t want a Bronze Age-style superhero book. The countdown to the “Fat Lady Has Sung” letter column editorial has begun.