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.

I Love the ‘90s: You know Blood Pack has “attitude” because this ad tells us so twice.

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.