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About This Series
Issues
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About This
Series:
Issues:
"Gunfire" is a surprisingly intelligent comic hero character.
With a name like "Gunfire", you really expect this to be the same old,
run-of-the-mill, bad boy superhero crap, and he wasn't anything like
that at all! Gunfire was an intelligent superhero that was
somewhat introspective, like Marvel's Spider-Man, but not as
depressing. He doesn't prefer to kill, but will if it's the last
resort. The comics are drawn well, he looks cool, he has a great
supporting cast, and the stories are great! So why hasn't he
become an A-list superhero? Who knows? Perhaps he came in
too late during the comic book boom of the early 1990s. Maybe the
comic public took him to be the typical, cardboard-cutout, anti-hero
that so flooded comics since the 1980s. It's most likely that the
name and look of the character didn't stand out. The shame of it
is that "Gunfire" was actually a nice change of pace. He wasn't a
"gray area" superhero. Gunfire was definitely a good guy.
The comics were also alright, content-wise, for young kids to
read. PG at the strongest. There was no strong gore, or
sex, or language. "Gunfire" would have made, and would still be
great, to see as an action series on TV.
The character of Gunfire was created by Len Wein and Steve Erwin. He first appeared in "Deathstroke, The Terminator Annual" #2 from 1993. Gunfire was quickly moved into his own, self-titled series in 1994. Sadly, it lasted only 14 issues. The last issue number is #13, but there was a #0 issue published as part of DC's "Zero Hour" crossover event. #0 was released between issues #5 and #6. Gunfire's true name is Andrew Van Horn. He has the ability to transfer energy from his body into any object and use it as a blasting weapon. The son of a murdered industrialist, Van Horn has a suit made of indestructible, high-tech armor to aid him in his fight against crime. Gunfire will take on all bad guys, but he specifically takes on terrorists, big business assassins, and other high-level baddies. A lot of his enemies boast high-tech weaponry as well, so it makes for interesting stories.
Andrew's father was not a thoroughly legitimate businessman. He not only had to take over his father's business, but destroy the illegal arms trade his father had established. I enjoy Gunfire. For those who are looking for comparisons, I'd say he has elements of Iron Man, as far as the armor and weaponry are concerned, with the dramatic sensibility of Spider-Man. But make no mistake, Gunfire is definitely his own hero, and was a nice change of pace at a time when DC Comics was really running empty on good, original ideas.
The character of Gunfire was created by Len Wein and Steve Erwin. He first appeared in "Deathstroke, The Terminator Annual" #2 from 1993. Gunfire was quickly moved into his own, self-titled series in 1994. Sadly, it lasted only 14 issues. The last issue number is #13, but there was a #0 issue published as part of DC's "Zero Hour" crossover event. #0 was released between issues #5 and #6. Gunfire's true name is Andrew Van Horn. He has the ability to transfer energy from his body into any object and use it as a blasting weapon. The son of a murdered industrialist, Van Horn has a suit made of indestructible, high-tech armor to aid him in his fight against crime. Gunfire will take on all bad guys, but he specifically takes on terrorists, big business assassins, and other high-level baddies. A lot of his enemies boast high-tech weaponry as well, so it makes for interesting stories.
Andrew's father was not a thoroughly legitimate businessman. He not only had to take over his father's business, but destroy the illegal arms trade his father had established. I enjoy Gunfire. For those who are looking for comparisons, I'd say he has elements of Iron Man, as far as the armor and weaponry are concerned, with the dramatic sensibility of Spider-Man. But make no mistake, Gunfire is definitely his own hero, and was a nice change of pace at a time when DC Comics was really running empty on good, original ideas.
Issues:
#0: October,
1994. Great issue, but there was no plausible reason to number
this #0. It was published between issues #5 and #6. This
actually should have been numbered #6, with what was #6 becoming #7,
and so on. At the time, DC Comics had the major crossover story
arc "Zero Hour", so every superhero title was given a #0 issue.
Most of the time, the #0 worked because it dealt with time being
distorted or whatever. Here, the "Zero Hour" story-arc had
absolutely no bearing. This is just a regular Gunfire
story. Story by Len Wein. Art by newcomer Ed Benes, taking
over the mantle from Steve Erwin.
The villain Gunfire is after, Ragnarok, is found to be his own father, long thought deceased! Is this truly the father of Andrew Van Horn/Gunfire? Or is it an imposter?
#1: May, 1994. It's an exciting story from beginning to end. Written and illustrated by Len Wein and Steve Erwin, respectively. The fight at the construction zone is really something else! Well visualized. Why can't more adventure comics be done like this? Great story and fantastic art!
#2: June, 1994. Gunfire fights Ricochet. By Wein and Erwin.
#3: July, 1994. Gunfire fights Purge. By Wein and Erwin.
#4: August, 1994. By Wein and Erwin.
#5: September, 1994. By Wein and Erwin. This is Steve Erwin's last issue of "Gunfire" as artist.
The villain Gunfire is after, Ragnarok, is found to be his own father, long thought deceased! Is this truly the father of Andrew Van Horn/Gunfire? Or is it an imposter?
#1: May, 1994. It's an exciting story from beginning to end. Written and illustrated by Len Wein and Steve Erwin, respectively. The fight at the construction zone is really something else! Well visualized. Why can't more adventure comics be done like this? Great story and fantastic art!
#2: June, 1994. Gunfire fights Ricochet. By Wein and Erwin.
#3: July, 1994. Gunfire fights Purge. By Wein and Erwin.
#4: August, 1994. By Wein and Erwin.
#5: September, 1994. By Wein and Erwin. This is Steve Erwin's last issue of "Gunfire" as artist.