GATTLING

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human technology/weapon user

Occupation: Assassin for hire

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: George Chesterford, Watchdogs

Enemies: Battlestar, Silver Sable, Wild Pack (Chen, Crippler, Powell, Quentino, Sandman), Donald Smithfield, Max Wilson (indirectly)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile across the USA, especially New York City

First Appearance: Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2 (July, 1992)

Powers/Abilities: The man calling himself Gattling was a normal human with athlete-level strength who had little regard for the lives and safety of others. He wore a suit of protective armor strong enough to stop bullets at close range and likely had hydraulics to aid in moving the weighty battlesuit around. This suit had twin Gatling-style machine guns mounted on each forearm. The battlesuit incorporated stealth technology that effectively rendered him invisible, probably through light refraction, and included a helmet and visor to protect him while flying. His battlesuit was equipped with a powerful dual engine jetpack on his back that was strong enough to lift him, his armor and his guns. However, his jetpack and stealth unit were not as well protected as the main suit. This backpack also housed the bullets for his guns. He had very good aim while on the ground but this was partially reduced when he was airborne.

History:

(Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3 (fb) - BTS) - Unable to secure the services of the Foreigner, Reverend George Chesterford hired Gattling to murder his televangelist and drug lord rival, Donald Smithfield. He also recruited the Watchdogs to aid Gattling in his murderous scheme.

(Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2) - Having made two previous attacks and using his invisibility cloak, Gattling shot at Reverend Smithfield during a televised sermon as he beseeched his faithful for money. Gattling later attacked Smithfield (actually the Sandman posing as the Reverend), again cloaked, at Madison Square Garden. Distracted by Watchdog soldiers, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack were too late to stop Gattling firing at the disguised Sandman. Quentino used a powerful spotlight to identify the assassin's location and Chen fired a red tracker arrow that hit Gattling. The machine gunner fired at the crowd indiscriminantly and escaped to the rooftop but was pursued by Silver Sable using the tracker arrow. As she was protecting Smithfield, he announced that she was now also a target. Still invisible, Gattling fired at her but the gun flash only gave her a target to throw blades at, causing one of his guns to backfire. The powder from the backfired shells clung to his form and the two fought briefly but then stalemated with a gun leveled at each other's head. The Wild Pack soon arrived but were diverted by a Watchdog attack. Gattling fired at Sable's soldiers but they were protected by Sandman's expanded body. The assassin escaped by removing the tracker arrow and then jumped off the building, using his jetpack to disappear.

(Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3) - Silver Sable found out from the Foreigner that Gattling was an amateur assassin and that this gunman was not part of the Foreigner's 1400 Club of assassins. She was also told that Smithfield was a drug dealer.

  Cleaning and rearming his big guns, Gattling confided to Chesterford that he was concerned that Silver Sable's survival meant that she would now pursue the issue and that they would be found out. Both thought that Smithfield had been slain. Gattling was derisive of televangelists' efforts for securing money and ratings but still intended to complete the slaying of Smithfield. Meanwhile, Silver Sable and her crew determined the basis for the murderous efforts by the two televangelists and why Gattling had targeted Smithfield.

  Later, Gattling waited atop the Empire State Building to confront and kill Silver Sable. He was briefly seen by two boys before turning himself invisible and flew into Sable's Symkarian Embassy after quite a few Watchdogs stormed the building. Finding Sable, Gattling fired at her but she successfully evaded the bullets. In pursuit, Gattling fired at several Wild Pack members before blasting away outside as Sable had donned a jetpack and now was after him. Now engaged in a duel in the sky, Silver Sable's accurate shooting and greater skills with a jetpack helped her outmaneuver Gattling and destroy one of his gun mounts, but he successfully shot apart her weapon. Gattling rocketed toward Washington Square Park where crowds would prevent Sable from tackling him. However, Battlestar, joining Sable's crew in pursuit of the assassin in a stealth craft, jumped onto him and they crashed on top of an arch, knocking Battlestar out. Badly hurt, his guns destroyed and jetpack disabled, Gattling sought to escape but was punched out by the still airborne Silver Sable and fell to the ground unconscious. He was then taken into custody.

 Comments: Created by Gregory Wright (writer), Steven Butler (pencils) and James Sanders III (inks).

Information on Gatling guns (with one “t”) can be found here.

 
Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Gattling has no known connections to:

• any other "Gattling" characters or people who use Gatling guns

Donald Smithfield

Reverend Donald Smithfield was a hypocritical televangelist, embezzler and secret drug lord who hired the Foreigner to kill George Chesterford so that he could take over his drug market and TV ratings, but was attacked by Gattling who had been hired by Chesterford to assassinate him in public. He was allegedly pro-choice on abortion, incurring the wrath of the Watchdogs. He had scant regard for his faithful followers and was more concerned about his own safety. Smithfield hired Silver Sable for protection at a fancy French restaurant and presented her with the huge fee up front. Further investigating the attacks, Silver Sable determined that Smithfield was a drug dealer with connections to Max Wilson. Sable stopped Gattling so she could fulfill the contract with Smithfield and then had him arrested by FBI agents Aaron and Benning for drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder. He was then taken into custody.

--Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2 (3

George Chesterford

Reverend George Chesterford was a hypocritical televangelist and a secret drug dealer who had a Sunday afternoon TV show called "Hour of Faith". He hired Gattling to murder his evangelist and drug lord rival, Smithfield, also recruiting the Watchdogs. Chesterford initially sought the Foreigner as an assassin, but he declined as he had already been hired by his rival. He planned a massive market expansion with the aid of Max Wilson (actually the Foreigner disguised as Wilson) and met with the impostor just before a broadcast. "Wilson" gave Chesterford a present of cocaine and the evangelist was killed by what was actually a cyanide derivative and died within 60 seconds of taking it.

--Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3

Max Wilson

The real Max Wilson (not the impostor played by the Foreigner) was only shown on Silver Sable's computer screen among a list of people with connections to Smithfield. Wilson was a major drug dealer and both Chesterford and Smithfield wanted to join his enterprise to secure more wealth and power for themselves. Donald Smithfield sought to frame Wilson for the murder of Chesterford. Obviously not happy with this, he gave Silver Sable information on Smithfield's illegal dealings that contributed to the televangelist's arrest.

--Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3

images: (without ads)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3, p19, panel 2 (airborne, pursued by Silver Sable)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3, p6, panel 4 (head, no helmet)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2, p19, panel 2 (invisible)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3, p17, panel 5 (jetpack from behind)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2, p1, panel 2 (Smithfield)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3, p11, panel 2 (Chesterford)
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#3, p9, panel 1 (Wilson)

Appearances:
Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#2-3 (July-August, 1992) – Gregory Wright (writer), Steven Butler (pencils), James Sanders III (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)

First Posted: 07/8/2007
Last updated: 07/8/2007

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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