Wolfpack #8 (March 1989)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Wolfpack in their greatest battle against the evil forces of the Nine! Last time, one of the Pack brawled with a gang leader, and learned a shocking truth about his heritage. What will be that fallout from that? Let's look at Wolfpack #8!

The cover is a Ron Wilson and Chris Ivy piece. It's pretty cool. It depicts Sharon getting blasted in a sniper's scope, a pair of evil-looking eyes looming over this. It makes me think this should be the cover of a horror/thriller movie.

"Power, Corruption, and Lies"
Writer: John Figueroa
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Chris Ivy
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins at Larry's Pool Hall in the South Bronx of New York City. 

Page 258, Panel 1

"This is why I call my cue Doom, ladies and germs."

The Pack are there to relax and get their mind off things. Slippery Sam is an artist on the pool table, and he likes to line up his shots, much to Wheels' annoyance. A big dude notes that they look a bit clean-cut for this place, and it naturally leads to a brawl. 

The lives of the Wolfpack are non-stop battles, it seems. Rafael is still a bit on edge regarding the revelations of his parentage in the last issue. If anything, Sam doesn't hold it against him. After all, Rafael killed Apollo Cora to save Sam's life. Rafael asks the Wolfpack to come to the reading of Apollo's will for moral support. 

Over at Bedlam Co., which is a company the Nine uses as a front to feign legitimacy, Melvin Crenshaw hires a hitman known only as "Missionary" to kill the Wolfpack. He wants the mercenary to make their deaths messy. Send a message and all that. Missionary agrees, demanding his fee of $5000 a hit.

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The mercenary is surprised to learn that the Pack are teenagers. Crenshaw finds it amusing that the mercenary seems bothered by the idea of killing children, but Missionary tells him to never question his willingness to do a job again. We do get a bit of his thoughts as he leaves, hinting that he is a rather tired man... Dude, go to bed.

Rafael and the group head out to the will reading, even though Mrs. Vega is none too happy with the idea. After all, Apollo's riches came from crime. The Vegas may need the money, but they aren't that desperate. Missionary watches them leave. 

The gang heads over to the law firm of Castellano and Klein. It turns out that Apollo had videotaped his will. 

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"Yes Raf my boy! I am ON the TV! HAHAHAHAAAA!"

In his video will, he explains that Mrs. Vega drove him away from Rafael. He could have easily had her killed, but he decided to stay away from them instead. He gives Rafael everything he owns, and leaves nothing to Mrs. Vega, because he's a petty jerk. Rafael angrily destroys the viewscreen he was watching the video will with. Hey, come on! The lawyer was going to hold a movie night with that, man!

Raf tells the lawyer to sell Apollo's stocks for current market value, and the lawyer can keep 5% for himself. Some of it can be used to pay for the screen. He angrily leaves, and Slag advises to let him go. Man needs to cool off. Wheels can't help but get the feeling he's being watched, and no, he is not pulling a She-Hulk or Deadpool and breaking the fourth wall. As established earlier, the Missionary is watching them. It seems the man himself is having some issues. He's done a lot in his time, and it's getting to him. All the killing, and the fact his targets are kids. He needs something to take the edge off.

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Yup, ol' Missy is under the thrall...of DRUGS.

Drugs do seem to be a running theme throughout the series. Which makes a bizarre bit of sense. This comic is from the 1980s, after all. Meanwhile, now that Rafael has got himself some money, he's gonna spend it! He got himself a shiny new car, and he's treating his presumably siblings to a shopping spree at Toys 'R' Us. Hey, their family never had much, they deserve this, as far as he's concerned. Can't imagine his mom is too happy with this. 

Later, he flirts with a girl at Horace Harding High. Sharon tells him they have a patrol at the Willis Avenue Bridge (a bridge that connects the South Bronx and Manhattan) tonight. He may have skipped class to hit the stores, but he'll be needed tonight. These patrols are serious stuff. He says he'll be there. Sharon worries that his newfound wealth is changing him. But the others think this won't be permanent. After all, he's been through a lot, and it's probably just something he needs to get out of his system. He'll be fine.

At the bridge, Sharon is alone.

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Naturally, she's not happy our man Rafael skipped out. Unknown to her, the Missionary has her in the sights of his sniper scope. He takes another hit of drugs to give himself a bit of courage. And then he pulls the trigger.

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After this hit, he's done. He's retiring. He's going to go to Florida. Take in the sun, sea, and sand. Maybe start a little flower shop. Later on, Rafael heads home, only to get a Mighty Punch from Slagley. The rest of the Pack update him on what happened to Sharon. Sam sneaks into the crime scene and find some of Missionary's drug paraphernalia. It was only by being high as a kite that Sharon isn't dead right now. Speaking of the hitman, he wants to see some redemption for his actions. As such, he decides to go after his employers. The Pack spot and follow him. He makes his way to the Bedlam Company's building and introduces himself to the board.

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"CAN I MAKE AN ENTRANCE, OR CAN I MAKE AN ENTRANCE?!"

Talk about your hostile takeovers. Crenshaw survives, reminding him that they had a contract. The Pack arrives and tries to convince him to let Crenshaw live. After all, right now, he's the only thing keeping the streets of the South Bronx from breaking out in utter chaos. Missionary and the Pack end up having a big old fight.

He doesn't really want to fight the Wolfpack. In fact, he wants to thank them. He sees them as saviors. They put him on the path to redemption. He asks if Sharon is alive. Wheels confirms she is. That convinces the hitman to let Crenshaw live. For now, at least. He tells Wheels to keep up the good fight, and he takes his leave...by jumping out a window. 

Yeah, that dude was still pretty darn high. The story ends at the hospital. Sharon's dad and the rest of the Pack are there. The doctor has good news...and bad news. Good news? Sharon will survive. The bad news? The Missionary's bullet hit near her spinal column. Because of the trauma near that area, it's possible she'll end up paralyzed. Rafael blames himself for this. Sam points out that if he was there, the hitman likely would have put a bullet in him, too. Sam is...not wrong there. Yes, Rafael did neglect his responsibilities to the Pack, but there was no way he could have saved Sharon if he was there. It could be him lying in a hospital bed now, or even in a morgue. Rafael still understandably feels guilty and decides he's quitting the Pack. 

I did enjoy this issue. Missionary is an interesting character, in my opinion. He's a haunted hitman who wants redemption. I did think Rafael's attitude change was a bit quick, though.