Wolfpack #1 (August 1988)

Earlier in the month, I took a look at the obscure 1987 graphic novel called Wolfpack. It told the tale of a group of teenagers from the South Bronx who were being trained to fight an ancient evil organization known as the Nine. Following up from the GN would be a twelve-issue maxiseries. In past years, I have dedicated a month to looking at each issue of a maxiseries. Crisis on Infinite Earths, Squadron Supreme, The Eternals, etc. In 2024, we're doing something a little different. Those stories told grand tales of powerful beings being taxed in various ways. This time, we're not dealing with a group of heroes who are trying to fight a secret war, save the multiverse, or trying to run a ruined world. Here, we're dealing with the adventures of a group of teenagers who are just trying to survive a rough city while dealing with an ancient threat. This is Wolfpack #1. 

The cover is a Kyle Baker piece. It depicts our titular heroes against a wall, trying to avoid getting shot at. I do think it's a bit more dynamic than a standard pin-up cover would be, but the gunmen have terrible aim. Also, I admit, I'm a bit mixed on Baker's art. I don't know why, but I've always found it rather...off. I wish I could describe it better.

"Crusade"
Writer: Larry Hama
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Kyle Baker
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editors: Ann Nocenti, Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Slippery Sam standing on a roof, staring out at the South Bronx. He wonders what happened to Mr. Mack, the team's mentor. 

“Okay, now how do I get down from here?!”

The young escape artist finds himself at a bit of a crossroads. As far as he knows, Mack up and vanished. Was it one of his final lessons to the group? No, it was because he was killed in the Graphic Novel. You are aware of this, right Sam?

This helps provide a recap of who the Wolfpack are and what their deal is. As you all know, each of the teenage Pack were recruited for having extraordinary skills. Sharon was fast. Real fast. Slag was strong. Rafael was an extraordinary martial artist. Wheels had a cunning mind. And Sam himself had a knack for slipping in and out of places. Mr. Mack nurtured and honed those skills for the purpose of fighting the ancient evil known as the Nine. Sam believes Mack is still out there, and he's hoping he is right...but lately, he's not so sure about it. Well, he is dead, Sam.

The scene then shifts to Horace Harding High School, the school the members of the Pack attend. One kid is attempting to give a book report. Another student named Lupo is woken up from his time in Dreamland and asks to go to the bathroom. He gets teased for it, as he's seen as a spaced-out flake. Sharon shows some compassion for Lupo, calling out a purple-mohawked student for teasing him. Purple Mohawk mocks Sharon's heritage (Sharon is Afro-Vietnamese), and Rafael decides this punk needs a punch in the mouth. And this causes a big ol' classroom brawl.

Thankfully, Slag and Dean Simpson arrive to calm things down. Their presence gets the class into their seats. Wheels rolls up, saying that there's an emergency.

The class runs to see what is going on. Good news, the emergency is over. Bad news...it leads to a casualty.

Remember Lupo from a little earlier? Yeah, that's him under that tarp. A Mr. Dupont, a gym teacher, finds a crack pipe. Evidently, the now-late Mr. Lupo revealing that Lupo had been doing some drugs. Inspector Cassidy rolls up and takes the pipe, as it is now evidence. Dupont asks if anyone has any idea where Lupo got the drugs that killed him. A girl named Marcella points out that nobody dies from smoking crack. Another student named Hector remarks that Marcella seems to be...quite knowledgeable on the subject. He insinuates that maybe she provided the crack that killed Lupo.

It's here that Sam walks up, all clean-cut and neat, calling Hector out for his accusations. Cassidy spots the Pack's resident escape artist. He points out that Sam may be free thanks to the disappearance of Lamarr Battle (Battle got burned up and taken away by the Nine in the graphic novel), but that doesn't mean he's innocent. Dupont reminds him that Sam isn't guilty, either. Sam's kept his nose clean since then, and that counts in Dupont's book. After the whole scene breaks up, Sam calls for a meeting of the Wolfpack. Usual time, usual place. 

That night, the group meets up. Sam takes command, pointing out that Lupo's death is the latest in a long string of deaths, all caused by drugs. The group debate what to do, and ultimately decide to bust the dealers. Slag and Rafael are up. The next day, the two try to make a buy, but no one is selling. To them, anyway. 

Why didn't it work? Well, Sam lays down a little truth. Members of a subculture know their own. They could easily tell that Rafael and Slag do not fit in. I wouldn't exactly call drug users a "subculture", Sam. Either way, there is another way to get information. Wheels Wolinski has got that covered. How, you may be asking? Well, we have to look into the school cafeteria.

"Awww, mystery meat AGAIN?!"

Wheels pretends to fall asleep next to a table where some of the druggies are sitting at. They continue talking business, thinking that Wheels, being asleep, isn't going to do anything. And even if he wasn't, well...kid's disabled. What's he gonna do? However, just because Wheels can't use his legs does not mean he can't use his brain. And he took full advantage of their prejudicial attitudes regarding him to learn when a big deal is going down. 

He's learned that a man named Paco is dealing out of an old playground in the projects. He's not a big-time dealer, but the Pack could lean on him to find his source. The planning is interrupted by another commotion, one coming from the school's basketball court.

Drugs have ended another young life. Slag realizes the girl is Marcella, who appeared earlier in the comic. Cassidy tries to lecture the kids, but one is not hearing it. He thinks Cassidy is a hypocrite. He's a cop lecturing kids on staying on the straight and narrow, yet cops get paid off, brutalize kids, and even commit criminal acts themselves. As far as he's concerned, the kids who died lucked out...because they don't have to live in the South Bronx anymore. Sadly, he's not really wrong. How many stories have come out about the bad behavior of cops over the years? It's perfectly understandable that some of these kids would view Cassidy as hypocritical. 

That night, Sharon has dinner with her father. He talks about how Sharon's mother was a great cook. sadly, she passed away three years earlier. It clearly still has hit the two hard. You see, Sharon's mom and dad met in Vietnam. He blames himself for her death, his dialogue implying that she died from cancer caused by defoliants that American soldiers sprayed during the war. Stuff like Agent Orange, for example. Sharon suggests that he find something to occupy his mind, maybe get a job. 

It's not that he doesn't want one, it's just that nobody wants to hire him. He's seen as a crazy old veteran. He thinks even Sharon sees him as an insane burnout. Sharon points out that half the kids in her school don't even know where their dads are. She goes out, and he asks if she's seeing that Puerto Rican kid (meaning Rafael). She just looks at him and leaves...with Rafael.

At the playground, a drug dealer named Paco is counting some money he got after making some sales.

However, as the saying goes, a fool and his money is soon parted. ☝ Sharon shows that with her super-speed.

"My money now, fatboy!"

Paco is grabbed by the rest of the Wolfpack and dragged up to a bridge. He is dangled over the edge, and this gets him in a talking mood. Thanks to the information the ever-helpful Paco, the group goes to a house in another area of the Bronx.

"Hey, pizza is here!"

Wheels rings the bell, pretending to have been attacked and injured, needing an ambulance and the police. The occupants agree to let him in, if only to avoid attracting attention. Besides, they can always shut him up inside. Sharon and Rafael cover the back of the house and take care of the man in the kitchen. Sam sneaks in upstairs, but unknowingly triggers an electronic tripwire. 

"Frickin' travelin' salesmen!"

The Wolfpack make their way through the house, wanting the head honcho. They find themselves in a nursery.

"I think we screwed up here, guys."

Things just got more complicated. The head honcho has his family in the attic with him. He is convinced the Wolfpack are a rival drug business. But he won't listen to them. He also has the house wired with explosives...and they are about to blow.

The Pack can't make time to rescue the head honcho's family, they have to leave now!

They manage to get out of the house before it all goes kablooie.

The Wolfpack's first solo adventure ended up a disaster. But tomorrow is another day. On said day, a drug deal is going down in the high school's boys' bathroom. Slag catches it, and the man doing the dealing: Hector, the student who threw barbs about the now-deceased Marcella earlier. He was the one who peddled the killer crack to Lupo and Marcella. He claims he had a good reason, to get people to finally see how big a problem drugs were. Hector has gone crazy.

That night, the Wolfpack meet on a rooftop. Hector's gone to the state hospital. He supposedly will never get out, but who knows? The Wolfpack debate their actions that day. It leaves them wondering if they were no better than Hector. Sharon believes they are. After all, the Wolfpack weren't out to kill anyone. Like Hector, they wanted to stop the drugs from killing their fellow students. Hector was willing to kill, they weren't. The house explosion wasn't their fault. The Pack's only mistake was they rushed in. They didn't make sure they had all the facts first. They didn't kill those kids. However, the kids are still dead, so there's not really much to celebrate as far as they're concerned. 

I think this comic does do a good job setting up the tone of the maxiseries. I also liked the shades of gray going through this book. One thing I found interesting was that even though Rafael Vega was the main character of the GN, this comic seems to want to set up Sam as the leader of the Wolfpack. I think that makes sense. Sam was established to be Mack's first recruit and trained by him the longest. He also is the one to advise Sam and Slag, as well as presumably authorized their little raid. 

I also liked the peek into Sharon's home life. You get the impression that she had to mature faster than other kids because of her situation. It can be implied that she has to provide the support due to her mother dying and her father not having much going for him. Another thing I liked was the debate at the end. Personally, I think the Pack were better than Hector. He clearly was crazy, not caring if he got other people killed. Yes, the Wolfpack's raid on that drug house caused innocent deaths, but the Pack weren't out to kill anyone, and unlike Hector, they struggle with it. They all wanted to clean up their neighborhood, but Hector became a monster in the process. I also finally have to give a shout out to Ron Wilson's art. It has this rough, gritty feel to it that fits the tone and milieu of the book. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Wolfpack: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!