Wolfpack #5 (December 1988)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Wolfpack as they take on the insidious forces of the Nine!

The cover is a Ron Wilson and Chris Ivy piece. 

"Save the Children"
Writers: Ron Wilson, John Figueroa
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inkers: Chris Ivy, Dave Hunt
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a party in the South Bronx.

A bunch of kids are there to dance, have some fun, let off some steam, etc. Hey, that's not a bad thing. And this party has some very special attendees: some of the boys in the Wolfpack.

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As you can see, Rafael and Slag finds themselves the center of attention of a pair of lovely young ladies. The brunette is named Carmen, and the black girl is named Tammy. The two girls go to dance with Rafael and Slag respectively, leaving Sam with the food. It's not so bad, Sam. You get to have free food, man. Mmm, free food...

Sam sees a girl nearby and introduces himself. She rolls her eyes and walks away, presumably thinking he's a dork. The blond-haired escape artist decides a little change is in order. He ducks into a room. He loosens his tie, changes his hair style, and switches out his spectacles for sunglasses. Exit Samuel Weltschmertz, enter Slippery Sam. 

Carmen and Rafael crash on a couch to rest up after some dancing. She's very curious about the Wolfpack. What's this gang like? Do they have dental benefits, that sort of thing. Another boy crashes on the couch, offering some...party favors.

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Yup, this party's gotten tainted...by the scourge of drugs.

Carmen accepts some crack, because she's in the mood to get her brain fried. Rafael isn't into it. He came here to dance and have some fun, not get high. Another teenager, Carlos, tries to convince Rafael to have some drugs too, but Rafael still is adamant about not having any. Remember Carlos, we'll see him again. 

Sam approaches the girl that rolled his eyes at him earlier...and suddenly finds him interesting. 😒

She ain't a keeper, Sam. Slag and Tammy start dancing, and they seem to be enjoying each other's company. Slag notices someone struggling with a bunch of boxes full of cola, but he's got it handled. 👍 Meanwhile, Rafael and Carmen dance, but a big angry dude is not happy to see this.

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This gentleman with the bad parody of a Shaolin haircut is named Popo. He's Carmen's ex-boyfriend...even though he refuses to acknowledge that. Sam notices the party has some new guests: some of the young men that the Wolfpack had busted stealing welfare checks last issue.

Naturally, he senses trouble. Rafael attempts to remind Popo that Carmen danced with him willingly, but the big man isn't hearing it. He smacks Rafael into the entertainment system.

Slag gives Popo a right cross and a fight breaks out.

The cops are heard, and the Wolfpack boys split. They were tracking the welfare thieves, and they bust the drug operation. 

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That sound you hear is the thieves groaning about how dumb they are. Sam, Slag, and Rafael head home. Rafael sees his younger brother Junior. Rafael notices that the boy has a lot of money in his pants pocket. 💰 He wakes Junior up, demanding that he tell him where he got this cash from. Junior reveals that he's been getting a little job: Crack dealing for Carlos. Remember Carlos? He appeared earlier at that party. 

Rafael is understandably furious. Carlos just got busted by the police, and if they find out Junior is dealing drugs, he'll go down, too. Junior points out that Carlos will be back on the streets in the morning, presumably thanks to connections he has. Rafael may have his values, but the Vega family needs money. Values don't get you paid. 

At the Nine's building, Crenshaw (remember him? He debuted in the Graphic Novel, and last appeared in issue #3) and the Overlord converse on what to do with the Wolfpack after the events of the last issue. The Overlord reveals he knows that Junior is dealing. In fact, the Overlord is the head of the operation. This will allow him to get close to the Wolfpack...and then take them out. 

We next go to a more mundane scene: Slag on a walk. He passes by a laundromat where he meets Sharon and Malcolm. The two are doing some laundry.

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Heh heh. Slag is happy they're there, as he wants to tell them there's a Wolfpack meeting tonight on Rafael's roof. He then sees Tammy pass by and decides it's time for smooching. After he leaves, Malcolm notes that he thinks Slag is very cool. After all, he saw him fight those guys in that pool hall last issue. Sharon reminds him that he was supposed to be asleep, so he couldn't have seen that.

Later that day, Malcolm is playing at Sharon's home when the boy's parents arrive, demanding he come home. We then switch scenes to Third Avenue. On there, Junior and some of his fellow young dealers count up the money they made. He then notices one of the boys, Jay, is coming up short. He didn't sell all his vials. Jay claims he lost them, but Junior knows the truth: The boy smoked them. Junior angrily kicks him out of their group. Jay walks away, feeling withdrawal symptoms.

He makes his way to a building where he knows some of his customers are. The boy manages to sneak in, knock out the users, and smoke some of their crack. However, he ends up accidentally OD'ing, and dies. Junior sees the ambulance carry his friend's body on a gurney, and he realizes Rafael was right. 

That night, on Rafael's rooftop, the group does some planning. They'll watch over Malcolm, and Rafael wants to break up the drug ring. Since kids are involved, he wants to avoid bringing in the cops. At midnight, Junior meets up with his Nine contact, and gives them the equivalent of a two weeks' notice.

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Carlos was the contact. He refuses to accept Junior's resignation, as he fears it'll make the Nine think Junior will squeal. He grabs the kid, only to find the Wolfpack waiting for them. Junior tearfully apologizes to Rafael for dealing. 

The Overlord appears at the end of the pier. Carlos tries to fight him, but gets a sword slash for his trouble. The Overlord is a man of skill, able to easily face the Wolfpack. Wheels, using a blowdart and the rocket boosters on his wheelchair, knocks the man into the river. Slag fished him out, only finding the man's gi.

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The story ends with the Pack hoping the man's dead.