Marvel Graphic Novel #31: Wolfpack (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Sam Weltschmerz is a Jewish teen living in the South Bronx. He's accused of attempted murder by a gang member who probably assaulted his dad and most definitely burned the family hardware store to the ground. Known as Slippery Sam because of his ability to make sly escapes, the teen is the oldest established member of the vigilante team, the Wolfpack.

Formed in China 2000 years ago, the Wolfpack was created to protect the earth from evil. A splinter group called the Nine is the Wolfpack's primary foe. Mr. Mack, the Wolfpack's sensei, took martial arts, including the way of the ninja, that he learned overseas in the navy and formed a new Wolfpack to confront the Nine who have set up operations in the crumbling wasteland of the Bronx.

Along with Slippery Sam, this Wolfpack consists of the brooding giant genius, Slab, the ultra fleet of foot Sharon, and young Malcolm, AKA Wheels, a brilliant strategist confined to a wheelchair. After running afoul of the gang members who attacked Slippery Sam's family, the brash Rafael becomes the newest member in the fight against the Nine.

Wolfpack made their debut in the 31st edition of Marvel Graphic Novel. It was co-created by Larry Hama and Ron Wilson. Wilson came up with the team name, the members of the Wolfpack and the concept behind the evil intentions of the Nine. Hama was hired to write the script. As a result, many of the character back stories and tha inclusion of martial arts, a subject of great interest to Larry Hama as you can see in his G.I. Joe comics, were added to the story. 

Both Larry Hama and Ron Wilson were born in New York. Wilson, a Brooklyn native drew inspiration from the gangs and war on drugs he encountered from his childhood. Wilson imparts a heavy 'Just Say No' to drugs fervor, especially in the backgrounds of many scenes where the rhetoric is displayed on the graffiti of the city walls. 

Larry Hama was in the Navy during the Vietnam War. After a short one-year stay in Hollywood trying his hands at acting, Hama returned to New York City, becoming very active in the Asian community there. Seeing the effects that urban decay, gangs and drugs were having on the city's Asian community among others, it influenced Hama to focus on the social inequalities and sense of hopelessness the poorest parts of the five boroughs were experiencing in the mid- 1980s.

After the graphic novel, the Wolfpack returned in a 12-issue maxi-series where they continued to fight against the Nine. While Ron Wilson penciled the entire series, Larry Hama had to depart midway due to scheduling conflicts with his other regular series. John Figueroa took over as Wolfpack scribe for Hama.

Aside from a couple of appearances of solo members of the Wolfpack in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents, the gang of do-gooders really haven't had a large presence in the Marvel Universe. Slippery Sam lost his life at the hands of a stalker type villain. Wheels left in his own sometime later, eventually joining the Underground resistance during the Secret Empire storyline. That leaves Rafael, Slag and Sharon to defend the South Bronx from drug dealers and violent gangs. The trio of remaining Wolfpack members appear to have last been seen during the first Marvel Civil War, in which they were branded as sympathetic to the Superhuman Registration Act.

Completing this review completes Task #30 (Written by an Asian Author) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.