Dingo breaks the Pack out of prison to break into Xanatos’s Scarab Corp plant. But the Pack is only supposed to answer to Xanatos. Meanwhile, Xanatos is hallucinating. Or is he? The gargoyles are on the Pack’s tail. But Lex is still hungry like the wolf for revenge. Will he go too far?
Miss last week’s? Read Venus Rising review.
Gargoyles Clan-Building: Issue 7: “The Pack Attacks”
Reason(s) for existence: Disney wanted to make more money.
Main antagonist(s): The Pack
Time(s): Between Thrill of the Hunt and Reawakening
Location(s): NYC, NY
Today we’re looking at volume seven, The Pack Attacks.
The cover is pretty dramatic, with Lex getting his butt kicked by Wolf, and Broadway is swooping in.
Demona brings us up to speed on the fate of the Gen U Tech Island. She is currently flying as the sun starts to come up. She’s left with no choice but to land on a yacht. Problem is, it belongs to some Asians who are not too friendly, judging by their firearms. She turns to stone before they can do much more than freak out. A woman comes out and tells them that the “master” will decide her fate.
In the clock tower, Lexington is shooting suction cup darts at the TV. More specifically, at the Pack. So we know this must be after Thrill of the Hunt. Lexington spends the next few pages recapping that episode.
At Rikers Island, the entire Pack, minus Dingo (this is pre Coyote), is in the library. Mm, tough lockup, I see. Jackal is pissed because he has to hang out here and “look like a computer ‘nurd’ to avoid yard time.” Why avoid yard time? Did they get picked on? Also, why on Earth are the men and women together? And why is the Pack, a known criminal unit, allowed to associate with each other?
Dingo arrives. He’s going to break them out. He has a virtual-reality projector that makes them look like cops.
Fox realizes Dingo didn’t think this up himself. But he doesn’t tell her right away who did.
He also plants a holographic projection machine in the Pack’s cells.
Thus they’re able to escape. This is yet another instance of the comic ticking me off because of how much it varies from the main series. We know in Leader of the Pack, Fox had the brains – it’s not really stated that Xanatos told her every detail of the Escape Plan – to stay put. Also, I don’t think that she would break out. She wants to go on and live a normal life. She, like David, who got out early partly because of good behavior, just wants this behind her. The other idiots, though, are straight-up criminals. Maybe she plans to turn them in?
In Manhattan’s West Side, Elisa, Matt, and some guy named Halie, another member of the force, are eating. They hear an explosion, and rush to investigate.
The Pack breaks in to Scarab Corp labs. This has got to grate on Fox. Unless she thinks this is a plot by Xanatos. A thought bubble explains her motives: she’s going to give Dingo enough rope to hang himself while she finds out who’s really behind the whole scheme. So that’s…actually very Fox-like.
Dingo’s employer wants him to steal some computer chips. Or so he says. While the rest of the Pack is doing that, he sneaks off and hacks into the computers. He downloads files, erases the disk, then uploads a virus. His stated aim is to take down David Xanatos. Why would Dingo care? Unless he’s not Dingo. The holographic projector was a bit too convenient to only be used once.
The Pack is about to get away, when Elisa & Company barge in. They realize they’re a bit outmatched when they see the Pack. Jackal takes out Matt. Elisa has to save Halie.
The Pack hears sirens and leaves.
Elisa tells the clan the Pack is loose. This of course makes Lex hungry for revenge. Goliath wants them not to engage but to just scout. Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to work.
Uptown, at the Eyrie Building, David is getting ready for bed. It kind of cracks me up that he’s wearing a bathrobe.
David smells something salty, and it’s not Owen’s attitude. Out of nowhere springs a giant image of Petros Xanatos. He says David is evil and has caused suffering in the world.
Xanatos is 99% sure this is a nightmare.
Petros transforms into one of the followers of Dagon from Innsmouth. He hauls back and socks Xanatos while saying, “I gave you life, and I can take it away.” That is usually an expression uttered by a mother, not a father. Just saying.
Owen senses a disturbance in the force. He comes in to find his boss on the floor. David declines the security force and medical help. He reassures himself that his father was wrong. David never could have been a simple fisherman like his dad. I have a really hard time picturing Xanatos ever trying to be a simple fisherman. He would have taken over the fishing trade, if nothing else.
Owen breaks the news that the Pack escaped. This indeed is news to X. He did not order this. The Pack is not to move without his orders. What’s worse, they broke into his Scarab Corporation Plant. Now he’s pissed.
On top of the Chrysler Building, Elisa and Goliath are keeping an eye on the trio. Or trying to.
Lex and Broadway have gone off on their own. They spot a big guy in a trench coat who’s hiding from a cop car. That’s always suspicious. Lex recognizes him as Wolf.
The Pack uses an abandoned video arcade as their hideout. It’s pretty lame.
Fox demands to know what’s up with the chips they stole.
Dingo says he ran into a “young genius” who goes by the name VR-X. Well, he may be a genius with computers, but he’s not a genius with picking a cool handle. The kid wants to use chips to boost his virtual reality projector so it can cover miles. It would certainly save Disney Parks money.
Shockingly, Lex engages Wolf. They go back and forth, Lex gets his butt kicked, the rest of the Pack comes out, Wolf is about to use an electric bolas on Broadway.
But the bolas wraps around Wolf when Lex knocks him down. It zaps Wolf. Fatally. Or so we’re led to believe. Lex says he’s got no pulse. He’s quite torn up about killing him. Not quite sure why.
And the Pack is now enraged.
Final Thoughts
Lots of fun stuff going on here. I like it when the antagonists are caught off guard. It shows a new side of them. (Or shows some welcome fan service. Mmhmm.) I like how self-assured Xanatos is, even after getting sucker punched by a hallucination. He’s more worried about refuting nightmare!dad’s claims than anything else.
My guess is that VR-X, which sounds like a 10 year old’s idea of a cool name, is Dingo. It’s the VR thing. We haven’t seen him fight, yet, so…
And what’s up with Demona on the yacht? Who is the Master?
These are all story lines I actually want to find out about. Unlike that lame Medusa and Venus line.
Tune in Tuesday: We see the conclusion of The Pack Attacks. We’re going to have virtual reality and virtual revenge.
Thoughts? Comment!