Raw Deals

Now

A Cheyenne tribe in Arizona is attempting to set up a casino on their reservation against government regulations. This has led to an impasse where the local tribe has barricaded themselves inside their would-be casino and are holding a stand off with the FBI. Agent Vernon Hatchway is put in charge of the situation for the feds. However, attempts at negotiating have not worked. The FBI has now called in the Native American superhero known as Red Wolf to infiltrate the building and put a stop to the stand off.

While Red Wolf, aka William Talltrees, makes his way inside he has to admit to himself that while he is against the idea of his people resorting to gambling to earn money, he thinks that they should have the right to make the decision for themselves without government interference. He’s also well aware that the government has enlisted him because any enforcement action not done by another Native American would be bad optics for the government.

Red Wolf makes his way into the building by using his wolf pup Lobo distract the guards outside so he can take them down.[1] Inside, he makes his presence known to the tribal leaders who ask if he has come to help defend their land. Red Wolf attacks, saying he’s come here for neither. That’s when Nomad comes barging into the room, he has joined up with the Cheyenne people to help them defend what is theirs.

Earlier

Nomad was staying on the reservation and helping its people when the place was suddenly surrounded by the FBI. This gave Jack no way of sneaking Bucky out to safety. While the local tribe are ready to fight for their land, Jack doesn’t want them to do it by killing any feds. He says they hired him for a reason and he’s going to deal with this matter his own way. Having the children taken into the nearby auditorium for safety, Monroe heads outside to scout. That’s when he notices the FBI are sending in three stealth agents to try and get inside. He quickly takes them out with his stun discs and takes an ear piece from one of them so he can hear what they are planning.

That’s when he overhears that they are sending another unit in through the back as well as Red Wolf. Jack quickly races to the other side of the reservation and takes out the three other federal agents trying to sneak in. That’s when he hears that his old friend Vernon Hatchway is the one giving orders.[2] Jack decides to break radio silence to find out why Vernon is going this. Hatchway is shocked to hear Jack and explains that he is trying to stop the Natives from screwing up their lives by introducing gambling into their community. Jack disagrees, saying that if anyone has to decide that it should be the Cheyenne themselves. Racing back inside the newly built casino, Jack runs into a wolf cub and realizes that Red Wolf must have gotten in, leading to their explosive encounter moments later.

Now

Nomad and Red Wolf now find themselves in a stand off. While Red Wolf wants to prevent the locals from fighting with the authorities, Jack says that this should come at a the cost of betraying his old people. Hearing this makes Red Wolf give Monroe an ugly look as he tries to figure out what to do next, and Jack isn’t sure he’s going to like whatever that is.

Meanwhile, the press has arrived on the scene to document what happens next, turning the area outside into a circus. Vernon pushes through them to get on to the reservation and begins making his way to the casino. Although Hatchway is just following orders he questions what the point of all this is and what benefit the government can have in micromanaging these people’s lives. He wonders if it’s all about controlling people and preventing them from doing things on their own.

Inside, the women in the tribe have been looking after Bucky and the other children in the auditorium. While they wait for something to happen they also debate on what’s really at stake here. That’s when Lobo enters the room and leaps on Bucky. However, the wolf cub isn’t attacking, it just wants to play.

Not far away, Red Wolf and Nomad begin fighting with one another but the pair are evenly matched. The brawl comes to an abrupt end when Hatchway enters the room and points a gun at Jack and orders him to stand down. That’s when Monroe reveals that the stand-off was one sided as he and the Cheyenne were armed with guns that only fired blanks. He says this just as the media comes barging into the room to get the story. As it turned out, Jack got the media involved to make the government look bad and back down. With the situation ended, Vernon still intends on arresting Jack, but Monroe doesn’t resist. However, rather than take Nomad into custody Vernon — who has a growing respect for the vigilante — drives him off the reservation and lets him go. Vernon explains that even though he is an FBI agent, he’s a Black man first and understands the type of oppression that was going on at the reservation and that’s why he’s letting Jack go. Once Vernon drives off, Jack puts up a thumb and starts hitchhiking to wherever he ends up next.

Recurring Characters

Nomad, Red Wolf (Talltrees), Bucky, Vernon Hatchway, Lobo

Continuity Notes

1. Red Wolf took on this young pup and made it the new Lobo when his original wolf was killed in Marvel Comics Presents #72.

2. Jack and Vernon worked together to stop an evil doppelganger of Gambit from running amok at LAX in Nomad (vol. 2) #7.

Topical References

• Native Americans are referred to as Indians in this story by many of the characters. A term that is a hold over from the days of Christopher Columbus when he mistook the “New World” for India. This term is falling out of usage as it is no longer accurate and many now consider it to be an offensive slur. Proper terminology is now considered Native America, or Indigenous people, or referring to a group by the name of their actual tribe. In this case, the story deals with the Cheyenne people.

• When thinking about the hypocrisy of society with regards to Native Americans issues, Red Wolf mocks white people for having cried watching Dances With Wolves. This was a 1988 novel written by author Michael Blake. It was about an American soldier who is taken in by a tribe of Sioux people and eventually comes to their defense when they clash with the American Calvary. The story was adapted into a film that starred Kevin Costner in 1990.

• Jack mockingly calls Red Wolf “Lassie” in this story. Lassie was the titular dog of various stories that began with 1940’s Lassie Come Home written by Eric Knight. The story was wildly popular and Lassie has since been adapted to nearly every form of media since that time. The name Lassie has since become synonymous to describe an obedient dog that is helpful to its masters. You could consider this a topical reference.