It's a none-too-happy Christmas in the town of Dos Rios, and not just because the Houston Oilers are getting hosed in their game against the damn Steelers. The fellas' bonding time is interrupted by a group of children performing the La Posada, which is apparently kids pretending to be Joseph and Mary looking for shelter for 9 nights, only to be turned away. Seems weird anyone who would participate would want to be the ones who refuse to offer shelter to the parents of Jesus, but I'm not religious, what do I know?
Before anyone can hardly get back in their seats, there's another interruption, this time because the kids found a dead child. Yeesh. Hector and the others would love to contact El Diablo, but it's been weeks since the end of issue 3, and nobody's seen him since.
Meanwhile, in the Mayor's office, a heated argument between Councilman Thorn, and Ms. Zamora, leader of a citizens' group. There's a proposal to tear down some low-income housing near the river and turn it into a commercial development. Mayor Tommy's folksy, homespun approach fails to cool tempers, so he dumps the responsible of forming an advisory committee on the issue on Rafael Sandoval (El Diablo's) shoulders. Fun.
Tommy frames it as a chance for Rafe to build a coalition of his own. Rafe points out whichever way it goes, Tommy won't take heat for either kicking poor people out of their homes or costing the city income. Really, Tommy thinks having Rafe do him a favor will actually make Rafe feel indebted to him, which is the sort of logic I'd expect from a politician.
Rafe's visit to his parents' home is cut short when he sees the news bulletin about the murder. He's got a friend on the force who is feeling frustrated over this whole thing and reveals there have been three disappearances lately. So the dead kid doesn't bode well. He also doesn't trust El Diablo, or think they should put any faith in him.
While Rafe's busy meeting with Ms. Zamora and the tenants of the riverwalk section, another child gets abducted outside a convenience store. Rafe finds out while almost getting kissed by Tommy's aide, Virginia (or "Dixie"). He goes, in costume, to speak with the head of the parish. Turns out he's got a bit of performance anxiety. Is being a vigilante is the best way to achieve results, or should he stick to being a politician? Diablo feels the needs to fight the horror in the world with, 'something more than budgets and zoning ordinances.' Well yeah, you don't fight horror with other horrors. Either way, kind of unusual to see a superhero who takes a break for reasons like that. Normally the breaks are necessary convalescence from being badly injured.
By issue's end, El Diablo's on the case, but the situation is going to get more heated before it gets better. Violence, panic, angry mobs, accusations of police corruption. To be fair, those aren't things you can fight with zoning ordinances, either.
[4th longbox, 51st comic. El Diablo #4, by Gerard Jones (writer), Mike Parobeck and John Nyberg (artists), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist), Tim Harkins (letterer)]
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