Johnny Palumbo

Major Story Arcs

Johnny Palumbo is a tough-guy assistant to Lorenzo Valenti, one of the five main gangs in New York in the Shadow's universe, as portrayed in the Grendel vs the Shadow crossover.

Johnny is Lorenzo's right-hand man and helps him run the family's business. He also watches out for Lorenzo's daughter, Sofia, and her friend, Frannie, whose boyfriend is abusive.

Johnny is very unhappy when Grendel (Hunter Rose) arrives in town and starts taking over all the organized crime in the city, starting with the Valentis. He and Lorenzo believe they are being disrespected. At one point he draws a gun on Hunter, who only lets him survive out as a sign of respect to Lorenzo. However they do appreciate the extra money that Grendel makes for the mobs. Sofia starts to romance and seduce Rose.

Eventually Sofia manipulates Lorenzo into trying to kill Grendel, and then she kills her father using Grendel's fork. However she then reveals that she has been secret lovers with Johnny the whole time, and they plan to frame Grendel for Lorenzo's death. Hunter is conflicted by his love for Sofia but is about to kill her when Johnny shoots Grendel. He may have shot him in the back, and when he was stunned by Sofia's betrayal, but it is still one of the only times Grendel has been wounded by anyone.

The scene is interrupted by the Shadow, and he and Grendel run off during the battle, presumably leaving Johnny and Sofia still in charge of the Valenti gang.

Johnny's last name is only revealed at the end of the series. This is the same last name as Grendel's adopted daughter, Stacy Palumbo. It is possible that, at least in the Shadow universe and potentially also in the Grendel universe, Johnny and Sofia have children, one of which is either Barry Palumbo, Stacy's uncle, or Stacy Palumbo's parents. This would make Johnny and Sofia either the direct or indirect ancestors of Barry, Stacy, and Christine Spar, and thus important progenitors of the Grendel legacy. (However, since Hunter and Sofia slept together on multiple occasions, it is also possible that her potential children would actually be Hunter's, not Johnny's, even if they were given Johnny's last name.)