Moon Knight #3 – Review

by Warren Ellis (Writer), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Color art).

The story: The Fist of Khonshu gets into a street fight with punk ghosts.

The Review: Nobody writes done in one issues like Warren Ellis, I actually prefer his work like Planetary and Secret Avengers than I do his more structured arcs like his work on Iron Man or Astonishing X-men. The stories he weaves are not always the most complex but they’re always peppered with enough weirdness and atmosphere to compensate, Moon Knight is shaping up to be a particularly effective vehicle for this particular style of storytelling.

In this issue Moon Knight investigates a series of attacks that it is revealed were perpetrated by a spectral gang of punks, he gets his ass kicked, returns to base for a costume change that has to be seen to be believed and then heads back out for a rematch. That is the entire plot of this comic so it’s not surprising that it reads more like a tone poem than a complicated piece of narrative fiction. The violence is fast and brutal, the presence of Khonshu is unsettling and the climax of the issue is sombre, lacking the sense of victory that a reader would expect.

The partnership of Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire on this book is phenomenal, the pages are drenched in atmosphere and the design of Spector’s bird skull costume along with the extremely creepy look of Khonshu are fantastic. I had a brief but fascinating conversation with Shalvey on twitter a few days ago about the extra work that he has to put into the series as he is using an ink wash technique similar to Matteo Scalera on Black Science, the extra depth and sense of atmosphere that this creates is well worth the extra effort it takes on his part. Ably assisted by Jordie on colors who adds so much to the look of the work using a muted but dynamic colour pallette that is reminiscent of Francesco Francavilla’s restrained coloring style.

Moon Knight #1 – Review

by Warren Ellis (Writer), Declan Shalvey (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

The Story: It takes a special kind of crazy to assume that a completely white suit will always stay clean while going into a sewer to fight crime.

The Review: Moon Knight is a strange character with a special history. First created as an antagonist in a Werewolf by Night comic, Marc Spector then gained a bit of a following with his own title, with Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz putting quite a lot of mythos behind his stories. Many years later, after the cancellation of said title, the character has been in the hand of many other writers, with most of them trying to bring him back, yet with a twist. Charlie Huston, Gregg Hurtwitz, Brian Michael Bendis and many others then tried to bring him back to pre-eminence, each with their own twists. Still, despite the many volumes and attempts, it seems that Marvel truly has faith in the character as he receives yet another chance in the All-New Marvel Now initiative.

Cue Warren Ellis, a celebrated writer that has done quite a lot of decidedly appreciated work in the comic medium. With a certain style that can certainly adapt itself to the adventures of Marc Spector and with yet another take on the crazed vigilante, could Ellis be the one to finally make it work?

In many respects, Ellis does manage to breathe a whole new life in the character, but also in the way he operates. The major success of the writer, though, rest in the portrayal of the titular hero himself, giving him a sharp personality. With a certain penchant for sophistication, yet not devoid of a certain edge, the more cynic qualities of Ellis writing manage to make him shine throughout the entire issue. He is charismatic, seemingly in control of the situation, yet also dangerous, making him some kind of ambiguous menace. Pushing forth the approach to ambiguity that made the character appealing in the first place, the issue does not still forget that this is as much an introduction as it is a re-introduction to just who and what Marc Spector is.

It’s in that respect that the issue also work very well, with just enough information given to old time fans that they can feel that this is not merely a continuation of what they love as it is an evolution, an adaptation of the character in its essence. The Moench, Huston, Hurwitz and Bendis era are all referenced, implementing what happened as essential to the character, yet without putting an over-emphasis on them. This is a new chapter in the saga of the Moon Knight and Ellis takes full advantage of it without pushing the past back.

However, those who are not fans might be a bit lost, making the few first pages talking about the character a tad superfluous in the whole experience. They are handled with enough clarity as to ensure the essential experience of this opening is enjoyable and concise, yet some might be a tad annoyed that there is a certain slowing down in the first few opening and closing pages of the issue.

Moon Knight #12 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Moon Knight versus Count Nefaria, head to head, one last time.

The Review:  All good things must come to an end and, sadly, it has come all too soon for Bendis and Maleev’s Moon Knight.  Thankfully, however, reading this issue, it’s clear that this was exactly the ending that the creators always intended; this isn’t at all a rushed, slapped together conclusion necessitated by a sudden cancellation.  Instead, the issue is excellently paced, covers all the bases, and ties up any and all loose ends very nicely.  All the plot elements that Bendis introduced in his run get some level of satisfying closure, from the current state of Marc’s current “Avengers” personalities to the status of his television show.

Much of Bendis’ run has seen Moon Knight bumbling about, only semi-competently, playing Avenger.  As the run has progressed, we’ve see him become more and more the professional superhero we know him to be.  This issue, fittingly, feels like the crux of that; as he goes one on one with Nefaria in a police station, Moon Knight feels at his most superheroic.  Furthermore, throughout the issue, he also retains that human aspect, that vulnerability that Bendis has so focused on.