ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight,’ Issue #1

Moon Knight #1 is written by Jed MacKay, illustrated by Alessandro Cappuccio, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. It is published by Marvel Comics.  After the “Age of Khonshu” storyline in Avengers, Marc Spector, better known as the vigilante Moon Knight, has left his god Khonshu in the custody of Asgard and opened the “Midnight Mission” to protect travelers at night. When he’s not battling vampires and various villains, Spector goes to therapy to discuss his complicated history and mental state. However, there are forces gathering in the shadows who have a design on Spector’s destruction.

Moon Knight has always been a Marvel character that’s existed on the fringes of popularity; while Marvel fans know who he is, he’s never been on the same level as Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four. What drew me to the character has always been the nature of his faith. He grew up the son of a rabbi, but disagreements with his father led him down a dark path. And he was given new life by a god who has forsaken or betrayed him time and time again. The question the new series poses is: “What does Moon Knight believe in?”

Thankfully, it’s a question that MacKay seems prepared to answer. His script manages to touch on Spector’s backstory while splicing in scenes of Moon Knight fighting various threats and going to therapy, all the while grappling with the fact that Spector chooses to continue serving Khonshu despite his imprisonment. It’s the latter scenes that end up driving the issue’s plot and I’m thankful for that as it’s nice to see a hero-especially a hero who has been diagnosed with disassociative identity disorder-working out their mental problems. MacKay also introduces a new pair of foes for Spector, with one serving as the polar opposite of Moon Knight. And in the same way that his Black Cat series has shown Felicia Hardy pulling off multiple heists among the Marvel Universe, MacKay’s script pits Moon Knight against a variety of foes including vampires and Spider-Man foe Vermin.

Bringing MacKay’s script to life is Cappuccio and Rosenberg, who give the book the shadow-drenched and violent feel that one would expect from a Moon Knight title. Cappuccio draws Spector in either one of two ensembles: his dapper, three-piece wearing “Mr. Knight” persona or the trademark cloak and armor of the Moon Knight. The latter ends up being utterly frightening, with Cappuccio displaying Moon Knight crashing through the window of a car and delivering deadly ultimatums to his opponents. Rosenberg’s color art leaves Moon Knight a shimmering specter of white in the darkness, which gives off the illusion of an unforgiving wraith.

Moon Knight #1 serves as both a reintroduction to the titular vigilante and a reevaluation of his character thanks to a new creative team at the helm. With Oscar Issac slated to portray Spector in a Disney+ original series, this issue would be perfect reading for those unfamiliar with the character and a warm welcome for longtime Moon Knight fans.

Moon Knight #1 will be available on Wednesday, July 21 wherever comics are sold.