REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood,’ Issue #4

Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood #4 is the final issue of the anthology series published by Marvel Comics. Continuing the trend of previous issues, the comic contains a trio of tales depicted in black and white – with liberal splashes of blood red. “Good Morning” is written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by Alex Lins. “The Scent of Blood” is written by Nadia Shammas, illustrated by Dante Bastianoni, and colored by Chris Sotomayor. Finally, “Born To Be” is written and illustrated by Paul Azaceta. VC’s Cory Petit handles lettering for all three tales.

All three stories are bound by a singular element, other than the titular color scheme: they deal with Moon Knight’s mental health. Fans of the lunar vigilante know that he has dissociative identity disorder, and in recent years, stories featuring him have attempted to delve more into how he lives with that—whether it’s on-screen or in the pages of a comic. Each one of these tales focuses on a different challenge that Marc Spector and his alter selves face due to their condition, resulting in some rather poignant stories. It’s also a nice reminder that there’s more to Moon Knight besides the bloody violence he inflicts on evildoers or his cool costume.

My favorite tale in the issue is “Good Morning.” The set-up is an interesting one: every night, Moon Knight plays a game. He has to traverse a field full of “X’s,” in order to reach a red circle. The X’s represent death, while the circle represents life. But in order to get to the circle, he has to deal with a host of obstacles including his old enemies. Cantwell’s script slowly peels back the layers of meaning behind this game, as Spector reflects on the things he has to do to win and reach the circle—none of them are particularly pretty. And Lins’ art is haunting; one image features Moon Knight looking up into the midnight sky as Khonshu stares down at him, the god’s beaked skull showing no emotion. Equally haunting is the final sentence: “Like I said, the game is easy. But that doesn’t mean it’s simple.”

Similarly, “The Scent of Blood” and “Born To Be” focus on Spector’s bond with Khonsh, and how it’s tested him over the years. “The Scent of Blood” has Shesmu, another Egyptian god, attempting to take over Spector’s body only to learn the hard way that it’s not a place you’d want to be. Bastianoni’s depiction of Shesmu is frightening. The god has a massive lion’s head and carries an equally massive knight.

But just as frightening is the look Bastianoni draws in Spector’s eyes, and the words Shammas puts into his mouth. Simply put, he is a man who’s willing to put himself through hell to win a fight. Spector is menaced by another Egyptian goddess Bastet in “Born To Be”, this time depicted as a giant red cat that interacts with Spector in each of his lives, even its speech is red and jagged, courtesy of Petit. Azaceta, having proven himself as an artist, shows that he has a great grasp on horror as the story has notes of dread running throughout it, leading up to Bastet’s bloody rebirth and equally bloody confrontation with Spector.

Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood #4 takes a look at the mental conflicts the lunar vigilante faces, as well as the physical ones. This anthology has been a great look into why Moon Knight is such a great character, and if you’re looking for comics to read after watching the show, this is definitely a great place to start.

Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood #4 is available wherever comics are sold and with our ComiXology affiliate link.