Moon Knight #1 was a huge hit here at the Revolution. I absolutely loved the first issue. I thought Huston did an excellent job capturing the essence of the Moenich/Sienkiewicz Moon Knight. And I thought Finch’s art was perfect for this title. I was psyched to read Moon Knight #2 and I fully expect it to kick ass.
Creative Team
Writer: Charlie Huston
Penciler: David Finch
Inker: Danny Miki
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Total Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: The issue starts with Marc Spector looking at his disfigured knees. We then flashback to Moon Knight versus The Bushman. And we have one seriously nasty violent sick fight between these two psychos. During the fight, Moon Knight ends up falling off the top of a building and hits a fire escape with one of his knees totally shredding it and then he lands on the other knee totally destroying that one as well. Moon Knight is lying on the ground with his legs torn up and useless. The Bushman approaches him and Moon Knight throws several of his crescent blades at him. The slice up the Bushman’s neck and shoulders. He collapses to the ground next to Moon Knight. Bushman crawls forward and bits Moon Knight’s mask and tears half of the mask off. Moon Knight responds by taking another crescent blade and slicing off the Bushman’s entire face! (Oh damn!!! That was sick!)
During this entire fight scene, Marc is narrating that he is full of hate and anger. That all he wants to do is destroy and kill. And that after a while destiny arrives and you just a can’t go on. Marc blames everyone for his misfortunate injuries. He blames Khonshu. He blames God. He blames his enemies. He blames everyone but himself.
We cut back to Marc sitting by his wheelchair thinking that he will never be able to live with his guilt.
We then shift over to old Crawley. He enters a drug store and picks up a prescription. Crawley then goes to Marc’s house. Crawley comments that Marc has been dusting off the old Khonshu statue. When Crawley looks away from the statue, we see Khonshu’s eyes momentarily light up. Marc tells Crawley to shut the hell up and give him his pills. Crawley then tells Marc that Frenchy is in trouble and has asked for Marc to come see him. Marc had poured some pills in his hand and stops in stunned amazement that Frenchy has called for him. Crawley leaves the room. Marc tells his butler to get the car ready to go. Marc stares at his pills in his hand and then puts them back in the bottle.
We cut to what appears to be a police station. A man called The Profile is sitting at his desk when a man in suit busts in and tells him that “they want you, now!” The man tells the Profile that the “Asset Prime is moving” (That must be our boy, Moon Knight.) The Profile looks at the man in the suit and through his eyes we see writing around the man in the suit saying that he hates his mother, he is vain, that he date raped his first lover, that he will die young and unloved and that he has bad breath. (Wow, this guy really is a profiler. He can tell anyone’s secrets just by looking at them.) End of issue.
Comments
The Good: I loved this issue. It is quite simple. Huston gets “it.” Huston gets Moon Knight. He knows and loves the character. And it really shows when you read this comic.
I liked the opening scene with a broken Marc looking at his torn up, disfigures and useless legs. And of course, I loved the fight scene between Bushman and Moon Knight. It was incredible. That scene really drove home the absolute mind altering hatred and anger that consumed and destroyed Moon Knight. Wonderfully done and deliciously violent.
It was great to see crazy old Crawley again. Crawley is a wonderfully creepy supporting character in Moon Knight. Crawley senses the turmoil inside Marc. I also liked how Crawley kept calling Marc “Jake” which is Marc’s other identity. Jake Lockley is his cab driving identity that he would use from time to time.
Of course, the big hook in this issue is that Marc’s good friend and pilot, Frenchy (kind of like Moon Knight’s Alfred) is in trouble and is asking for Marc to come see him. It was cool to see that this was enough to get Marc to put away his pills and leave his house for the first time in a very long time.
The final scene was need. The Profile looks to be a pretty interesting character. I like how he can see anyone’s secrets just by looking at them.
Overall, Moon Knight #2 was very well written. I absolutely love Huston’s dialogue. It is so natural and is great to read. Huston does an excellent job letting the reader into the madness that makes up Marc Spector’s mind. Huston’s story absolutely sucks the reader in and doesn’t let go until the end. Huston’s writing sets such an amazing tone and feel that I find myself totally lost in his story. I feel the pain, the anger and the regret. I am also enjoying the pace of Moon Knight #2. And like all good comics, it ends with a nice hook that makes me eager for the next issue. Huston is the perfect writer for Moon Knight.
Now the artwork. David Finch’s artwork is absolutely fantastic. Not only do I love his art, but his style fits Moon Knight perfectly. This is exactly the kind of art Moon Knight requires. Finch’s facial expressions are incredible. During the fight with the Bushman, I can feel Marc’s anger when I see his face through his ripped mask. In the scenes with him by his wheelchair, I can feel his sorrow in Marc’s facial expressions. Finch does a wonderful job displaying the raw emotion of the characters. Not many artists can really pull this off and it really helps to further strengthen Huston’s story. Finch’s art captures’; Huston’s tone and mood perfectly making this a great comic to read.
And, not only is Finch’s artwork great, but his layouts are incredible. Each page has a different panel layout. And the layouts are varied and creative and create a neat flow in the comic. The panel layouts match the fast frenzy of the fight scene and the sorrowful and lost feeling in the scenes in Marc’s home. Plus, Finch does a good job using black spaces between panels instead of white to set the dark tone of the story.
The Bad: As you can tell, I’m going to have nothing negative to say about Moon Knight #2. This is an excellent comic book. Huston and Finch are doing a stellar job on this new Moon Knight. It feels like the old classic Moon Knight, but doesn’t feel like a stale and unoriginal re-hash. Well done.
Having said that, if you don’t like your comic books dark, chaotic and violent then this most definitely is not the comic book for you.