REVIEW: Moon Knight #1, is 'different, more subdued' than recent takes on the character
By T.W. Worn — This week I’m reviewing the new Moon Knight #1 by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit. This is the first new Moon Knight series since the Marvel Legacy run, which began all the way back in November 2017. It’s also by my rough count, the fourth new Moon Knight series launch in the past decade, with other runs having been written illustrated by a lineup of industry heavy hitters, including Brian Bendis, Alex Maleev, Jeff Lemire, and Greg Smallwood.
But this Moon Knight #1 is different; more subdued. MacKay's Mr. Knight goes to therapy. He understands his purpose. His Moon Knight still cracks skulls, but there is something different. I want to say he is softer but that isn't the right word. He is more reserved. A Drummer with brushes on the snare and a soft kick. You know something is coming. There are a set of drum sticks on the floor.
Also in this comic, Alessandro Cappuccio's art is clean and crisp. It screeches and shatters like a wailing trumpet, only to grow softer as the issue goes on. Rachelle Rosenberg's colors sit fill the page like a bass riff. Cold and low before blasting into high gear, only to drop back down when the time is right. VC's Cort Petit's letters sit into the frame like a riding hihat. What I’m getting at is that there’s a real synergy to the work of the creators in this book, not unlike great jazz musicians.
And in the end I liked it quite a bit. This is a certainly a new day for Moon Knight, one that is perhaps easier to access and understand than some of the other books starring Mr. Knight have been of late. With a new TV show coming at some point in the not-so-distant future, it’s not hard to see this as perfect access point for readers and fans looking to read more stories about this character. In the end, isn’t that the job of a strong new number one issue?
Overall: Moon Knight #1 is a strong and well-paced start for a new direction for the character, one that is almost an ideal access point for readers who have never read a Moon Knight book. 8/10
REVIEW: Moon Knight #1
Moon Knight #1
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I AM MOON KNIGHT! The mysterious Mr. Knight has opened his Midnight Mission, his people petitioning for protection from the weird and horrible. The Moon Knight stalks the rooftops and alleys marked with his crescent moon tag, bringing violence to any who would harm his people. Marc Spector, in whichever guise he dons, is back on the streets, a renegade priest of an unworthy god. But while Khonshu languishes in a prison that Moon Knight put him in, Moon Knight must still observe his duty: protecting those who travel at night. Let it be known – Moon Knight will keep the faith.
Price: $4.99
More Info: Moon Knight #1
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I'm T.W. Worn (@twworn) and the doctor is in!