Moon Knight #1

by

Crime Isn’t Always In Black And White

I was blown away by Moon Knight #1. I had seen the previews, read the solicitations; it had gotten my attention with its creative team, intriguing detective story and mind-bending psychological plot line. Needless to say, this Marvel Now! #1 exceeded my expectations. I will say that this was the first issue of Moon Knight that I have ever read, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect as far as character traits, motives, allies and enemies go, but Ellis does a great job of introducing new readers to the character and concept of Moon Knight. Throughout the opening scenes, we hear a brief back story through a conversation between two journalists, we see what kind of weapons and tech the anti-hero has at his disposal and we also see what sort of relationship he has with the police. This last aspect really surprised me. To see this bright white Knight in the midst of several cops and detectives in uniform really furrowed my brow. Normally, for a hero like, let’s say, Batman, he’ll talk to the cops, but stay in the shadows, having neither his entry or his exit be known to the boys in blue. But Moon Knight struts in clear as day and initiates his crime scene analysis, confusing and upsetting some of the cops on the scene. But it’s made obvious that the work that the Knight does is appreciated because the commanding officer on duty goes out of his way to ensure that a loophole is upheld so that they can work with Moon Knight rather than against him. It was really clever to show how much of an asset he is to the P.D.

The crime scene was also the first time I really got a good glimpse at how the Moon Knight was drawn. The epic contrast of his white suit against a grim, dank alley illuminated the true nature of his outfit. He’s not just a man in a white suit, he is a man absent of color. It genuinely looks like unfinished sketches made it into the book and Jordie Bellaire just forgot to ink a few of Declan Shalvey’s panels. But like I said, it was hard to notice because it looked so good. And I’m definitely not complaining. It’s an extremely interesting artistic dynamic, one that I’ve never seen before and something that I really thought was cool.

The Knight says that he wants his enemies to see him coming. That’s why he dresses the way that he does. He doesn’t hide in the shadows waiting. He will seek a lead, knowing it may result in deadly peril, but he does so in pursuit of raw justice. He’s much more than a vigilante. He works with the police, risking his own life in order to save the innocent and literally shed light on those who do wrong. And as the readers, we get a little light shed on his motives at the same time. At the beginning and at the end of this issue, we see and hear a little bit about Moon Knights past and origin, regarding the ancient deity Khonshu. If you are into mythology or twisted origin stories, not to mention origins still developing, you will love this aspect of the book. This concept is more than enough reason for me to keep picking it up.

–John