Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the place to find comic reviews that nobody asked me to write!
Since AUGUST, we've been on a bit of a "Retro Review" spree here at Longbox Junk. . .shining the spotlight on some of the older and/or more "Valuable" comics in my collection as a nod toward the fine and friendly folk of Old Guys Who Like Old Comics. Just my little way of thanking them for all the education and entertainment I've gotten since being a member there. If you are in ANY way a fan of comics from before 1986, then check them out on Facebook. I promise you'll be hooked!
BUT. . .
I think that it's time to get back to what Longbox Junk is really all about. . .Longbox Junk! Those comics you can find in the bargain bins for a dollar or less. Those unloved comics that fly WAY under the radar of collectors looking to make a buck. I'm talking comics that are good for reading, but not much else, as far as serious collectors are concerned. Comics that are rarely (if ever) reviewed by ANYONE. Longbox Junk!
Now, there's a LOT of Longbox Junk out there, but one of the things that sets THIS blog apart from others who have fun with some of these unloved comics, is that I like to review limited series and even full series from issue one to issue done. Here at Longbox Junk, I like to give you the whole story, whether anyone has ever asked for it or not!
That said, it's been a while since I threw down a review on a full series. Looking back in the blog, I see it's been about a year since I went through anything with more than six issues. . .May 2019, when I reviewed BOOM! Studios' 16 issue Planet of The Apes run.
Well, I'm fixing that here and now!
The series at hand deals with one of my favorite Marvel characters, Moon Knight. It's his longest running series to date, published from 1989 to 1994, for a total of 60 issues. . .and I'm gonna read and review every single one of them!
I picked this fairly long series for a few reasons. First. . .like I said above, he's one of my favorite characters! Second. . .this is a pretty easy series to collect while Longbox Junkin' through the bargain bins. Only a couple of the issues are "worth" more than cover price, and you can even find those few in the dollar boxes. Third. . .running through six years' worth of issues, there's a pretty good variety of creative teams to look at.
And finally. . .I see that Moon Knight is about to get some long-overdue screen love with an upcoming live action series from Disney+, so this series might be getting a little reader interest from people taking note of Moon Knight for the first time in the near future.
SO. . .
Moon Knight. Sixty issues broken up into ten issue chunks. Let's do this!
MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT
PART ONE (ISSUES 1 - 10)
MARVEL (1989 - 1994)
ISSUE ONE
New Moon
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Carl Potts
THE STORY:
Upon his return to New York following a stint in the West Coast Avengers, Marc Spector (AKA Moon Knight) takes right back up where he left off fighting street-level crime. After taking down some street thugs with the help of his pilot and best friend, Frenchie, Marc returns home for a reunion with his lover, Marlene.
After a short recap of Moon Knight's origin story. . .Spector was a mercenary killed by a rival and then brought back to life by the ancient Egyptian Moon God, Khonshu, to be his avatar and servant on Earth. . .Marc and Marlene have an argument and she leaves, only to be attacked on the road.
Moon Knight and Frenchie rush to her aid, but they are too late to prevent her from being taken by Moon Knight's old foe, Bushman (the rival mercenary who "killed" Spector in Egypt).
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Not a bad introduction issue at all! Dixon gives JUST enough exposition to let readers know who Moon Knight is, who his main allies are, and who his main foe is without bogging down the story. It's well-written, moves at a snappy pace, and shows Moon Knight as a street-level brawler backed up with a pile of money without any of the mental health or supernatural/mystic trappings that tend to pop up in Moon Knight tales.
The art isn't spectacular, but it has a nice sense of motion, and does a good job telling the story. The cover is also very nicely done, showcasing the main character in action and catching the eye with some interesting color choices.
Overall, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1 is just about everything a comic fan could want in a first issue. It's not the greatest story I've ever read, but it's a great introduction and a solid foundation to build on.
NEXT!
ISSUE TWO
Hunter's Moon
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
Continuing from last issue, after kidnapping Marlene and telling Moon Knight to wait for his demands, Bushman retreats to the heavily-fortified Burundan Embassy. As Moon Knight stakes out the Embassy, he is spotted by some of Bushman's henchmen and attacked while Spider-Man takes pictures of the battle.
A messenger from Bushman tells Spector that he wants ten million dollars in exchange for Marlene. Marc Spector is rich, but doesn't have that kind of cash money laying around, so he opts for a rescue mission instead.
He sneaks into the Embassy disguised as a cable man, but is quickly discovered and is forced to fight his way through Bushman's security goons, only to discover that Bushman has already returned to Africa, and has taken Marlene with him!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Now that introductions have been taken care of in the previous issue, this second issue gets right down to business by delivering an action-packed story that only slows down a couple of times. The Spider-Man appearance seems sort of tacked on just so Spider-Man could be on the cover, just a few panels and he doesn't interact with Moon Knight at all. . .typical Marvel cover bait, but what ya gonna do?
Once again, the art does a fine job of carrying most of the weight of this action-heavy rescue mission story. Overall, a very solid second issue that keeps the story going at a snappy pace and makes me want to see what happens next. This series is off to a pretty good start!
NEXT!
ISSUE THREE
Butcher's Moon
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Marcus McLaurin & Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
Continued from last issue, in pursuit of Bushman and the kidnapped Marlene, Marc Spector travels to the African nation of Burunda in disguise as a British photographer. After night falls, he makes his way to Bushman's military compound and blows up a fuel truck and ammo dump as a distraction.
Hearing the commotion outside, Marlene takes the opportunity to escape with a guard's weapon. Moon Knight fights his way through the compound until he finally discovers and confronts Bushman, who challenges the hero to man-to-man combat, promising to free Marlene if Spector wins.
A brutal battle ensues between the two bitter enemies. Bushman gets in a few good strikes with his sword, but Spector is the superior fighter and wins the fight just as Marlene arrives. Bushman breaks his word and orders his men to kill Spector and Marlene. Frenchie arrives in a helicopter and Spector uses Bushman as a human shield in order to escape, but lets him live.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
And so we come to the end of this series' first story arc. It's pretty much all action and Dixon writes it at such a fast pace that it's over before you know it as our heroes fly away. Taken as a whole, this first arc was a great introduction to this straightforward and heroic version of Moon Knight, his friends, and his enemies. Dixon's writing is very nicely backed up by some art that actually seems to be improving as the story goes on.
Sal Velluto was a great choice for this version of Moon Knight. There's a fluid feeling of motion across the panels that is a good fit for the action heavy sequences, but also looks very nice during the few calm moments to be found.
Overall, this issue was a great end to a really good three issue introduction arc. This series is off on a good foot and has captured my interest enough to make me want to see where it goes from here.
NEXT!
ISSUE FOUR
Wild Midnight
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Russ Heath
INKS: Russ Heath
COVER: Russ Heath
THE STORY:
Following a series of robberies of companies connected to Marc Spector that put him under suspicion by the authorities, Moon Knight's own investigation points toward Anton Mogart (AKA Midnight), a former foe that Spector had thought was dead.
In order to draw the thief out, Marc decides to throw a high-dollar charity dinner. Felicia Hardy (AKA The Black Cat) takes the bait and makes an appearance, as does Midnight. During the confusion of Midnight's heist, Marc (as Moon Knight) is mistaken for the perpetrator, allowing Midnight to escape as Black Cat confronts Moon Knight.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
So now that the first few issues are done, we're into the second story arc and starting to see the real Longbox Junk of this run. . .those issues that nobody cares about that make up 90% of ANY long-running series.
That said, Dixon continues to throw down some good, fast-paced superhero action, maintaining the tone he established with the first issue. . .Moon Knight as a two-fisted hero without any of the mental health or mystical aspects found in other runs. It's a bit basic, but it works! How long it will work before getting stale is the question.
In this issue, we also get our first artist change-up, with the legendary Russ Heath in fine form! His thick inks and expressive faces are perfect for a story that has a heavy focus on a high-society party. Too bad it's only for one issue. Velluto is a fine artist for this series, but I think Heath could have REALLY made it shine.
Overall, moving past the first arc and into the monthly meat of the series, Chuck Dixon continues to deliver some good, fast-paced superhero action that makes me want to keep reading.
NEXT!
ISSUE FIVE
Rockin' At Midnight
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
Continuing from the previous issue, Moon Knight manages to escape the scene of the charity party (and the undercover F.B.I. agents chasing him) and continue his pursuit of Midnight, unaware that Black Cat is hot on his trail, still convinced Moon Knight is carrying the stolen loot from the party.
During the chase, Midnight drives his car into the East River and Moon Knight loses him. Black Cat gives up the chase as well and Moon Knight returns home, only to find Midnight waiting for him!
Midnight and Moon Knight get into a fight that Moon Knight wins. Midnight is unmasked and it's actually teenager Jeff Wilde, the original Midnight's (who is indeed deceased) son. . .he's trying to get Moon Knight to notice him and take him on as a partner to make up for the bad deeds of his father.
Unfortunately for Jeff, Moon Knight doesn't want a partner and sends the kid on his way. Elsewhere, we see a strange man in the subway confront a group of drug dealers, and despite being shot several times, he manages to kill their leader.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
Black Cat's appearance here is a little more substantial than Spider-Man's in issue #2, but not by much. Despite the tacked-on feel of the guest star, Chuck Dixon gives us another fast-paced Moon Knight adventure, continuing to deliver on the two-fisted hero tone he started off with in the first issue. It's nice to see this sort of consistency when so many other series I've read have started to shift after five issues (or less) in.
That said, I'm not so sure about what looks like a sidekick setup for Moon Knight. There's some opinion that Moon Knight is basically "Marvel's Batman" (and I'm gonna talk about that a bit in the Conclusion below). Giving him an orphaned teenage crimefighting partner doesn't do much to dispel that opinion. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Overall, despite a tacked-on guest appearance and an uneasy feeling about Dixon throwing a teenage crimefighting sidekick into the story, I enjoyed this issue. It moves at breakneck speed, is action packed, and is just fun! Weighty subjects and complicated storylines are fine, but sometimes you just want to have a little FUN reading a comic.
NEXT!
ISSUE SIX
One Hand In The River
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
Jericho Drumm (AKA Brother Voodoo) pays Marc Spector a surprise visit in his office at Spector Enterprises. He's not in great shape and tells Spector that he needs Moon Knight's help because he's followed the "Cult of Death" to New York City and there's gonna be some zombie problems!
When Voodoo reveals that he's been partially turned into a zombie himself, Spector agrees to help and the two of them start on the trail by tracking a nearby zombie, unaware that they in turn are being followed by Midnight.
Voodoo and Moon Knight follow the zombie into a restaurant, where two drug dealers are having a meeting. The heroes fight their way through the criminal's security, but are too late. The zombie reveals he is wearing a suicide vest, but Midnight shows up just in time to kick the zombie through the window as the vest detonates, saving everyone from the explosion.
Moon Knight is furious at Midnight for following him, but Voodoo's condition gets worse and the three of them take him to Spector's mansion to give him time to recover from the poison that has made him a partial zombie.
In the meantime, we see that the leader of the Cult of Death and creator of the zombies (Doctor Friday) has been hired by a drug dealer named El Brutale to take down all his competition. . .but their relationship is strained by Friday's unusual methods.
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW:
So now we get our first REAL guest appearance with Brother Voodoo. This issue also begins to introduce some of the supernatural elements that tend to become a part of Moon Knight stories. Dixon seems to be introducing these elements slowly, which is a good thing. I don't know much about Brother Voodoo, but this seems like an interesting team-up so far. Unfortunately, my bad feeling that Moon Knight will be getting a "Robin" is getting worse as Midnight returns and works his way into Spector's confidence. I have confidence in Dixon as a writer, but this just seems like sort of a bad idea.
Overall, despite my misgivings about Moon Knight getting a teenage sidekick, this was a pretty good issue. Dixon slowly begins introducing the supernatural into the series through an interesting team up, setting up a story arc that I want to see more of.
NEXT!
ISSUE SEVEN
Zombie Saturday Night
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Mark Farmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
After fighting his way through the zombie poison and recovering his strength, Brother Voodoo tells Moon Knight and Midnight how he was captured in Haiti while tracking Doctor Friday, forced to drink zombie poison, then shipped to New York with a large group of zombie slaves. He only managed to escape with the aid of his dead brother Daniel's spirit.
Now that his mind is clear, Brother Voodoo remembers where Doctor Friday's hideout in the Bronx is. The three heroes arm up and head out to assault Friday's stronghold. Voodoo takes the front, blasting his way up from the ground floor through Friday's zombies and El Brutale's henchmen with a shotgun, while Moon Knight and Midnight fight their way down from the roof.
While the battle rages, El Brutale shoots Doctor Friday for his failure, then makes his escape. When the heroes arrive to find Friday dead, Brother Voodoo summons his dead brother's spirit to break the zombie spell on Friday's remaining slaves. Moon Knight and Brother Voodoo part on good terms.
In the end, the reader sees that Doctor Friday's spirit has inhabited an escaped zombie and he is on his way to take revenge on El Brutale for "killing" him.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
Another great, action packed issue that moves at a brisk pace. I really liked Brother Voodoo's role in this issue. He's one of the most powerful mystics in the Marvel Universe (even taking on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme from Doctor Strange at one point), but here he's blasting his way to Friday's inner sanctum with a damn shotgun!
This is also the first issue where Midnight is in full sidekick mode, with banter between him and Moon Knight about "learning lessons", which Midnight ignores because he's a teenager who knows everything of course. . .your typical "Hot Headed Sidekick" comic trope that you just KNOW is going to end up with Midnight getting a valuable lesson in just about getting someone killed at some point.
Overall, I'm still not sold on Moon Knight having a hotheaded teenage crimefighting sidekick, but really enjoyed the unusual take on Brother Voodoo during this short two-issue story. It was an interesting team-up where I usually cringe a little at seeing guest appearances in comics.
AND SPEAKING OF GUEST APPEARANCES. . .
The next three issues are all tie-ins to Marvel's massive "Acts of Vengeance" crossover event that hit just about every Marvel title out at the time. In a nutshell, a bunch of Marvel villains teamed up to take down heroes by making them fight enemies that they normally wouldn't be prepared for. For example, the next three issues feature Moon Knight teaming up with The Punisher to fight some of Captain America's villains.
In other words. . .It's a Marvel series, which means there HAS to be a crossover at some point.
LET'S DO IT!
ISSUE EIGHT
Devils In The House
(Acts of Vengeance Tie-In)
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Tom Palmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
As rampaging criminal gangs bring death and destruction to New York City, Moon Knight takes his new partner, Midnight, out on a training mission. Midnight doesn't appreciate Moon Knight's measured and steady approach to crimefighting, and rushes headlong into a situation where the two heroes are pinned down by multiple gunmen.
Fortunately, for Moon Knight and Midnight, Frank Castle (AKA The Punisher) was staking out that location and comes to their aid. After the battle is over, Punisher informs Moon Knight that the gunmen they just stumbled into were members of ULTIMATUM. . .anti-nationalist fanatics that are normally a thorn in Captain America's side.
Moon Knight sends Midnight home and teams up with Punisher to take down the ULTIMATUM cell by first paying a visit to an informant, who is killed by ULTIMATUM villain Anarchy before he can tell Moon Knight and Punisher the location of the group's leader, Flag Smasher.
Anarchy manages to escape the heroes, and Punisher informs Moon Knight that the night is long from over as the impromptu team continues the hunt for Flag Smasher. . .
To be continued.
THE REVIEW:
Okay. Not bad. One of the things that makes me more of a DC fan when it comes to my mainstream superheroes is that Marvel INSISTS on these huge crossovers involving almost every title they've got on the stands, no matter what.
Fortunately, Chuck Dixon inserts Moon Knight into "Acts of Vengeance" in a pretty natural-feeling way. Okay, yeah. . .it's the good old "One Hero Comes To The Aid Of Another, And Then They Join Up" Team-up crutch that's only slightly less used than "Two Characters Fight Until They Realize They Should Actually Be Working Together", but Dixon makes it work better than it usually does. In other words, I normally don't like crossovers, but this one is okay, so far.
Special mention goes to the art on this issue. It's the same penciller, but the addition of a new inker elevates what was already pretty good art on this series upwards a notch! It's always interesting to me to see the difference an inker can make. Here it makes a pretty big difference, giving the story a darker, grittier tone that I REALLY like!
Overall, despite this being part of a massive crossover "event", Dixon keeps the stakes here fairly small. Basically Moon Knight and Punisher teaming up to hunt down a domestic terrorist cell bringing weapons into New York City. It's fast paced, exciting, and I want to see what happens next! On top of the good story, a change in inker brings an almost completely new look to the party that I really like.
NEXT!
ISSUE NINE
Called To Heaven
(Acts of Vengeance Tie-In)
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Tom Palmer
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
Continuing from last issue, Moon Knight and Punisher have managed to track down Flag Smasher's ULTIMATUM hideout. . .a heavily-fortified warehouse in the Bronx. Moon Knight calls in his pilot, Frenchie, to take down anyone who escapes while he and Punisher go in for the assault.
They sneak onto the grounds, then attack! As the two vigilantes fight their way through ULTIMATUM gunmen, Frenchie strafes escaping trucks loaded with illegal weapons from above. Moon Knight gets to Flag Smasher first, but the terrorist leader manages to escape after Anarchy arrives to join the fight.
Punisher and Moon Knight take down Anarchy, and Moon Knight stops Punisher from killing her. They return to their pursuit of Flag Smasher. . .Punisher in a boat and Moon Knight in his copter with Frenchie. Moon Knight drops into Flag Smasher's boat from above, but as the two fight, the boat crashes into a larger ship and explodes!
Moon Knight is rescued from drowning by Punisher, and the two vigilantes part on uneasy terms regarding methods, but with respect for each other as fighters.
The End.
THE REVIEW:
Once again, I like that Dixon doesn't shove the crossover aspect of this team-up in the reader's face. It's pretty much just Moon Knight wondering if this might be part of all the villains attacking the city. Punisher's like, "I'm just here to take down some weapon dealers that Captain America should have had his eye on." and Moon Knight is like, "Fair enough. What's the plan?" That's it for "Acts of Vengeance" connections in this issue.
As a team, I really liked Dixon's take on Moon Knight and Punisher. Their methods may differ, but they respect each other enough that Moon Knight manages to convince Punisher not to kill one of the villains. I like the way they play off of each other during this short team-up.
Overall, this was an action-packed and enjoyable conclusion to Moon Knight and Punisher's short team-up. It didn't push the "Big Marvel Crossover Event" at all, concentrating on the interaction between Moon Knight and Punisher instead. I really appreciate how Dixon handled this.
AND FINALLY. . .
ISSUE TEN
Trouble Times Three
(Acts of Vengeance Tie-In)
SCRIPT: Chuck Dixon
PENCILS: Sal Velluto
INKS: Keith Williams
COVER: Sal Velluto
THE STORY:
After saving a young woman from suicide and rescuing victims of a fire set during the riots and confusion of a massive attack on New York City by multiple villains, Moon Knight finds himself fighting Killer Shrike, The Ringer, and Coachwhip.
The three villains have temporarily teamed up and quickly gain the upper hand over Moon Knight until Frenchie, piloting Moon Knight's aircraft, rams Killer Shrike, giving Moon Knight the edge in the fight.
Unfortunately, Killer Shrike strikes back, crashing the Moon Copter and severely injuring Frenchie. Killer Shrike manages to escape as Moon Knight takes down The Ringer and Coachwhip. As the issue ends, we see paramedics fighting to save Frenchie's life while Moon Knight watches, helpless. . .
To be continued.
THE REVIEW:
Well. I guess they ALL can't be winners. Ten issues in and we finally hit the first clunker. Actually, I'm surprised it took this long, which is a decent testament to the good job Chuck Dixon has done writing this series so far.
This issue reads like Marvel told Dixon that the team-up with Punisher didn't feel like Moon Knight was engaged enough with the "Acts of Vengeance" event. . .so Dixon threw out an issue that is basically an extended fight scene with three villains belonging to other superheroes (This was the first appearance of the "new" Ringer, but still pretty much a Spider-Man foe).
It boils down to a typical superhero punch fest, with the villains shouting out exposition explaining their powers as the battle goes on. Dixon tries to add some stakes with the cliffhanger ending of Frenchie possibly dying, but even that doesn't save this issue from being average and pretty forgettable.
By completely embracing the "Acts of Vengeance" event, this issue of Moon Knight is definitely the weakest of this first batch of ten. Fortunately, I have confidence in Chuck Dixon as a writer and am hoping he can keep a steady hand on the wheel going forward.
CONCLUSION
And there you have it. . .the first ten issues of Marc Spector: Moon Knight. Overall, even with the weak final issue of this bunch, I've been enjoying this run of Moon Knight so far. Writer Chuck Dixon dispenses with most of the supernatural elements and hasn't even mentioned any of the mental health issues that normally inhabit Moon Knight stories. . .instead concentrating on Moon Knight as a two-fisted fighter using his wealth to take on street-level crime.
Dixon's take on Moon Knight gives the reader fast-paced, action-packed adventures with quick story arcs covering only two or three issues at a time. There's nothing very deep or convoluted to be found here, just some good old fashioned superheroics. To me, that's a good thing. To readers that are fans of the more introspective or supernatural aspects of Moon Knight, maybe not so much a good thing.
See. . .here's the problem, and it's really the ONLY problem I have with this series so far.
I mentioned above that Moon Knight is often seen as "Marvel's Batman". Fans (like myself) who have read just about everything Moon Knight has starred in know this isn't really true. In MY humble opinion, Moon Knight is actually closer to Golden Age mystic heroes like The Shadow. I don't want this to get too long or off the point I'm trying to make about THIS series, so I'll just point you to a pretty in-depth (for me) analysis of Moon Knight I did in another review HERE .
ANYWAY. . .
Moon Knight is often called "Marvel's Batman" and this series doesn't do a thing to try and change anyone's thinking. So far, this could have EASILY been a Batman series. Right down to the hot-headed teenage orphan that Marc Spector takes in for training. By giving us a very straightforward version of Moon Knight, Dixon doesn't do the reader looking for a little more meat on the bone any favors. This Moon Knight really does resemble "Marvel's Batman" in so many ways that the casual comic fan would be just as well served reading some Batman comics instead.
Looking forward, I can see different writers (Dixon leaves after issue 24) dig a little deeper into Moon Knight. . .swerving him more in the direction Moon Knight fans are familiar with, but for now we have the two-fisted adventures of "Marvel's Batman". Don't get me wrong. . .they're fun adventures, and this is a good series so far, but I sort of expect things to be a little deeper in the rabbit hole when I read a Moon Knight comic.
Up Next. . .
Marc Spector: Moon Knight Part Two! Issues 11 - 20.
Be there or be square!
