‘Moon Knight #1’ (review)

Written by Jed MacKay
Art by Alessandro Cappuccio
Published by Marvel Comics

What do you do when you are the priest of a god you oppose?

That’s where Marc Spector sits now.

“I know Khonshu is unworthy of my worship or anyone’s. I know he tried to take over the world. I know he deserves to be imprisoned wherever the Aesir are keeping, off in Asgard,” he says to an Avengers-appointed therapist.

“But unworthy or not, I am his fist.”

Even though Spector has taken down his god, Moon Knight’s mission of protecting those who travel at night remains. How else can he repay the debt he feels is owed to the god that brought an amoral mercenary back to life, again and again?

Moon Knight doesn’t even ask that question. To him, that’s just a fact.

And we see him enact that mission, with a warrior monk’s still fury. A cool ferocity, as it were.

This new title following Moon Knight shows lots of promise with a balance between talking and quick action. It establishes quickly that this time “Mr. Knight,” diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder, appears to have his mental illness under control and is actively choosing what he does.

And yet his situation remains as crazy, from the outside: He met a god, that god changed his life, and then he warred against that god yet carries on his mission.

However, it begs the question: Moon Knight says he is the Fist of Khonshu, as in the only one. The only priest, and he acts accordingly.

But what if he isn’t?

Moon Knight is the renegade priest of an unworthy god, but what if others who consider themselves forever loyal to Khonshu resent Spector for defying their god and allowing for foreigners – foreigners – to imprison him?

Jed MacKay has laid out quite the premise early on. And artist Allesandro Cappuccio swaggers in with beautiful art that tells you immediately what time it is from the opening page: Moon Knight sitting in his Midnight Mission office, in glowing white suit and tie. Much credit to color artist Rachelle Rosenberg for placing that white glow expertly.