Fist of Khonshu

The end of The Death of Marc Spector arc arrived last week. I thought it was a great – if fairly predictable – ending to the series. Mike Benson managed to showcase some great action and character development and deliver it with style. In a sense, the slate is wiped clean for Moon Knight and it will be great to see where he goes from here.

But what about other critical takes on the finale? Check out some excerpts below:

Comics Bulletin:
by Kevin Powers
5 out of 5
Excerpt: Benson’s second story-arc is another great success. I think he worked through managing the Thunderbolts and did a good job bringing them into Moon Knight’s playground. The battle in this issue was phenomenal, maybe one of the best fights all year and the set up for the next arc is both fantastic and mind-boggling. I’m excited for the next arc as Benson is going to introduce new villains and get a crack at the Punisher. I’ll say it once again: if you aren’t reading this title, you should definitely start. [singlepic=13,320,240,,right]

WeeklyComicBookReview.com:
by Kyle Posluszny
B-
Excerpt: Probably the best thing that I can say about “The Death of Marc Spector” is that it has turned from being a story I was reading to get a Thunderbolts fix into something I have been more than happy to pick up. As only a casual fan of the character, the latest Moon Knight arc has done a nice job drawing me into his gritty world and interesting relationships. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up sticking around even after I finish reading about Marc Spector’s “death.”

The Independent Comics Site:
by Brett P.
4 out of 5
Excerpt: For a guy who talks about pig gutting like it’s normal table conversation, Bullseye sure didn’t give or receive much blood, even after finding Moon Knight’s secret stash that would even make Frank Castle crack a smile. Still, this wasn’t about Bullseye. This was about the final stand of Marc Spector, whose friends and family came through in the end to help him go out in a blaze and mourn for their fallen warrior. They understood what must be have been done for their sake, as well Moon Knight’s.

Click on their respective links to check out the full reviews. Again, there isn’t much out there review-wise on The Death of Marc Spector finale. If you stumble upon any I can add to the list, be in touch!

Crescent Dart:

Overall, this a good, if unsurprising, ending to The Death of Marc Spector. The Bullseye/Moon Knight confrontation works not only as a great popcorn fight scene, but as solid character development on both counts. Nothing is really tied up here but the path is clear for Moon Knight to grow as a series and in the Marvel Universe.

Waxing:

Art is the strongest it’s been in this arc

Great action scenes

Frenchie is awesome

Waning:

No build up to the Moon Knight/Bullseye confrontation.

The end of the arc isn’t that surprising

Kind of pointless scene with The Profile

Full:

We’ve reached the end of The Death of Marc Spector arc-  an end that writer Mike Benson has been alluding to potentially being quite literal. In a way, it is literal, and in every way you would expect, it’s not at all.

The end is a little bittersweet. Bitter in the way that it’s basically typical of any standard story in which the protagonist is due to die -  without giving it all way just think that if The Death of Marc Spector were a movie, this is the ending the studio would have demanded. Guaranteed sequel.

Yet it’s totally sweet in the way that all the predictability is carried out with a style that only Moon Knight possesses. Moon Knight and Bullseye go head to head most of the issue and it’s no holds barred. Benson does a great job in capturing how ruthless both these killers are, and yet the differences in their styles.

Moon Knight says about three words in combat while Bullseye chats through most of the fight. It’s in Moon Knight’s silence that you get to see his strength in combat and how he flexes his strategic side. Essentially, at the end of the issue you get to see how in control Moon Knight really was during the whole confrontation. Contrary to that is Bullseye’s non-stop chatter, and the difference as he sees it between his de rigeur fights with Daredevil and Spiderman compared to fighting Moon Knight. The former two want to bring him in to justice, while Moon Knight is a known killer. In fact Bullseye seems confused with Moon Knight’s behavior during the fight as he was probably briefed on how much of a lunatic Marc Spector is, while Moon Knight here is calling most of the shots with a certain stratagem to them. It’s a great to see the parallels and differences between two of Marvel’s most psychotic characters. And I say psychotic with love behind that term .

What’s a little lacking here, is that there’s no build up to the confrontation in the issue itself. Seeing some behind the scenes from Norman Osborn and the Thunderbolts prepping would have added more impact to the battle and the subsequent scenes with Osborn, the Thunderbolts and Tony Stark. They felt a little disjointed from the rest of the happenings.

What isn’t lacking at all is Frenchie. Charlie Huston and Benson have developed Frenchie into perhaps the deepest character in the Moon Knight world, and that’s shown in full force here. He understands Moon Knight in a way that even Marlene doesn’t and watching his development over these last few arcs has been really rewarding. On the other hand, a brief scene with the Profile is kind of pointless and doesn’t really do anything for the story. Which sucks because he’s been a great character in previous arcs.

The art is at it’s most consistent in this issue than the rest of the arc. While he’s generally a fine artist, Mark Texeira’s work on this arc has seem noticeably rushed and incomplete. It’s like his heart hasn’t been in it. But he captures some great moments in this action-packed issue so he ends on a high note.

Overall, this a good, if unsurprising, ending to The Death of Marc Spector. The Bullseye/Moon Knight confrontation works not only as a great popcorn fight scene, but as solid character development on both counts. Nothing is really tied up here (with the exception of the Profile -  you’ll see) but the path is clear for Moon Knight to grow as a series and in the Marvel Universe.