Fist of Khonshu

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.

I’ve made my judgement on the Moon Knight: Silent Knight one-shot. I thought it was a must buy for Moon Knight fans. It offered a nice change of pace from the regular Moon Knight series, offering a glimpse into sides of Marc Spector and Marlene we don’t get to explore enough of. It also showcased a new creative team that had a solid grasp on the Fist of Khonshu and his world; a team that I would love to see more from.

But what did the critics think? Check out a few of the excerpts below:

Excerpt: It’s an action comic that keeps almost all the action off-panel. We see the effects of the violence, but we don’t see how it happens. And that’s an approach that fits this story well. But, because of that choice, it doesn’t quite have the visceral power of the Punisher holiday special. It’s more subtle this way, though, and if you’re looking for a quiet, meditative Moon Knight story, this is the one for you.
As quiet and understated as this story is, Milligan and Campbell measure it off with great care, and it’s definitely the best Moon Knight story I’ve read in a long time. [singlepic=8,320,240,,right]

Comics Bulletin:
by Dan Hill and Kevin Powers

3 out of 4

Excerpt: Instead Milligan chooses to present “hope” as a dangerous thing. Something to be wary of. Something that can let you, and those around you, get hurt. (Something Marc Spector is an expert at, which Khonshu relishes pointing out. (Dan Hill)

Excerpt: I also had a problem with the dialogue between Moon Knight and Khonshu. There were some brilliant moments, like when Moon Knight went to punch Khonshu and ended up hitting the wall, but I think that the dialogue, like certain elements of the story jumped around a little too much. My biggest problem was the lack of smooth transitions between plot points. On one hand, Khonshu is antagonizing Moon Knight about the life he’ll never have, while at the same time yelling at him to catch an escaping thug. (Kevin Powers)

Crescent Dart:

Frankly I was a bit concerned about how this one-shot was going to turn out after last years abysmal Date Night annual, but Peter Milligan seems to have a great grasp on Moon Knight’s world and Laurence Campbell’s art style with Lee Loughridge’s coloring captures it near perfectly. Get this.

Waxing:

Great to see Moon Knight in his element.

Khonshu dressed as an elf.

The art-noir style works well, almost better than the current main series art style.

Waning:

Marlene seems a bit out of character.

A couple of wince inducing dialogue moments.

Full:

With the Moon Knight series arc as of late being heavily focused on the Thunderbolt’s hunting down Marc Spector, it’s refreshing to get to see him doing some hunting of his own in this one-shot Xmas special. Silent Knight follows both Moon Knight and Marlene in two separate arcs that merge at the end.

[singlepic=5,300,450,,left]Moon Knight’s arc shows him tracking down two thugs (Khonshu in tow) who just murdered a store Santa. Moon Knight’s back and forth banter with Khonshu throughout the hunt is the highlight of the issue and are very welcome for followers of the monthly series who’ve missed Khonshu’s psychotic and twistedly funny remarks. They serve as insight into how Khonshu simultaneously enables and imprisons Moon Knight in his schizo ways. The fact that Khonshu appears as a faceless Bushman dressed as an elf – complete with huge ears- is hilarious. Moon Knight has some great action scenes that showcase his brutal style of justice nicely – like throwing a guy through a car windshield after stomping on his face. It’s the little things that really make the action scenes. Just like it’s the lack of subtlety in some of the dialogue choices that detract from the scenes -  like the thug yelling out “Yo, man! C’mon it’s CHRISTMAS!” right before Moon Knight pounds his head in. Kind of ridiculous. Plus Marc was born a Rabbi’s son and wanders around as the avatar of an Egyptian deity. I doubt Christmas means a damn thing to him.

The other arc follows Marlene as she preps for a Christmas dinner with Marc. The focus is on her inner dialogue and her wistfulness about how Marc and her could embrace a more ‘normal’ life together. The arc starts and ends strongly. It’s the middle that bothers me.

When Marlene starts daydreaming about Marc and her moving to a small town and opening up a mom and pop store, it just seems ridiculous. It’s not her desire for change that I find out of character -  after all she grew up traveling with her father on archaeological digs and has endured a rocky relationship with Moon Knight over the years – it’s just the way this one-shot presents it. A mom and pop store with an American flag draped over the counter? A kid they refer to as junior whom Marc has to have a word with “coach about that young man’s swing”? Please. In addition to being Moon Knight, Marc is an ex-CIA agent and mercenary, he’s been in this world since Marlene met him. One would think Marlene’s desire for stability would play out more subtly -  not in the extremeness portraedl here.

What turns this right around, however, and almost completely redeems Marlene’s arc, are the two scenes right after. The parallels in Marc and Marlene’s desire to communicate but being too stuck in old patterns and afraid to show any sense on vulnerability to each other is really fresh for the series.

Frankly I was a bit concerned about how this one-shot was going to turn out after last years abysmal Date Night annual, but Peter Milligan seems to have a great grasp on Moon Knight’s world and Laurence Campbell’s art style with Lee Loughridge’s coloring captures it near perfectly. Get this.

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