Essential Moon Knight Vol.1 Review
Werewolf By Night #32-33 (August 1975 - September 1975)
Marvel Spotlight #28-29 (June 1976 - August 1976)
Marvel Two-In-One #52 (June 1979)
The Spectacular Spider-Man #22-23 (September 1978 - October 1978)
Moon Knight #1-10 (November 1980 - August 1981)
536 pages
$16.99
Writers
Steven Grant
Bill Mantlo
Doug Moench
Artists
Gene Colan
Jim Craig
Jim Mooney
Don Perlin
Keith Pollard
Bill Sienkiewicz
Mike Zeck
Overall Review
Former mercenary Marc Spector lives an unsual kind of life. By day, he switches between his three personalities : himself, Jake Lockley a cab driver and Steven Grant a playboy millionaire. By night, all three blend into the mysterious Moon Knight. Not unlike its star character, Essential Moon Knight blends many genres, from straightforward super hero to horror. The end result is a thing of its own...
The book starts off with a couple of generic super hero tales, beginning with Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf By Night #32. Honestly, these first few stories aren't something to write home about. Most of them use standard team-up plots in which Moon Knight could be replaced by any other Marvel hero. Don't get me wrong, these issues are not bad. In fact they're pretty entertaining reads. But they're nothing like what comes later in the book.
The fun really starts when Moon Knight moves to The Hulk! magazine, starring in its very own feature. No more team-ups, only Marc Spector, his many alter-egos and his supporting cast. Being free of the comics code authority, Doug Moench crafts darker stories, much more horror oriented than what came before. The arrival of Bill Sienkiewicz on art, also has much to do with the switch of mood in Moon Knight's adventures. The man can draw dark and gritty stuff like no other and his work is one of the highlights of this collection. I don't think these issues would be as good as they are without Mr. Sienkiewicz amazing art. All those changes bring out the best of the character and offer some truly great stories, the two-parts "Night Born Ten Years Gone" being one of the best. After his magazine run, Moon Knight moves on to its own ongoing series without missing a single beat. The creative team keeps on going strong until the end of this volume, which leaves the reader wanting more.
Essential Moon Knight should appeal to both super hero fans and horror fans as the book blends both genres perfectly. Even if the book started off pretty weak, it got better and better, leaving me eagerly waiting for a second volume once I turned the last page.
The book starts off with a couple of generic super hero tales, beginning with Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf By Night #32. Honestly, these first few stories aren't something to write home about. Most of them use standard team-up plots in which Moon Knight could be replaced by any other Marvel hero. Don't get me wrong, these issues are not bad. In fact they're pretty entertaining reads. But they're nothing like what comes later in the book.
The fun really starts when Moon Knight moves to The Hulk! magazine, starring in its very own feature. No more team-ups, only Marc Spector, his many alter-egos and his supporting cast. Being free of the comics code authority, Doug Moench crafts darker stories, much more horror oriented than what came before. The arrival of Bill Sienkiewicz on art, also has much to do with the switch of mood in Moon Knight's adventures. The man can draw dark and gritty stuff like no other and his work is one of the highlights of this collection. I don't think these issues would be as good as they are without Mr. Sienkiewicz amazing art. All those changes bring out the best of the character and offer some truly great stories, the two-parts "Night Born Ten Years Gone" being one of the best. After his magazine run, Moon Knight moves on to its own ongoing series without missing a single beat. The creative team keeps on going strong until the end of this volume, which leaves the reader wanting more.
Essential Moon Knight should appeal to both super hero fans and horror fans as the book blends both genres perfectly. Even if the book started off pretty weak, it got better and better, leaving me eagerly waiting for a second volume once I turned the last page.
Grade : B+
source : www.comicbookdb.com
posted by David Blais at 7:18 AM
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