By: Charlie Huston Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 152 Publication Date: January 03, 2007
Product Description: The Fist of Khonshu is back and badder than ever, courtesy of acclaimed novelist Charlie Huston (Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things) and red-hot, fan-favorite artist David Finch (Avengers). Collects Moon Knight (2006) #1-6.
Moon Knight: great art, confusing story I've always been aware of the Moon Knight character but knew little about him. So, when Moon Knight Vol 1: The Bottom came out, I was eager to give it a read. In short, the artwork is exceptional. It really is well done and I can't say enough about it. However, the story is labeled as a psychological thriller. If that means the same as "abstract" and "confusing," well then I guess they hit the nail on the head. I could see someone's difficulty in following a story if they started reading it in the middle. However, this is book 1 and I knew just as little after reading the final page as I did when I first opened the book. The art gets a 5 out of 5 but the writing gets a 2 out of 5. Overall, I give it 3 stars.
Crazy as ever He's back and crazy as ever. In fact, he is a little crazier. I'm glad to see marvel treat Moon Knight once again. This is a pretty good story for a starter-run. The art drives it. It is a very good stylistic adaptation. It is different from Sienkiewicz's MK (still my fav.), but engaging and good.
Moon Knight gets a more than solid reboot When it comes to a number of Marvel's lower tier heroes (Ghost Rider, Blade, etc.) their convoluted histories make it pretty difficult to create anything sensible. Moon Knight suffered the same fate, but with novelist Charlie Huston at the helm, a number of things manage to be straightened out, and Huston also succeeds in taking this rarely used character and making him relevant in a 21st century, post-Civil War Marvel universe. Marc Spector, formerly the avenging Moon Knight, sits in his dark apartment nearly crippled. He has alienated everyone that has ever cared for him, and longs for the day that the god Khonshu returns him to his former glory. Naturally, Marc gets his wish, but it isn't long before enemies (including the Taskmaster) come out of the woodwork. For a non-MAX Marvel title, Moon Knight ends up being a pretty bloody and violent endeavor. For those who may be unfamiliar with Moon Knight, be forewarned that he is a "dark hero" in every sense of the word, with the closest comparison possibly being Todd McFarlane's Spawn, which one can see was greatly influenced by Moon Knight in the first place. While Huston's story may be an acquired taste, the pencils of David Finch (New Avengers, Ultimate X-Men) is spectacular to say the least. They only look better with the inks of Danny Miki, and are heightened by the brilliant colors of Frank D'Armata. While the artwork for Moon Knight: The Bottom is worth checking out this hardcover for alone, be forewarned that this is not the same Moon Knight from the old days. That being said, this is still worth checking out for new and old Moon Knight fans alike, as long as you like your heroes dirty, gritty, and bloody.
Better Off Dead? Moon Knight is one of my favorite heroes from back in the day. I had just about every issue of the original series and was disappointed when the Fist of Khonshu series flopped. I didn't care that it wasn't quite as good as the original, because it was Moon Knight, dammit.
One big problem with this series is that it suffers from Battlestar Galactica syndrome. It strives to be darker and more mean and gritty than ever before. While this is not a problem for BSG, it's overdone and overblown here. The issues contained herein are angst-ridden, bloody, gory, disconnected, and hard to follow at times. If you don't already know about Moon Knight's past and aren't familiar with some of the villains he's fought, you may become completely confused.
The artwork is done with a superbly skilled hand. However, like the story within, at times, it becomes too much and looks like it was trying to go over the edge just for the sake of shock value. This is definitely not something younger kids should be encouraged to pick up. Also, there are places where, while the artwork is wonderfully done, it seems to jump around and you have to spend some time with it to try and figure out what exactly is going on. I do not doubt the ability of Finch to draw, but I do call into question the ability of whomever had final say over the storyboarding.
The story, itself, is also told in a very confusing manner. It is quite possible this is done intentionally to reflect the conflict going on within Marc Spector. However, it is easy to become completely derailed with the delusions and illusions being thrown around in addition to some very confusing reactions by some of the support characters. Moon Knight could always be considered Marvel's attempt to answer DC's Batman with a few added tweaks, though the story behind MK's artistic creation makes no mention of this. However, there seems to be an almost inferiority complex to the Dark Knight that rears its head in some of the panels of this particular incarnation, which is a bit disappointing.
However, it's Moon Knight. I will still try to keep up with this series in the hopes Huston's storytelling technique will become more cohesive and he'll learn to give some background if more old enemies pop up. It's an interesting start, even if a mostly disappointing one.
Poor service for a good hero After a few years on Marvel's back shelf, Moon Knight is back -- without any of the things that made him cool. Charlie Huston, a best-selling novelist but comic-book novice, has apparently decided that a morose, Batman-like character is the way to go -- even as Batman's writers are taking him away from the whole grim and depressed motif. Spector has lost his girl and his friend. He's crippled, drunk and addicted to painkillers. He's still rich, but he's not enjoying it. Of course, you just know something is going to happen to shake him loose from his funk.
The story is a little confusing and a lot violent. By the end, I'm not sure I really like the character any more. Huston should have served him better. On the other hand, artist David Finch -- who received absolutely no front-cover billing, by the way -- turned in amazingly good work. The art, while dark and bloody as suits Huston's writing, is sleek, stylish and expressive.
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