You might think that the Marvel Comics character of Moon Knight is just an oppositely coloured version of one of the world’s legendary pop culture creations, DC Comics’ Batman.
And you’d be right.
But there’s much more depth to the white-clad, nighttime, criminal beating, vengeance seeking, New York based superhero than just a simple, cursory comparison to the Dark Knight.
Really, there is.
To see that depth, you’d have to plumb through Marc Spector (the alter ego under the Moon Knight white mask) and his many varied personalities.
And that’s what Moon Knight #1, a new monthly series, aims to do. Grab a seat on the couch and follow me after the jump for a detailed interpretation of a very ill man!
Moon Knight #1
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by: Greg Smallwood
Published by: Marvel Comics
Let’s get this out of the way first and fast: Moon Knight is a derivative Marvel version of DC’s Batman. There’s no getting around it.
But that doesn’t mean that Moon Knight doesn’t provide engaging and enjoyable storytelling opportunities that Batman does not. The fact that he’s a much, much, much, much less recognizable name (and dollar-making commodity for DC parent company Warner Brothers) allows for that!
Here’s the play:
Marc Spector, the man underneath the Moon Knight mask, actually has many masks himself. He has a dissociative identity. That’s multiple personality disorder for those that don’t speak Psych 101. Sure, under the cape and cowl, Batman may be Bruce Wayne, but under the silvery façade, Spector believes himself to be a number of different characters, all personas that he takes on in order to seek the vengeance of the Egyptian moon God, Khonshu.
Let’s count them:
There’s Marc Spector, wayward man, boxer, ex-U.S. Marine and mercenary.
There’s Steven Grant, multi-millionaire businessman.
There’s Jake Lockley, New York City-based cab driver.
There’s Moon Knight, the character with the white cape and cowl, who jumps down on unsuspecting criminals from the roofs of buildings.
There’s Mr. Knight, dressed in a white mask and business suit, consulting with the NYPD.
Over the years of comic book publication, there’s also the personas of other Marvel heroes including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America and Iron Man.
So, with Moon Knight, what’s real? What isn’t?
Acclaimed writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Trillium, Descender) and brilliant artist Greg Smallwood (returning to Moon Knight after more than a year away from the character) aim to answer that.
In the first issue, Marc Spector wakes up in an insane asylum – with no powers and a lifetime of medical records. He was never “Moon Knight”. He’s always been the mentally ill man he now realizes himself to be.
Can that be all?
Under the two strong creative hands of Lemire and Smallwood, Moon Knight looks to delve into the issue of superheroes and their alter egos, mental illness, and what it means to truly find an understanding of self.
Make the run to you local comic book shop and pick up Moon Knight #1 today – not only is this story going to be great, is going to be a romping mind****!
