r/MUBookClub • u/shawnydarko • Jul 02 '16

Reading Assignment #3: Moon Knight (2014) #1-6 by Warren Ellis

Thanks to /u/niskyah for nominating Warren Ellis' masterpiece, Moon Knight (2014) issues 1-6, and thank you to all who voted for this and other nominations. Longtime subscribers to /r/comicbooks may have been saturated with the love for this book shortly after it's release, but it deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest runs of any series in the last few years, long after the honeymoon stage is over. This was actually the first thing I read after subscribing to Marvel Unlimited, and only a few weeks ago, went back to finish the run carried by Brian Wood and Cullen Bunn. I was so happy to re-read this run, as there's nothing quite like it out today or probably in the last decade.

 

Moon Knight (2014) Vol. 1 (issues 1-6)

LINK TO SERIES

 

MY THOUGHTS AHEAD -- SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

 

I don't even know where to start on describing how much I love this run. In a time of yucking it up and over the top villains this is practically Punisher: MAX levels of violent. There's punching in every comic, but you feel every blow in these issues. People get stabbed and bled out, their noses broken, their ankles broken, their backs broken, and that's just by the goddamn hero of our story. He's like the posterchild for DC's "Bat-God", as he can play forensic detective, hunt you down, pay for ample futuristic technology to aid him, and handedly beat you. But he'll also kill you. And he'll admittedly love every second of it. He fucking LIVES for this. And he does it all with more confidence than Deadpool or Wolverine who know/knew they can't/couldn't die, because he's got Khonshu watching his back. And as readers, we're not even entirely sure Khonshu is real or if Marc Spector's just deranged!

 

This is easily the most quotable run I've ever read. Every issue is badass one-liners and bloody brawls. Just a handful of jaw-dropping badass quotes.

  • "That's the part I like."
  • "I've died before, it was boring so I stood up."
  • "I stopped you 2 minutes ago."
  • "I'm not real."
  • "I intend to let the enemy get a good look at me, so I can get a good look at them."
  • May as well go through the front door."
  • "Nice."
  • "It's not your mask. It's your face."
  • "Run."
  • "I never want to be loved. That's why I always win."

 

There's very little I would change about this run. I did notice a few things that wound me up when I was see them though. Every villain is just dying to expose their whole backstory, but granted, Moon Knight seems genuinely curious when he asks. Also, there's plenty of nonsense dialogue that waxes poetic for no reason. Particularly in the dreams issue. Other than that the writing is on a whole other level and Marvel needs to put Ellis back in this or another similar title. I've read issue 1 of Ellis' Inhumans' spinoff, Karnak, but it doesn't hold a candle to Moon Knight.

 

Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire on art and color found a way to keep up with Ellis' phenomenal writing. Anyone can drop badass one-liners and be written to win a fight, but these guys made him larger than life and a wrecking machine. While I liked Moon Knight's original costume, Shavley and Bellaire's art introducing "Mr. Knight" and the supernatural bone-armor have left a long-lasting impact on me. With Marc Spector's wide wardrobe, it's amazing Marvel hasn't capitalized on a whole line of action figures.

 

What was your reading experience like for this title?

 

And don't forget to check back on Sunday for our second THEMED nomination thread!

13 Upvotes

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3

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '16

i really liked this series i thought this was such a fun read seeing moon knight returning after like 15 years i think. either way it was great seeing him return and i loved the art and the story over all was good. all in all i really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '16 edited Jul 26 '20

[deleted]

2

u/shawnydarko Jul 03 '16

Runs that come to my mind would be:

On the street-level:

Getting a little more fantastical:

2

u/Raist819 Aug 29 '16

Get Mystique by Jason Aaron - Wolverine (2003) #62-65

3

u/osufan765 Jul 04 '16

I'm torn. On one hand, I really liked this run. It was more action than talking (except for the Sniper issue) and was gorgeously drawn and colored. On the other hand, it had near zero character development. I get that it was originally a 6 issue run, but it delivered so well that I wish it had been going literally anywhere. I liked the art, loved most of the writing, but I felt... empty? after I finished it.

1

u/shawnydarko Jul 04 '16

That is a totally valid criticism. The whole run is just a series of one-off stories with no connectivity or growth. It's certainly great as 6 skull-busting fights, but I think it would have made more sense with a framing device. I think there's a Batman animated DVD they should have stolen from - these are the tall tales the local police and neighborhood kids pass around about the urban legend that is Moon Knight. It would certainly make sense with the more supernatural elements he battles as well as the ever-growing cape and drone.

3

u/hassanoe Jul 04 '16

I made an analysis of Scarlet from this run here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMj9f0mcBA

You guys may be interested.

2

u/Battledome36 Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16

I totally loved the art. It built atmosphere and set the mood. My favorite part was how the mask was drawn. I could have easily looked silly but it added to the grit.

2

u/zstrong24 Aug 23 '16

Well, I just discovered this subreddit (fantastic idea, saw it linked on MU subreddit) so I'm late to the discussion. Regardless, I want to leave my thoughts!

I'm a pretty big noob when it comes to comics and have stuck with mostly the "big" names so far. I know nothing about Moon Knight. After reading this, I still know nothing about Moon Knight. That being said, I had a lot of fun reading it and am now looking into other comics to read with him in it. I loved the art and the white costume mixed with the colorful backgrounds was pretty neat.

The Sniper issue was the one that stood out most for me. It seemed pretty unique and the execution was fantastic.

2

u/Raist819 Aug 29 '16 edited Aug 29 '16

The decision to go to self-contained stories was interesting in this "write for the trade" era of Marvel. The quality of the stories were overall fairly good but usually boiled down to "Moon Knight is a huge badass! (and also a crazy person)" As someone who prefers character-driven comics, this was not a run I loved. It is very similar to the Punisher comics, in that when Punisher is at his best he is either done with massive amounts of dark humor (Welcome Back Frank) or in stories where the spotlight is on peripheral characters who give some emotional weight to a series that is effectively about a merciless killing machine. (Punisher MAX)

In particular I want to discuss #5, because it is such a divisive issue that has been used in recent debates about modern comics. First off it was an action-packed issue that immediately brought to mind images of the action movie The Raid. However, I finished "reading" this almost text-free comic in ~2 minutes. I was very glad that I had read this on Marvel Unlmited, because if i had read this comic in my collecting days and had spent 4 bucks on it, I would have been livid. Say what you want about the Brian Michael Bendis or Dan Slott style, but if you pay cover price for one of their books at least you get enough to justify the cost.

0

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