One of Moon Knight’s worst enemies is himself since he sometimes loses his mind whilst fighting crime. It’s a defining trait of the character and the character’s mental state seems to be going haywire in the current story arc. Moon Knight #8: is it good?
MOON KNIGHT #8 (Marvel Comics)
So what’s it about? Read the full preview to find out.
Why does this book matter?
Writer Jeff Lemire has not one, not two, but four artists helping him with this issue. Considering this series is about a man with schizophrenia that’s exciting, as different art styles can be used to convey the trippy nature of the character.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Everything seems fine until…
The story in Moon Knight #8 is quite trippy and might just make you question your sanity — it’s just that good. That’s in part because the artists switch styles at opportune times that sometimes catch you off guard, switching up the reality of a scene and flipping the moments on their head. I’d love to know how much time and effort had to go into getting so many artists to chip in panels and pages for this because the mix of artists works incredibly well. Francesco Francavilla opens the issue, but without notice things flip narratively and visually and it’s stunning to see. As the story progresses things start to make less sense and the art switches more and more and it makes the schizophrenia that much more compelling. It all ends with a fantastically calm and poignant page (this one drawn by Greg Smallwood) that sets up the next issue nicely.
Storywise the comic is effectively chaotic and the dialogue even flips a bit here and there to keep in that vein. Lemire does a good job establishing the chaos inside Moon Knight’s mind overall.
…cue dramatic music.
Francavilla’s art pops nicely and suits the mystic nature of Moon Knight. The opening pages of an interrogation are bright (when these scenes usually aren’t) which helps sell the chaotic nature of the comic. James Stokoe pops in with the craziest subplot of Moon Knight’s mind and his style suits the science fiction zany story well. Meanwhile Wilfredo Torres pops in to give the somewhat hilarious turn of events a grounded feel not unlike his work on Jupiter’s Circle.
It can’t be perfect can it?
It goes without saying with most comics these days, but if you jump into this issue you’re going to feel quite confused. The plot doesn’t help the reader any, but hell, that’s your own fault right?
The entire issue works well and accomplishes what it sets out to do, though I did feel like not enough progresses by the end. It does the chaos so well though it’s hard to fault it there.
Is It Good?
The wonderful chaos of Moon Knight’s mind is on display and it may have never been done so creatively than here. The truth is, you can’t get a story like this in any other format and this issue is worth noting fan or not. Moon Knight #8 is a must read for comic enthusiasts.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
