After the spectacular Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1, expectations are running high as Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio’s series continues this week. Moon Knight is dead, or so we think, as Tigra takes center stage with Doctor Sterman in a therapy session. Intercut with her therapy sessions is the ongoing fight as a new, bigger, and maybe even cooler Moon Knight has entered to fight the Midnight Mission.
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 is a tense and fast-paced read. MacKay’s use of the therapy sessions expertly paces the fight scene while delivering key character information. It’s a good balance of fighting and introspection, which keeps you invested. Tigra fans will rejoice as they get one of the best-written issues devoted to her for quite a while.
But who is this mystery Moon Knight fellow? The answer you seek is a major mystery in the series, so I won’t tell, but know that some personality traits may hint at the true identity. Given how much we learn by the end of the issue, it’s likely much more will come on who or even what Moon Knight is in this story.
Cappuccio’s art, paired with Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors, continues to be visionary with a cool, whispy glow on Moon Knight, who sports a pretty awesome costume. Or at least, I think he’s Moon Knight, as we ponder who he is along with the Midnight Mission. He’s an ass with a chip on his shoulder, which leads to one on one fights throughout the issue. By doing that, the creative team allows us to gauge how powerful this Moon Knight pretender is while giving us plenty of punching and kicking.
In one of the coolest scenes of the issue, we get to see a new power from this supposed Moon Knight. I won’t spoil it, but the play of light–or lack thereof–is very cool. The team plays up Tigra’s animalistic side with glowing green eyes and great use of shadow and light.
The end of the issue is rather satisfying, as well. The team Moon Knight faces gets to show what they’re worth against him, including a surprising team member you might have forgotten was there all along. Customary of superhero comics, this issue does fall prey to the one extended fight scene problem. We get to know Tigra better, sure, but at the cost of very little time passing in the story. At this rate, the story arc will be only a day.
The story’s structure is a big reason why Vengeance of the Moon Knight continues to be a fun read that’s never boring. MacKay is exploring a specific character while letting the art team run rampant with great action. What more can you want in a character-focused superhero comic?
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