Moon Knight may be having his best year ever thanks to his new (and great) television show, but also the exceptional work by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio. The comics series has been one for the ages, with each issue serving as a standalone adventure while building on a larger story too. Its focus on Marc Spector’s psyche has been exceptional, and in Moon Knight #10, a big plot turn may change everything we thought we knew.
Avoiding spoilers here except for what is in the preview, Moon Knight #10 is a solid entry in a strong series. It opens with Moon Knight discussing his latest bad guy altercation with his therapist, Dr. Andrea Sterman. He recounts how Rutherford Winner–a creation by MacKay and Joey Vasquez–broke into his Midnight Mission location and threw fists and words at him. As he recounts what happened in the past, MacKay draws you in as Moon Knight questions Sterman as if she’s on trial.
So begins a story that fleshes out what has been going on all along while offering up plenty of action intermixed. MacKay continues to be one of the best superhero comics writers when it comes to melding action, exposition, and character. That’s obvious in this issue, which could have easily been plotted so as to have info dumps and then action, but the mix is good and keeps the pace up here.
Cool cape.
Credit: Marvel
This issue offers more than one surprise, one of which uses a villain I wasn’t aware of in the Marvel universe but makes perfect sense if you were to match up Moon Knight’s rogues with Batman’s. These revelations build on the Zodiac character’s messing about while showing how brutal Moon Knight can be. He’s no nice guy, and it’s evident from a specific act he does in this issue.
Casual fans should pick up previous issues as this isn’t the most new-reader-friendly issue in the series. Understanding how Moon Knight’s relationship works with his therapist, for instance, will help better convey the weight of the issue’s big moments. That makes this issue have less of a one-shot feel like previous issues.
Alessandro Cappuccio paired with Rachelle Rosenberg on colors continues to meld the mystical with the brutal bloody fist of reality in this series. The glowing element of Moon Knight sets him apart from just any other vigilante hero (I’m looking at you Batman), and you get the sense there’s a lot of power there. That makes his psyche problems even more compelling and dangerous. The Midnight Mission location, which Moon Knight calls a haunted house, is practically a character in its own right too. Cappuccio draws a heck of a fight, especially on one page with the angles of the building spinning and turning as Moon Knight punches and kicks.
All in all, Moon Knight #10 is another great chapter in a series that’ll be held up as one of the best ever. It captures the supernatural weirdness of this iteration of the character while maintaining the brutal nature of the hero.
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