Do You Believe In Fairies? — Reviewing ‘Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu’ #1

To Mark Spector, a fist of Khonshu, death is but just a momentary break from the cycles of life. There is no rest for the wicked or the weary, though, as the Midnight Mission must continue. The Moon Knight is ready to dole out violence upon those that would prey upon the innocent and the travelers of the night.

A whole new chapter begins with Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu #1 from the returning Moon Knight creative team of Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit.

Having been along for the whole journey of this version of the Moon Knight saga, I’m really glad to get to review it now. Books ending, relaunching, joining an event, and relaunching again isn’t all that bizarre when it comes to the modern landscape of how Marvel Comics, especially, tend to approach their books.

Could the first volume have continued past #30 with the “fake” Moon Knight stuff from Vengeance Of Moon Knight series wrapped into it, causing this to then be issue #40 (if we count the zero issue for this series) of the run? Oh, 100% yes it could have. That’s not how things go though and as much as the constant shuffle of #1s bothers me, it’s not worth dwelling on beyond these little beats.

Because, whether this is issue one or forty, this crew is bringing it. Approaching the story in a way that makes it enriching for those that have been here but also friendly to any newcomers. Hitting that sweet spot that isn’t always easy to land upon with these sorts of things.

MacKay takes advantage of the shiny new number one slapped on the cover. What we get is an issue that in a sense reintroduces Moon Knight and the other players, while very much just continuing to do what this overall run has done so well. An issue that is a one-shot wrapped within an ongoing plot, tons of character moments, and some kick-ass action.

Not a moment is wasted. It’s pretty much zero to one hundred as soon as the issue opens. While I like a comic that I can dissect and spend lots of time on, I also love and appreciate a read that is so engaging the time flies by. Not to say there isn’t plenty to dissect here (some great returning characters, light references to past stories and events, and other tidbits), but the process is just so smooth.

Just like the really smooth and emotive, rough and detailed, artwork that Cappuccio delivers time and time again. Sometimes an artist and a character or moment are paired together that just makes all the sense in the world. This series has been one of those cases, because the atmospheric and heavy style that Cappuccio employs fit the character and his world like a pure white glove.

There is a great sense of scale and pacing within every single one of the panels and sequences. We’re right there alongside Moon Knight every step of the way, even when elsewhere away from his character, and the world feels extremely tangible. It feels sharp to the touch in many respects, very much like how (former) Detective Flint describes Moon Knight.

Moody, yet bright. That describes the colors that Rosenberg brings into play with this character and world.

Moon Knight is of the night, always operating within or around the shadows. A heaviness rests upon the pages as those shadows and darker tones are always present and noticed. Within them though are those lighter defter touches of color, often almost violently vibrant matching the colorful personalities and costumes of those inside and outside of Moon Knight’s circle.

Lettering brings a lot to the table, whether it’s dialogue, captions, or SFX and other elements on the page. A major thing is placement and flow, as well as making things distinctive and easy to follow. There are multiple sequences where the two cops (one of them retired) are speaking about Moon Knight as we see him in action. Just some small subtle almost hard to point to changes happen with the boxes, to make them easy to tell who is talking beyond just the context clues of dialogue.

Petit is always so good at making all of the lettering work in a way that compliments and elevates the story at the same time. Peppering in all the right little things that add dynamic visual qualities as well as emotional tones and just a whole lot of pure personality.

Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.