Revenge Is The New Black — Reviewing ‘Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu’ #14

Before he became a protector for those in need, Marc Spector took far more lives than he had ever protected. The intrepid hero of the night has to come to grips with that fact quickly, before the dark forces targeting the super-villain Wrecker succeed.

It’s a lesser of two evils situation blown up as Jed MacKay, Domenico Carbone, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit deliver the compelling fourteenth issue of Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu.

There is a thin line between campy and serious, one which the best creators can easily balance with grace. Leaning into either realm isn’t a bad thing, sometimes a healthy helping of sort of campy can be nice. MacKay always knows how to thread that line, delivering just enough sort of amusing “Okay sure” stuff that becomes quite serious in execution.

I mean this is a story where the former first responder that traumatically watched a supervillain murder people learned out to channel ghosts through a back alley magic book purchase and calls themselves the “Executor.” That sentence alone is chock full of the right amount of silly comic book campy chocolate chips to balance the cookie which is this comic.

A rougher, tougher touch helps to really lean into the right tonal atmosphere. Carbone really delivers so much on every page. Movement is just gliding across the panels as the characters have a solid existence depth to them. Their facial expressions and overall bodily derived language is on true point. Heavy strokes and choices give the world that extra level of detail at every turn.

There is a stylized striking method to the presentation, really heightening how fantastical and terrifying the dead and their power can be especially when so deeply tied into magic. Carbone has a great knack for solid formatting and paneling choices. It makes sure it all flows together with the most precise of presentations.

Darker tones are ready to order and give everything the right tonal energy. Rosenberg is a master at choosing the right color palette for the given story. Meeting it where it exists and delivering the right colorful punch keeps things moving along. Flashy, vibrant yet still heavy colors balance out the heavier darker hues. It creates an equal situation allowing them all to seamlessly blend together.

How MacKay deploys the characters and their intricacies never fails to amaze or excite. Having Moon Knight switch personas in order to bamboozle the ghosts and escape was a beyond solid move. So much of what is on the page follows this energy, keeping characters rich and developed. Watching Reese go toe to toe verbally with Wrecker, unafraid of the power the man, holds was so good.

Also, I love the implication about how magic isn’t actually hard to come by in the Marvel Universe. It fits the overall scheme of the universe that it would be readily available as any other weapon. It’s just tedious to learn and actually use either way.

We feel the tension building in the issue as it’s about to burst out. Petit taps into that with the lettering at all times, making each word connect. Filled with emotional intent and unique qualities that give the voices their richness. Modifications deliver the qualities that raise or drop the volume, resonance, and more. Just such a really delicate yet firm touch that showcases what lettering is entirely possible of through and through.

Moon Knight: Fist Of Khonshu #14 is now available from Marvel Comics.