So, when last we saw Moon Knight, title hero Marc Spector been put into a wheelchair by a villain who had like three total appearences in other comics, and he had just witnessed the execution of a ballet dancer by a bitter ex-student turned homicidal mutant. Ye gods, from that sentence alone, a writer today would get four issues out of it. Although, back then I think Moon Knight was a 75-cent book, so even at four issues it would've been cheaper than a book today. But, this was going to be more about why this was a cool book, and less about how everything today sucks.
Now, here's where we pretty much nail down that Marc has God, or at least Khnoshu, on his side; as he pretty much wills his ass out of his wheelchair. When I read this issue, I was like twelve or thirteen, and it was definitely a big moment. Now, looking back, I try to imagine being able to force your spine to knit by sheer mind power...and I don't see it happening. Christopher Reeve wanted it pretty badly too, and he couldn't do it. Does it undermine my enjoyment of this story? Frankly, not really. If you can accept mutants and human flies...
Bruce Wayne would find himself in similar territory around issue #500, when Bane breaks his beak, and Azrael replaces him for a little over a year. Bruce goes through a little drama in a wheelchair, and is then healed by doctor/love interest Shondra Kinsolving, who is then mentally reverted to childhood and never seen again. Not one of Batman's high points: I just reread that issue, and three people figure out Bruce is Batman, and then end up either dead or mind-erased. It's weird and unsettling when something as seemingly dumb like Khnoshu, Egyptian God of the Moon, becomes the more sensible answer. On the other hand, I would totally go to the office of Dr. Love Interest.
So, to recap: Batman paralyzed for about a year through three different comics; Moon Knight for about twenty pages. I think it's pretty obvious who the better character is, isn't it?
(And that's how I ended up with the internet's equivalent of a bag of flaming poop on my site...)
5 comments:
Blasphemer!
I really liked that volume of Moon Knight, actually--especially, as you say, the Moench/Sienkiewicz issues. That's classic; sort of dark stuff for the Marvel Universe. The character doesn't get nearly enough respect--probably because later on he became a somewhat more generic superhero, losing his alternate characters and whatnot.
I still like The Shroud better.
Is Dr. Love Interest related to Dr. Girlfriend?
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