Somewhat surprisingly, the most current series of Moon Knight has not been cancelled: after the excellent revamp by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey, Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood took over for six more issues,and Cullen Bunn and Ron Ackins will have five after that. I'm saying surprisingly even as someone who likes Moon Knight, since he's had like three last issues within the last five years: #30 was the end of the 2006 series, Vengeance of the Moon Knight ended with #10, and even the much hyped Bendis/Maleev series only limped to #12. If cancellations were bankruptcies, Moon Knight's credit score would be pretty low; but so far he always seems to get another shot.
All of the above is because I don't have a helluva lot to say about this last issue, his first cancellation: Moon Knight #38, "Final Rest" Written by Alan Zelenetz, pencils by Bo Hampton, inks by Armando Gil. Well, the cover by Mike Kaluta is pretty great; but the rest of the issue is pretty blah: Marc Spector's father dies, but a sorceror named Zohar steals the body, which he resurrects as a golem. Was this the first issue that established Moon Knight was Jewish? Or at least lapsed.
Spector wasn't using that name at the time, at all: he was mostly millionaire Steven Grant, occasionally cab driver Jake Lockley, and costumed up as Moon Knight. I don't know who started the idea that Spector had multiple personalities, but that became the standard for most of his writers later. The problem had been established before this issue, but I don't know if it ever rang true for me: A guy can put on a different hat without having MPD...Here, even though long-time girlfriend Marlene treats him (and seemingly prefers him) as Grant, he knows he is Spector.
I feel like Engelhart definitely used the multiple personality thing when he put Moon Knight on the West Coast Avengers. Part of the time, I think Khonshu himself was taking control of Spector, when he wasn't just talking to him. Don't know how that lines up with this, timeline wise.
ReplyDeleteJim Owlsley didn't used it in the Fist of Khonshu series that died after 6 issues, as far as I can remember. Don't know how that lines up, either, though.
I've got this one too, and one other, #36 I think. It seemed like a pretty good series though, very adult without being too gratutious with adult language or sex.
ReplyDeleteI'd reccomend it myself.
I'm also as surprised as you that this latest run hasn;t been axed either. Maybe they're keeping it warm for an eventual Ellis return? I hope so.