Random Happenstance

I recently picked up Essential Moon Knight volumes 1 and 2 from Comic Book Relief: I probably could've bought those some time ago, but held off since I thought I had most if not all those issues. But, sometimes it's nice to have them handy, isn't it? And since the TV show, cheap back issues are drying up; although a reader copy of this one fell into my lap: from 1981, Moon Knight #14, "Stained Glass Scarlet" Written by Doug Moench, art by Bill Sienkiewicz.

In an abandoned church in the Bronx, the lovely "Stained Glass" Scarlet lives, or at least broods; with only her cat Gummitch for company. (Gummitch is such an unusual name I had to look it up, it was from Fritz Lieber's cat stories; he was better known for Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.) While she seems to have chess and astronomy as hobbies, she also seems haunted by her past, and almost to be waiting for something. Meanwhile, at scenic Grace Mansion, Steven Grant is enjoying an evening in with Marlene; that gets too heavy when she plays "In My Life" on the piano: it would have been less than a year since Lennon had been shot. Unable to keep playing, Marlene asks Steven to turn on the radio, and gets the same news Scarlet was listening to intently: escaped murderer Joe "Mad Dog" Fasinera was on a killing spree, which seems to hit her pretty hard. "Mad Dog" was trying to make up for time he lost in stir, but placated his crew with the promise of collecting his father's money. Both Moon Knight and Scarlet go into action, with Moon Knight wrapping up the crew. Scarlet had told them to tell Joe, what he was looking for was in the church, but Moon Knight arrives instead, to hear her story: as a child, she had wanted to be an actress, or a nun. She would become the latter, then realized it was only an act, then became involved with a repentant-seeming mobster. Despite having a child with him, she couldn't redeem the mobster completely, and he would later be gunned down after a robbery, with the cash never found. Her son Joe went "Mad Dog" shortly thereafter, and was given life for his own murders.

Scarlet seems determined to try and save Joe, although she seems to have a realistic expectation of success, as in none. Joe demands the missing cash, which Scarlet didn't have, and Moon Knight smacks him down but then catches lead from Joe's hold-out piece. Scarlet puts him down, and as he falls, he pulls the bell rope, knocking the cash out of it. Scarlet walks away, telling Moon Knight his costume notwithstanding, "things are never black and white!"

Current Moon Knight writer Jed MacKay recently put a very different spin on Scarlet in Moon Knight #8, but I was surprised she didn't have a crossbow this issue. I would've guessed she had one from the start! Also, I think more sadness would be piled onto Scarlet's backstory later, but I think after Moench and Sienkiewicz.