Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2 – Is That You Mr. Smith?

Marc Spector: Moon Knight has been captured by Agence Byzantine. In an attempt to find the location of Marc’s old pal Frenchie, Mr. Smith with the help of Mister Fear, has kept Marc in a drugged stupor. Now free of the influence of Mister Fear’s gas and his cowl returned to him by is old nemesis Zodiac, Moon Knight is back. As Marc struggles to regain control of who he is, he’s forced to reckon with Mr. Smith not being who he pretended to be.

This review is brought to you by Megan and Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Dev Pramanik
Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Artist: Paulo Siqueira
Cover Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Writing

Megan: After seeing Marc in a state of confusion and not knowing who he was, we see him finally let loose as his alter ego, Moon Knight. Brought back to his old self by Zodiac, Marc has a lot of anger to get out with the way he was treated. While this is happening, his captors are very aware that Marc Spector is back. Scrambling and making a run for it, one villain remains that has always had his eye on Moon Knight. Now with more than one enemy looking to take Moon Knight down, and one that’s actively working against him to see him off the leash, Marc has more than enough on his hands.

Jed MacKay continues this new series and new look at Marc Spector in a whole different light. With how mysteriously the last issue started, and now to this thrilling issue, MacKay is really taking you on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Shawn: When writers start to reach long runs on a single character the way Jed MacKay has with Moon Knight, you begin to wonder when they’re going to lose a step. Even some of the longest runs in Marvel history were interrupted for guest writers to reset the story or give the main writer a break. Marc Spector: Moon Knight shows that MacKay doesn’t seem to plan on stopping any time soon.

This issue continues to give us something new and fresh from Moon Knight, despite being at almost 50 issues of MacKay writing the character. MacKay manages to use familiar characters and lore from the history of Moon Knight to create exciting and original stories that manage to even feel different from his previous runs on Moon Knight. I love the decision by MacKay to use some familiar big bads from Moon Knight history in new ways.

Art

Megan: The artwork of Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2 masterfully captures the excitement of the story. Marc isn’t pulling any punches and doesn’t care who gets in his way. Dev Pramanik draws the fight scenes so you’re able to feel the impact of every punch. He’s accompanied by Rachelle Rosenberg, who handles the colors. Rosenberg always delivers the most striking artwork, especially when it comes to Moon Knight. Practically popping off the pages, Rosenberg makes Moon Knight the focal point with his glowing white aura against the different shades of red.

Shawn: What an absolutely gorgeous issue Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2 is. Dev Pramanik really gets better with every single work that gets put out. This issue really showed how Pramanik can use a variety of panels to add to the story and continue to enhance it in new ways.

The panels at times were chaotic in the best way, making you feel like you were struggling and in a fight with Moon Knight himself. Rachelle Rosenberg absolutely nails the colors, choosing the perfect blend of color and shadow to make this episode feel bold from a color standpoint while still maintaining the grit readers have come to expect from Moon Knight. With the work Pramanik and Rosenberg put in the varying up the panels, Cory Petit had his work cut out for him but the comic was still easy to follow. Despite the variety of panels used, my eyes always flowed easily without feeling like I was searching out where to go next.

Final Thoughts

Megan: 9/10. Jed MacKay continues to thrive with Moon Knight and brings a story that’s an emotional roller coaster full of action and importance.

Shawn: 10/10. This is yet another solid issue in MacKay’s work on Moon Knight. This issue was the complete package. MacKay did a great job with writing, but you can also tell that MacKay has faith in the visual team in the times he stepped back, limited the narration, and let the visuals tell the story. There’s one particular page in this issue that collectively may be the best work I’ve ever seen from Cory Petit in a history full of great work.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

What’s your favorite Jed MacKay run off Moon Knight? Let us know in the comments below.