Conduit of Destruction

Something is consuming the world, and the Midnight Mission is out to find out what. With the Mission’s leader Moon Knight, missing for the last two weeks, they decided to tackle the problem themselves. Unfortunately for Moon Knight, when his trusted members of the Midnight Mission went into the building, they never made it out. Moon Knight enters to find them. Will any of them make it out alive?

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Catch up on Moon Knight with the reviews for issues #1, #2, #3, and #4.

Creative Team

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

Writing

Megan – I am loving everything Jed MacKay is doing with Moon Knight and that couldn’t be more obvious with Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5. Marc’s body is failing him, his friends are missing after a house ate them, and he has to carry around an obnoxious sword with him to defeat whatever is in the house. When he goes into the house, he sees pretty immediately that it’s going to much more difficult than assumed. Battling evil constructs left and right until he finally reaches the soul of the house. In a callback to MacKay’s last run, Moon Knight sees who he’s up against, and any plan he did for a victory have goes right out the window. We’re left on a cliffhanger that has me so excited, I’ll be waiting very impatiently for the next issue to drop.

Jed MacKay has done some pretty incredible things with Moon Knight and that streak continues. My excitement is through the roof! Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5 will keep you on the edge of your seat, locked into the story until the very end. MacKay makes these comics with the Moon Knight fans in mind and that’s obvious

Shawn – Jed MacKay continues to surprise issue to issue with Moon Knight. It would be easy after so many years of working on Moon Knight to think MacKay is out of ideas, but it’s clear he has a vision unlike any other when it comes to laying out his story. Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5 really allows MacKay to give us a good look at Moon Knight’s dedication to both his mission and his friends, but also his ability to get tunnel vision because of this.

This issue is really action-packed. MacKay really sets the tone for what is coming up in the next few issues of this series. Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5 works in part because MacKay continues to build on the narrative while expertly teasing what is to come. This entire series is not only a testament to MacKay’s writing ability but an argument for a series being given at least 10 issues to really tell a story. MacKay makes it clear in issue #5 that we’ve already gotten a really good story so far, but he’s just getting started.

Art

Megan – The artists bring a mystical factor to this issue that we haven’t seen much of before. It really pushed the horror feeling you get when Moon Knight is in the house. Dev Pramanik makes the artwork as haunting as the house is in the best way possible. There’s a ghostly feeling that’s immediately stopped when Moon Knight sees who he’s truly up against. After that, there’s a tension so thick that Ginnarr would have trouble cutting through it. Pramanik expertly captures these tones and shows them through the artwork, leaving nothing on the table. Rachelle Rosenberg masterfully adds to the horror element of the comic with her use of striking colors against the darker tones that makes each page have a perfect focal point. Together, the artists really knocked this out of the park.

Shawn -Dev Pramanik, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit continue to be a killer visual arts team on this series. Dev Pramanik does a beautiful job drawing one of my favorite characters in comics and does so in a way befitting of the power they hold. Pramanik continues to set the standard when it comes to non-traditional panel design, and Cory Petit does a great job keeping the flow through the panels, including little editor’s notes.

Rachelle Rosenberg continues to beautifully capture colors. One thing that Rosenberg consistently does in this series that is perhaps more apparent in issue #5 than in the previous issues is contrast. Rosenberg has always excelled at lighting, but in this issue in particular, she uses both light and shadows to really make an impact with the colors she lays down. Even colors that would normally be bright feel washed in the darkness Marc is facing, helping to feed the feeling of the comic narrative. I continue to be in awe of her coloring on Moon Knight giving him that perfect glow that provides such a strong contrast against the shadow.

Final Thoughts

Megan – 9.2/10. To say I’m excited for the next issue would be an understatement. Jed MacKay can stop fishing because he already has me hooked.

Shawn -10/10. I’m a sucker for the mystical, and Dev Pramanik and Rachelle Rosenberg made some absolutely gorgeous mystical art in this issue. Marc Spector: Moon Knight continues to provide readers a look at a great character through fresh eyes.

Overall Grade: 9.6 /10

What was your favorite part of Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5? Let us know in the comments