Moon Knight (Vol. 6) #6

Background

Moon Knight is back and defending the streets of New York City. All is not well. Marc Spector seems to be developing multiple personal identities in the form of his god, Khonshu. Meanwhile, the Profiler and the Committee have defeated Moon Knight. Can our erstwhile hero take his vengeance on them?

Story 'The Bottom'

Our issue begins with Moon Knight kicking the tar out of Taskmaster. In an inner monologue, Moon Knight goes in depth about his fighting strategy. He takes out Taskmaster and recovers a Committee file. Later, Marc is getting a haircut. He visits Marlene. Her life has taken a bizarre turn of events. Marlene concludes that she is longer the girlfriend of Marc. Marc then visits Frenchy at the hospital. A lawyer informs Marc that a new DNA sequencing technique will make him rich once again.

Marc is back at his mansion. Crawley comes to visit him. Marc apologizes for his past treatment of Crawley. He thanks Crawley for setting up the meeting with Frenchy. However, Crawley has no such knowledge of ever doing so. Instead, he saw an ominous silhouetted figure behind Marc's statue of Khonshu.

After Crawley leaves, Marc begins to sift through the Committee files. Khonshu appears to him from the statue. He taunts and criticizes Moon Knight's handling of Taskmaster. Marc's god wants more blood. In rebuttal, Marc claims that Khonshu has used him. Khonshu has manipulated Marc. Marc begins to slam the statue with a sledgehammer. Without warning, Marc falls to the floor, apparently dead. He is then resurrected to life by Khonshu. Marc is beholden to Khonshu; it is the natural way of life. Khonshu then claims that Marc has slowed their goal down. He has unwittingly made Khonshu irrelevant.

Subsequently, Khonshu reveals how he gave direction to Marc's vengeance once the New Committee appeared on the scene. He knew Marc would once again renew his worship of the god of vengeance. Marc can reclaim his idyllic life once he shows the world what vengeance truly means. Marc disagrees and states he is hero in the truest sense. Khonshu vehemently responds that Marc is his avatar on Earth. They need each other. Khonshu laughs heartily as Marc clutches the foot of the statue.

Later, the Profiler is at his apartment when Moon Knight bursts through the window. He grabs the shocked man and asks him to tell what he sees. The Profiler can only scream. Moon Knight seems comfortable in his role as an avatar for Khonshu. Marc can't think of any other life to lead. He is Moon Knight, the avatar of vengeance.

The cliffhanger for next issue depicts a man cutting a woman, her blood splattering a nearby clock. The man uses the blood to trace the image of the clock on the woman's body. He has an unseen conversation, stating he needs closure.

General Comments

Moon Knight #6 was a fantastic finish to the inaugural arc of the re-launched title. Huston's background in crime stories fits the tone of Moon Knight to a T. Moon Knight is grim, gritty, and unapologetic of the violence it depicts. This is not the world inhabited by Spider-Man or even Daredevil. Rather, Moon Knight's world is painted in shades of gray, nothing is what it seems. The only constant is an apathetic violence marked by an elusive quest for vengeance. Those looking for morals won't find it in this comic book.

David Finch's art is the unequivocal star of this title. While Huston manages to imbue Moon Knight with a hardboiled storytelling approach, Finch's art completes the transformation. The character models are detailed but sloppy. Nothing appears in a clean-cut manner. The consistency between the writing and art styles are astounding, especially when we consider that this is the age where writers and artists sometimes don't even meet in the planning of a particular issue.

Moon Knight's worship of Khonshu probably will not end well. That said, the character remains deliciously cruel and vulgar. He obviously knows how to push the somewhat frail personality of Marc over the edge. The visual provided by Finch is also outstanding. If one isn't careful, a beaten, bloodied pulp that just happens to be a god will give you nightmares. There is a nice tension at play with Marc's desire to be a traditional hero but at the same time also in love with his role as a ruthless vigilante of the night. There's a fine line here between sanity and insanity for Moon Knight.

The entire scene where the Profiler meets his defeat was a perfect end to the arc. We are meant to believe that he only sees Khonshu when he looks into the face of Moon Knight. Thus, Huston shows the reader he is not simply concerned with what looks "cool." He is interested in the psychology of Moon Knight and what it means to live in his world. Villains may fear him but perhaps they see something in him far more sinister.

Overall Rating

If you don't like a noir style book filled with blood, guts, and glory than this title is not for you. However, you'd be missing out. Huston and Finch have something special going on with the revamp of this character. You'd be remiss to ignore the hype around Moon Knight. This book is equal parts fun, action, and plot/character driven.

Footnote

Spider-Man will be making a guest star appearance in Issue #7. It is a part of the "Casualties of War" - Civil War spin-off tie-ins.