#the lemire run is gorgeous

[petrichor-and-moondust]

read the moon knight(2016) run by Lemire and GOD. it is BEAUTIFUL.

the main artstyle is this gorgeous charcoal styling. and as the story switches between alters in the Moon System, so does the art style.

Steven's is done is this polished, classic comic-book style with smooth lines and lots of highlights and shading.

Whereas Jake's in done in this very limited colour palette, reminescent of older detective comics, heavy on the solid-block shading.

Plus, they add in another alter- also named Marc Spector- who...fights werewolves in space? And his artstyle is very grainy and heavy on the linework, like sci-fi comics are wont to be.

Like God.

GOD.

The stylistic decision of the different artstyle to shoe different character outlooks and frames of mind...and every artsyle is gorgeous in its own way.

[therealraewest]

I forgot how gorgeous this run is immediately off the bat.

This is everyone's reminder to go read the 2016 Lemire/Smallwood Moon Knight run because *chef's kiss*

[gffa]

im gonna get dc infinite again soon and i have a strong need for batfam. what are your top recs rn?

Hi! I have a list of runs I've been enjoying here and @fantastic-nonsense has an incredible list of comic recs sorted by character here, but it can be a lot to sort through sometimes and so much really depends on what you're into, how familiar you are with everything, etc. BUT! My top recs right now are: - Current Nightwing series, 2016-current, (maybe skim issues 50-76 because the Ric Grayson arc isn't a good starting place, you can pick the series up after that as a good starting place), it's always a solid read for me (to be fair, I'll read just about anything for my fave tho) and a great mix of humor, adventure, and exploration of Dick's character and relationships - Batman: Urban Legends series, 2021-2023, which is a rec with a big asterisk in that I skimmed the stories I wasn't interested in, which sometimes could take up half the tpb, but the core Batfam character-centric ones were FANTASTIC, there's a time travel arc with Thomas and Martha Wayne that was all kinds of stellar, a great Jason story, a great Tim story, a couple of great Dick stories, etc. - Batman: Cold Days (volume 3, issues #51-57 of Batman) and Batman: Rules of Engagement (volume 5, issues #33-37 + Annual #2) are a bit controversial, a lot of people really hate Tom King's writing, but I had a blast with these two volumes, especially because they're heavy on Bruce's kids showing up to bother him and I'm always down for that, there was humor and heart and everything I come to comics for. - Batman: The Court of Owls + City of Owls is one I'm still reading but enjoying VERY much and it's a great read if you want an actually good STORY, instead of just good character interactions (not that there aren't good stories in the above, there very much are, I just feel like this story is overall a really stand-out one on that front), though, it has a lot of that, too. - Robin & Batman (2021, by Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen) is a three-issue mini-series about the early days of Dick learning to become Robin and it's an utterly gorgeous read for the characters and the art, that this Bruce struggles with being emotionally available for this kid who desperately needs him, but also YOU CAN'T TELL DICK GRAYSON SHIT ABOUT WHAT TO DO EVEN WHEN HE'S LIKE NINE YEARS OLD and they manage to figure things out, just an emotional gut-punch in the best way.

[plural-swag-competition]

Tiptapricot again! I’m not the best for giving recs and info on the comics, but can give some trigger warnings on the show and two of the runs I’ve read! This will all b below cut as it’s as in depth as I can do off the top of my head.

This is a long post, but I’ve tried to make it as informative as possible. It lists some heavy stuff! MK fans are welcome to let me know if there’s things they think I should add, and though I say in the post, anyone is welcome to shoot me an ask about specific triggers! There also may be some typos haha so excuse those.

Without further ado, let’s get into it :-)

First up!

The Lemire Run, 2016

This may not be the best run to jump onto as it has a pre-established cast and is highly referential to past MK work, but it was also the first one I read and I still really enjoyed it! As long as you have a general knowledge of the characters from like a quick wiki read, you should be good.

Warnings for: Medical unreality, unreality, psych ward setting, gaslighting, abusive nurses/orderlies and doctors, shock therapy, drugging, death of friends, warped reality, manipulative Khonshu (the god they work for), further unreality/blending of realities between different headmates, mis-naming, car crashes/ship crashes, death of friends again, arrest/police interrogation, institutionalization as a child though not shown graphically, off-page death of father, internalized ableism/belief that to be normal you must not be a system, invalidation of headmates by another headmate, apparent though not actual alter death (they come back triumphantly, they are all ok), talk of brain and mental space/being “broken” as a form of manipulation.

This is the one I sent a propaganda post in about also! It was one of the first really major positive MK explorations (not the first, the 80s run and a handful of others actually have some real good stuff) and while it still has some funky parts, is a really gorgeous and awesome look at them, and again, has one of my favorite characters!

Second!

The MacKay run, 2021

This one’s the currently ongoing comic run! And while there’s less warnings it should be mentioned that since it’s ongoing, my list may become out of date somewhat soon, esp since issue 25 is apparently going to be 70 pages. But it’s a good time to hop on and join!

Warnings include: general monsters and fighting of them, self hate, internalized ableism and force-fronting by Marc/him being frontstuck for a lot of it, regular therapy sessions with Marc and his therapist that, although not manipulative or toxic or abusive like in other runs, are coerced by the avengers due to a previous run where the system basically took stuff over and took down the avengers for Khonshu (this run is referenced a lot), temporary death of main, discussion of gods, faith, and general theology, vomit in the issue 17 fight, racism/cultural appropriation by the character Jack Russel in the annual, forced switch by an outside partner in the annual.

There’s also a general blanket thing that, while MacKay is doing good at a lot, and issues 14/15 specifically have some really good system conversations facilitated by him working with a system for them, he is still not including Steven and Jake as much as he should, and stuff can feel unbalanced/that he’s forgetting about their systemhood sometimes. It’s overall a very solid run so far, but that’s good to be aware of!

And lastly but not leastly!

Moon Knight, 2022 show

The show is 6 episodes long and on Disney+ or u can pirate it (which. Is what I do haha) and these are what I can think of for warnings.

Best to skim beforehand and then peek at each chunk for each ep as you go. Id be able to give times if I was live watching with someone but I hope these cover stuff generally ok, and you can also look up specific stuff if you need, or send me an ask if you watch about a specific moment and I can find the time stamp! My inbox is always open :-)

Disclaimer that the show also has a lot of levity and comedy and calmer moments within everything I’m going to list. These are just the triggers, and since it is a heavy show it will seem dense, but it’s not just hell all the way through.

Ep 1, The Goldfish Problem—At the very beginning there is a scene where glass is put in shoes and stepped on, there is no blood or pain reaction or visuals of the skin, but that is a constant presence in the background for the whole show as the main antagonist is a cult leader who uses it for self flagellation. Lot of sudden and discombobulating switches accompanied by minor flashing, confusion and paranoia as it involves the beginning of system discovery by a headmate who has no idea what’s going on, a generally eerie vibe involving a large bird headed skeleton creature (Khonshu) popping up, voices from indeterminant origin/people seen in mirrors, scene in the mountains involves seeing the cult, and ideas of good and bad and predestined morality, car chase involving car crashes, guns and blood but not really gore or any especially violent ways of taking out bad guys, missing an important event due to amnesia and lost time, apparent stalking by cult and unreliable coworkers, mild panic attack.

Episode 2, Summon The Suit—More of eerie vibe from first ep and more of big bird man and some flashing, uncomfortable firing from job for perceived mental health reasons, headmates arguing, headmate freaking out and jumping to internalized ableism, person who knows one headmate but not ab the system being confused and frustrated/believing the one fronting is putting on an act, police arrest/kidnapping, more of the cult, discussion of eugenics ideology from cult, panic attacks, one use of the word “Psycho” during a joke, headmates arguing worse and lashing out at each other, manipulation by Khonshu, brief use of alcohol in an obviously unhappy state as coping.

Episode 3, The Friendly Type—Sudden and abrupt switches, coming to mid fight/after an adversary has been killed, confusion, non-graphic suicide as form of escape from protags (falling off cliff, body not shown in detail or close up at all), very intense trial scene involving possession by a god, and weaponized ableism and personality language against mains from antag, both demonizing and infantilizing them, somewhat of a breakdown/lashing out from main because of it, another fight at rich guys place involving guns and knives, as well as choking, and impaling of mains, but impalement has no blood or gore shown, the poles r kinda just through them and they’re alright, some more possible flashing triggers at end with sky scene though more mild.

Episode 4, The Tomb—Headmates arguing/tension, choice to pursue relationship action without direct discussion about it, sounds of dissection of human by a monster (dissection is blurred in background and not shown in detail), scary undead creatures coming out of the dark and fighting with a main, emotional manipulation by cult leader, argument with a partner causing a forced switch, intense guilt and mention of believing one should’ve died, main character death, and at very end and also big one for next ep: unreality, medical unreality, psych ward setting, drugging and restraint of patient, gaslighting, feeling like an “it was all a dream” twist (which is proven to be false, the psych ward here is not real and is a construct of the afterlife, but it is a big scare and can be triggering).

Episode 5, Asylum (biggest ones here and very intense episode)—More of same medical unreality and gaslighting by a doctor, on screen drugging of patient/mains with a syringe, forced trauma memory exploration involving static dead bodies, passive suicidal ideation, off screen drowning, off screen sibling/child death, intense verbal abuse from mother, passive father, alcoholic abusive parent, guilty flashback to older Marc the night Khonshu contacted him which involves an attempted suicide (gun put against chin) and manipulation, headmate hitting their head rapidly during a breakdown, physical abuse from parent with belt (action not shown on screen but build up is and there is briefly audio of impacts), headmates arguing, internalized ableism, discovery of being an introject and negative thoughts about “realness” and self as a result, emotionally abusive doctor, parental/abuser death, alcoholism by main, breakdown at funeral, hitting of kippah on ground during breakdown, intense switch in time of distress, apparent alter death (not permanent but is not resolved in this episode).

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY ME TO WATCH EPISODES 5 AND 6 IN THE SAME SITTING OR CLOSE TOGETHER. 5 is really fucking intense, and even while being very well done, it can really fuck up your brain and mental space. Episode 6 is a huge balm onto that and makes me cry every time because of it.

Episode 6, Gods and Monsters—Cult carrying out goals, intense grief from living main, dead bodies talking, brief possession by a god, guilt tripping and trauma leveraging by antag onto mains, sudden switch, brief return of psych ward setting (though in a context of triumphing over it/proving it to be a construct), after credits scene involves abduction of antag from a care facility, and murder.

Also general note that the show is really complicated and nuanced in its rep. It has a lot that’s really good but they also made some mistakes. The term DID/Dissociative Identity Disorder is not said on screen, for example, largely because the system themselves don’t know what’s going on/are dealing with a lot of internalized ableism, however it was still a choice by the writers. Some cast and crew members have also said not great things in interviews, but on the flip side, a lot of them have shown they really care.

Oscar Isaac specifically did a whole lot of research for his roles, and has been very respectful and awesome in interviews and in his pushing for the characters to be given the best they can. There’s a lot of discussion to have around all of it, and a lot they can improve in a season 2 if/when we get it, but it’s still a really complex and empathetic exploration of the system in general.

But also, it may not be for everyone!

I’m a singlet, and I’ve talked and discussed stuff a lot with the groups I’m in including systems in fandom, and there’s a lot in it people connect to, but it also may not be the type of show others want to watch and that’s ok. Rep is so nuanced and complicated especially with something so stigmatized, every step forward doing its best but not always nailing it, that everyone will have their varying relationships to it, and what works for some may not be good for others.

But yeah! I love moon knight a lot, and all of the things recommended here while none are perfect each do really amazing things with their stories, art, and explorations. I hope this can help some people interested in checking them out do so in an informed and safe way. My inbox is open if anyone has questions, and I can also point to some other really cool people in the community for specific discussions, recommendations, and more!

Hope you all have an epic and wonderful day! Good job on a swaggy bracket :-D

(ID in ALT)

[silverjetsystm]

What's up, gamers. Every so often, I get asked for MK comic recommendations. I'll include links to a couple of really good reading guides from the subreddit (that I had Zero hand in making) and toss my two cents below. Not that it'll buy you anything.

TL;DR: See reddit below, be sure to check out the Excel master list of appearances. Most of the quality runs has been printed in omnibus, Epic Collection, trade paperback, Marvel app. You know.

If those links don't work, go to the r/MoonKnight subreddit and check out the Reading Suggestions and Collected Editions in the menu.

Below the cut, I give a sort of non-spoiler walkthrough and talk about what's in print .

Cory's Reading List [Edited 15 October 2024]

I read everything on the below list. I have my opinions. If I tell you not to read something, it's because I don't like it. But I'm also some Jewish singlet/non DID/OSDD guy on the internet.

Here are some articles written by a system who is a fan of the Moon Knight System.

Okay, finally, the list

Werewolf by Night (1975) #32-33. First appearance of Moon Knight and Frenchie.

Marvel Spotlight (1971) #28-29. First appearance of Steven, Jake, Marlene, Gena, Gena's sons, and Crawley.

Hulk Magazine #13-15, #17-18, #20-21 (they're the backup stories, so if you're 'online' search and read by Hulk, scroll halfway through the issue)

Marvel Preview (1975) #21. Marc solves the murder of a former colleague.

Moon Knight (1980) #1-38. First solo written mostly by Moench and drawn by Sienkiewicz. "But Cory, why are we reading all these old comics?" Because while different words are used now, the writers of the first run do really well at making Marc, Steven, and Jake a system. Iconic rogues are introduced. Marc's first backstory in #37 and #38 is the perfect backstory, imo.

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu (1985) is not the best but #6 is great. So, read #1 so you know what the plot is and #6. This is when Priests of Khonshu and other things are introduced.

West Coast Avengers (1985-1994) goes here. The first time Khonshu is more than just some weird statue. Also includes Tigra and Marc kissing. MK is in issues #21-41, which is collected in 3 different Epic Collections and at least one is out of print because someone in Marvel hates me specifically /jk. The Epic Collections are titled: Lost in Space-Time, Tales To Astonish (out of print), and Vision Quest.

Marvel Fanfare (1987) #30. "Real to Reel" is one of my favorite issues of all time. Gorgeous art. Marlene and Steven/Marc have clumsy but meaningful discussions around mental health and identities. Man versus nature. Yes, one of the bigger "the editor forgot Steven doesn't go by 'Steve'" moments.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989-1994) is 60 issues and it gets borderline unreadable about halfway through. Steven and Jake are occasionally referred to but not present. :< That being said, the first half has some great stuff. The Trial of Marc Spector (#15-18) and Scarlet Redemption (#26-31) arcs are the standouts. So honestly, read a few stories from it, get tired, and know he dies for the third time at the end. Then read

Resurrection War (1998) and High Strangers (1999) - two separate mini-series by Moench because they killed his boy. Treats the back half of MS:MK as potentially a dream. The brief return of Steven and Jake.

MK (2006) is 30 grimdark issues. The first 13 issues are usually all I 'enjoy.' Marc gets injured, kills Bushman in an extremely violent way, and has substance use issues. He also lashes out/pushes away his original cast. The run is ableist.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2009-2010): The most Marc acting Jake Lockley in existence, coming back from a stint in Mexico at the end of MK 2006. Some retcons. It's. Fine.

Secret Avengers (2010) #19 is one of the only issues with decent MK. First sighting of Mr. Knight. Too bad it's by Ellis. The rest of Secret Avengers is ableist or he's not really there.

Shadowland: MK is a 3 issue event tie-in. Does some retcons I like but also our favorite can't stay dead brother is back. Content warning for miscarriage.

MK (2011) by Bendis. Don't read it. Steven and Jake are replaced by Cap, Wolverine, and Spider-Man. Marc's in LA. Why isn't addressed.

MK (2014): Marc's back from LA. Introducing Mr. Knight. The best issues are the one shot type stories. #5 "Scarlet" is also one of my favorite issues of the character featuring Mr. Knight versus an abandoned building full of goons to rescue one kidnapped girl. The connected plot isn't the best. Content warning for ableism and medical abuse. But. Do you like black and white suit? Marc punching ghosts? Bird skull Khonshu? Tell Shalvey thanks. This run is mostly out of print on account that the first writer, Ellis, sexually coerced people.

MK (2016): Lemire and Smallwood. The dream team. If you can only get one run in print, this is the one I recommend. It works best as a standalone story; the plot does some glossing and retcons around the System's backstory and there's plenty of room for different interpretations of what 'really' is happening. This is also the run Leyna from the article series above reviews.

MK (2017): The Bemis run. Websites attach it to the Lemire run. It's not. Stop reading 2016 when issue #188 appears. It's incredibly antisemitic and ableist.

Avengers (2018) #31-38. Written by Aaron. Age of Khonshu only is relevant for what Marc does now and his mental state. It's. Fine?

MK (2021) wrapped at 30 issues in December 2023.❤️ MacKay gets it right the vast majority of the time. The art (inks by Cappuccio and colors by Rosenberg) are some of my favorite work alongside Sienkiewicz, Smallwood, and Shalvey. Like Lemire, MacKay ties in classic points with new directions. The new dream team.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2024) continued MK 2021 with the same creative team from January-September 2024. 9 issues.

Blood Hunt (2024) was the summer event written by MacKay. 5 main issues with tie-ins to Vengeance 2024. It's sort of important to read the main event issues but Vengeance does expand the Mission parts. I'm biased but this is also one of my favorite comic events (and I hate comic events).

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu (2024) The current main book continuing MK 2021/Vengeance 2024 with the same creative team. #0 was released July 2024 as a strikefile narrated by Khonshu on each of the key players and onboarding new readers into what's coming next. October 2024-???

Print Options:

Omnibus is a heavy, oversized, hardback and contains a lot more issues. They also can have some weird 'new car' printing smell and paper texture. Epic Collections are standard sized, softback that has more issues than a Trade Paper Back (TPB). Make sure you read the back of the volumes so you don't buy repeats. Unless you're into that. Weigh pros and cons. What do you value/can afford? And the physical weight of the omnibus.

As of Autumn 2024, there are currently 6 omnibuses.

MK OMNIBUS: Volume 1 (1975-1980) - MK's first appearance, the backups from Hulk magazine, half of the 1980 run.

MK OMNIBUS: Volume 2 (1980-1985) - other half of 1980 run plus MK: Fist of Khonshu (1985).

MS: MK OMNIBUS Volume 1 (1989-1994) - #1-34 (out of the 60 issues), some Spidey, some Castle.

MS: MK OMNIBUS Volume 2 (1989-1994) - #35-60 and both of Moench's mini-series (Resurrection Wars and High Strangers) and 3 issues of Black Panther. Do I recommend this omnibus? Not really. After the first story in this omni (and even it is stretching it), it really does fall off that cliff. I got it because I wanted it on my shelf. Moench and Black Panther stuff helps soften the sting.

MK by Huston, Benson, & Hurwitz OMNIBUS (2006-2010) - all 30 issues of 2006's run and Vengeance of MK 2009, and Shadowland.

MacKay's 2021-2023 run was published as an omnibus in October 2024 without Vengeance 2024.

There are currently 7 Epic Collections for the pre-2006 stuff. Everything after 2006 and Vengeance 2009 is far more accessible in trades or single volume collections for certain runs.

MK Epic Collection Volume 1: Bad Moon Rising - early adventures pre-1980 and the first 4 issues of 1980.

MK: Countdown to Dark: the Hulk backups and Marvel Preview #21.

MK Epic Collection Volume 2: Shadows of the Moon - MK (1980) #5-23

MK Epic Collection Volume 3: Final Rest - MK (1980) #24-38

MK Epic Collection Volume 4: Butcher's Moon - tie-ins, solo issues, and MS: MK (1989) #1-7.

MK Epic Collection Volume 5: The Trial of Marc Spector - MS: MK #8-25 and that Punisher annual.

MK Epic Collection Volume 6: Not published yet. Probably #26-38.

MK Epic Collection Volume 7: Death Watch. Collects MS: MK #39-51, Divided we fall, and some other tie-ins. Yes, we do jump ahead from #25 to #39.

MK Epic Collection Volume 8: Not published yet. Probably will finish out MS: MK, have both of Moench's 90s minis, and maybe Black Panther.

If Marvel continues doing what they're doing with Moon Knight like other properties, after Epic Collection Volume 8 is published, Marvel will print equivalent "Modern Era" volumes for 21st century stuff.

Bemis and Bendis have softcover collections. 2014 has a softcover collection in the UK but not in the US for reasons.

For Lemire's run, there is a one volume softcover collection called Moon Knight by Lemire & Smallwood: The Complete Collection. This is the one you want.

MacKay's MK has 5 TPBs and so far one TPB for issues #1-5 of Vengeance 2024. Honestly, get the omni if you can.

Happy reading!!

[robotsfromtomorrow]

Episode 800: Jose Villarrubia on Restoring SWAMP THING and THE CORBEN LIBRARY

Today's guest is someone listeners of this show will be familiar with, as he name is mentioned often and in tones of reverence. For almost 30 years he has worked with such artists as Jae Lee, Jeff Lemire, Bill Sienkiewicz, JH Williams III, and BERNIE WRIGHTSON to bring color into their art in a way that always enhances, never detracts - no mean feat there.  He's also been a teacher/presenter/lecturer of art and illustration at such institutions as Towson University, Johns Hopkins University, the Institute for Contemporary Art in London, and MICA the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he currently a professor. Two of his most recent projects are his recoloring of the Bernie Wrightson's Swamp Thing run for the recent Absolute Edition, and the second volume of Dark Horse Comics' "Richard Corben Library", which collects Den: Neverwhere with his gorgeous restoration work giving it new life. He's Jose Villarrubia, and Greg is thrilled to have him on the show to talk about all of that and more.

Robots From Tomorrow is a twice-monthly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.

Check out this episode!

[luxshine]

Moon Knight Primer Part Eleven

Moon Knight #4-5

Prologue, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X

Issues 4 and 5? Are a rollercoaster of emotions and we still haven’t left Marc’s mind! Again, this is one of the strengths of the Lemire run. We don’t have to worry about whatever is going on in the Marvel Universe at the time, whatever new crossover event is destroying the world (At the time we were just recuperating from the world-shattering event of Secret Was that sort of fused the 616-Universe, aka. The Official Marvel Universe, and the Ultimate Universe,  and was the reason why the origins of many heroes, including Moon Knight, were reshuffled and changed a bit, and just entering Civil War II which was such a mess, I am so glad the boys were busy dealing with themselves instead of with that, as THAT ruined many characters that are just now recovering)

Also, these two issues cement the main theme that we’re dealing with: how Marc is not alone in his mind, even when he thinks he is, and talking control of one’s life despite the challenges. We saw how we lost Crawley in the last issue, as he sacrificed himself to let the group escape. Seven pages into issue four? We lose Jean Paul to a cop who is really Sobek, son of Seth, in disguse. Important thing, Sobek calls Marc “Son of Khonshu” which is, again, something exclusive to this series. Before this, no one had called Marc this, not even the same priests who used to call Hawkeye (Clint Barton) “Beloved of Khonshu”.

At least in his head? Marc gets some respect.

Anyway, Sobek bites Jean Paul on the yugular, and that is not a survivable wound, so Marc kills Sobek with his bare hands, but is on time to hear Jean Paul’s last words (And, most importantly, take off the Mr. Knight mask, so that Jean Paul can see him)

Jean Paul’s last words? Are to call Marc “Mr. Knight” and tell him that yes, he sees that the cop is Sobek.

And THIS is important because before this? EVEN in Marc’s mind? Jean Paul had never acknowledged the name of Mr. Knight. Which paralleled very well the relationship Jean Paul, the real Jean Paul, had with all of Marc’s Alters. Yes, he recognized they existed, he sometimes even paid lip service to their names, but for Jean Paul? Marc was always Marc, no matter who fronted. So this moment of acceptance? Is a goodbye for Marc. The idea that, if Jean Paul ever accepted them completely? They’d lose the old friendship they had. (Which, in a way, is true. When Jean Paul finally saw that Jake and Steven weren’t just names Marc adopted? Was when he finally left the mansion and went on to have his own life)

Anyway, two down, two to go.

With Jean Paul gone, Gena starts seeing the desert too but she’s too confused to really grasp what’s going on. Marc tells her that he’s glad she also sees what he sees, because he can stop what’s going on, but he can’t do it alone. He needs her, and she tells him that well, wherever Marc is going? Can’t be worse than where they are.

Marc once again, asks her to call him Mr. Knight.

Have you noticed how pretty much the whole four issues are Marc telling people to respect his identity? His chosen identity?

AS they walk into the now desert New York, Gena spots her diner and insists that they need to make a stop, regain their bearings, and get some food into their stomachs. At first, Marc is unsure, but he finally agrees. There, Gena comes a bit back to herself, the real Gena’s personality, which once again makes sense: Marc ONLY interacted with her there. And only saw her as the worried single mother who would do anything for her kids.

Which of course is why there, Gena finally starts calling him Mr. Knight without any extra prompting from Marc, reminding him that he is a good man. To which Marc replies that he is Nothing without his friends -something that we have seen Marc express before, even way back in the original Moench run: His sense of self sometimes depends a lot on how others see him.

In any case, this peace can’t last and when he’s on the bathroom -because Marc’s mind world is… pretty realistic- Khonshu interrupts to remind him that he has a mission and he’s weak, and of course Khonshu picked up the wrong person for the job. In short: THE EXACT Opposite of how he was last time we saw him. And he is still skechty and blotched, so we know he’s not how Marc sees Khonshu. He is just… very contradictory. Marc is starting to get tired of this attitude, but just as he tries to stand up for himself Gena calls him back to the diner as Marlene is FINALLY up and speaking, saying that they have to go before the sunrise.

Ironically, it seems the closer they get to the big Pyramid? The better Marlene feels. But Marc, on the other hand, feels that something is wrong there, very wrong. But he can’t just not go. Because he knows that what needs to be fixed? Is there.

Gena, for her part, tells him that her role in this is done, as she needs to stay and wait for her boys -boys who are NOT there because, ding-ding-ding, Marc NEVER interacted with them until the 2006 run killed Ray and left Ricky as the Jean Paul replacement. And This Marc? Is not THAT Marc. That Marc was incredibly unstable due to fronting all time, and trying to keep the others down. So of course, THIS Marc wouldn’t have a mind-template for Gena’s kids.

Three down, One to go.

On the path to the pyramid, Marc realizes that the flying jackals want him to go to the top, so they don’t attack.  Marlene also tells him she remembers everything they lived together, she and Marc, she and STEPHEN Grant (yes, with a PH, and not a V, and I haven’t found a single shred of evidence that it was JUST a typo and not a clue that something was very wrong with Marlene right there), and him as Moon Knight.

No Jake though, and remember how I told you all that Jake was a non-entity for Marlene? And how it annoyed Steven and Jake? Well, here’s proof of it.

Anyway, they reach the base of the pyramid only to be stopped by Moon Knight. The ORIGINAL suit Moon Knight too, who tells Marc to stop, and that he’s insane.

And THAT’s how issue four ends. What a cliffhanger, right? (Importantly? Parts of Moon Knight look completely sketched out, as if he was done with pencils unlike the rest of, well, everything)

Issue 5 begins with Moon Knight convincing Marlene to come with him, as Mr. Knight, our Marc, is not amused and demands to know who he is. Moon Knight replies that he is Marc Spector, the one from before Marc lost his mind and the only one who can stop what is going on. Now, very importantly: He doesn’t say that he is the REAL Marc, but the SANE Marc. Even in his mind, even fractured? Marc knows he and his alters are real. Or at least, subconsciously he knows it because he’s not, at least at this moment, aware of Jake and Steven.

And he is ANGRY at being called Insane, so he stabs “sane” Marc with a moon crescent, but Moon Knight headbutts him and manages to run away with Marlene.

And here once again I remind you: This is not REAL Marlene betraying Marc for an illusion of a “normal” Marc (Not a Sane one, because as our Marc says, the System is NOT Insane), but Marc’s mental image of Marlene. Who OF COURSE was going to leave him the second she was offered an out, a man who was not a System, a man who wasn’t constantly running into danger.

Not only that, but consider how he lost his allies: Crawley sacrificed himself to help the greater good, Jean Paul got killed because Marc got sloppy. Gena choose to stay behind, but didn’t betray Marc.

Marlene? Marlene ran away with a “better” version of Marc.

Anyone else wants to hug Marc?

Marc runs after them, but when he crosses a door with a crescent on it… we’re suddenly in a completely different landscape, drawn by a completely different artist.

James Stokoe is the artist here, and we’re on the moon. Marc is wearing a space suit very similar to his black armor version, and he can see a trail of footprints and blood leading to a door with a half moon on it. But when he starts walking towards it… he’s almost ambushed by werewolves.

Interestingly, THIS section has panels, but the borders are very, very faint. As if reality was unsure of it being reality.

He manages to cross the door, and we change realities again. And AGAIN we have borders, only these are a bit more clear.  A bit more comic-booky. And the art changes again, this time by Wilfredo Torres, with a cleaner style than Stokoe who is very anime influenced. There he meets with Marlene, who is calling him Steven, with a V, and is wearing the Stained Glass Scarlet costume, as she is an actress in the Grant-produced Moon Knight movie. Before Steven -because this is Steven- can get his bearings, Marlene tells him to run as Billy and Bobby, our favorite Jackal nurses, appear in human form and are chasing Steven.

Steven runs through the door Marlene pointed to, marked with a Half moon in the oppositeside of the original he crossed, and we’re back in a borderless world, only this time is NOT Marc’s world, but the far more gritty and comic-book looking world of Jake Lockley, this time drawn by Fransesco Francavilla.

Coloring, by the way, also changes between worlds. The Moon world is washed in blues, while the Grant world is warmth and colored in a sort of animation cel style. Jake’s? Is all high contrasts, in a very seventies style.

Jake finds a last crescent door, but he’s almost stopped by Billy and Bobby who come out from a sewer and try to put him to sleep to take “Spector” back to dr. AMMUT (yep, The System’s mind is done with pretending)  

He manages to cross the last crescent door, and we’re back to Smallwood’s art, no panel borders and Mr. Knight.

Oh, and Marc is facing a chained Seth, who calls him “Khonshu’s Pup” and is very clearly not the one in charge of the madness that is going around, given that he is a) Chained, and b) ALSO part of Marc’s mindscape since he is not colored, inked or drawn differently.

Following Seth’s directions, he climbs the last set of stairs as he removes the Mr. Knight mask only to meet face to face with the bleeding Moon Knight he faced at the beginning of the chapter, who congratulates him on managing to arrive there. And as Marc demands to know who Moon Knight really is, the man takes off his mask to reveal…

Khonshu.

Khonshu, who unlike Set? Is drawn in the sketchy, blurry style of the Otherworld to point out that he? Is an outsider to Marc’s mindscape.

Which becomes even more obvious when he reveals why he was testing Marc, the real reason for all this journey. See? Khonshu’s body in the othervoid is dying. And, in order to stay alive? Khonshu wants to take over the Moon System’s human one.

In exchange? Marc will be at peace. No more pain, no more “Weakness”, no more being “broken” (as Khonshu keeps calling Marc, over and over again. There was only ONE time in this whole five issue run when he didn’t, which is quite suspicious, don’t you think? The one time when he told Marc to embrace himself, to believe in his own mind, and to follow his instincts. A very helpful little bird, unlike this one)

And Marc? Faithful Marc, who has believed every word of Khonshu so far?

Says NO.

And because he knows he can’t fight Khonshu, he can’t fight a God, even a Dying one?  He jumps off the pyramid, ready to die, as he remembers his friends smiling at Gena’s diner.

And dies before letting Khonshu have his body.

Only to wake up as Steven, in his mansion, drawn again by Wilfredo Torres and with the warm, soft color palette and the soft black panel borders,  with Marlene, who says she’s an actress, and he is a producer, that they’re shooting the pyramid scene now.

And Steven? Steven smiles at the skyline while a tear falls down his right eye.

So… Did Marc die and let Steven get the body before letting Khonshu have it? Did any of this happen?  What the hell is going on?

Well, for that, we need to go to the NEXT arc of the Lemire’s run, still written by Lemire, and MAINLY drawn by Smallwood (Although Torres, Stokoe and Francavilla will remain with us for a while), titled “Incarnations” That only lasts from issues 6 to 10 to complete the first 10 issues of the Lemire run.

But that? Is for part 12.

(I'm adding the covers because a)they're so pretty, and b) look at the symbolism! Marc letting go of the illusions, of the pain, and revealing that under all that? He's more than just Marc Spector!)

[for-the-mk-fanworks]

One of the great parts of the Lemire run is all the little details, and one of the most detail filled parts is Issue Ten, which has Marc’s childhood bedroom, with

So

Many

DETAILS!

Just to start it off, I’m throwing in this image of Kid Marc, just to preface the amount of sci-fi in his room. This is a tiny space nerd

His door has a sticker for the Chicago Bulls, which is a basketball team. I’m clarifying because people not in the US might not know that, or if you don’t really care that much about sports. I’m the latter. Anyways, he also has a Darth Vader sticker. Like I said. Tiny sci-fi nerd. Into the main shot of his bedroom

He’s got an A-Team Poster (it’s about special forces in the Military, that eventually go rogue. Sound familar?)

He’s got a Max Headroom poster, who was a British, stuttering, “computer generated TV host” (it was just some guy in prosthetics over a blue screen with really harsh lighting)

He’s got the Starship Enterprise!!! And what looks like an X-Wing. So he’s not just a Star Wars fans, he also likes Star Trek

He has a telescope that’s really close to the “camera”,front and center, adding onto the space nerd aspect

More sports teams, the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Bears (Soccer and Football teams respectively). MCU!Marc has a poster from of these teams. I don’t remember which, or it might have been a Chicago Cubs hat (baseball)

Speaking of sports again, he’s got two baseball bats next to his bed, and my favorite part

MARC SPECTOR. HAD A RACECAR BED. YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT’S NOT ADORABLE

I think this might be another baseball bat next to it, but that’s definitely a football. So a surprisingly athletic space nerd. Good for him

He’s also got four awards in his room. Good for him

And of course Another darth vader

It took me for ever to figure out what any of the stickers meant, but I finally got one of them. It’s a sticker for a cartoon called MASK, which is this thing

Look it up on Wikipedia. Make of that whatever you want. But it is an incredibly 80’s cartoon. And last but not least

A plushie of Alf the Alien Life Form from the sitcom of the same name, and an Indiana Jones poster. That poster is right next to a text bubble of Marc talking about his new friend

His new friend “Steven”. The way the scene is set up might have inspired MCU!Steven to be from “Tomb Buster”

The takeaway (minus that the Lemire run is incredible and has so many GORGEOUS DETAILS that you might notice something new with every read?)

Marc as a kid had a lot of varied interests, was surprisingly athletic, but also was a massive space nerd, Star Trek and Star Wars and Alf and wearing his NASA t-shirt and HIS TELESCOPE!!

Which makes it all the more ironic that he winds up with the god of the Moon.

So if you’re looking to write a fic with Marc as a kid, or just want to know about what some of his interests were, I hope this helps!

[little-cereal-draws]

I finished the Moon knight Lemire run! It was so good and the art was gorgeous.

I need recs for the next run i should read bc i want more lol

[blackkatmagic]

any mk comics recs? I've read the older ones but i just watched the show and now i kinda want to strangle Steven bc it was. not the steven im used to. so yeah any recs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "older", if you're talking about the runs from the 80s or later, but. One of my absolute favorite runs is the one by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey. It's incredibly beautiful and has a lot of my absolute favorite interactions, and it showcases MK's humor without making him into a Deadpool wearing white. Other than that, Lemire and Smallwood's run is recced a lot for a very, very good reason, because it's gorgeous and fascinating in a lot of layered ways.

(And, controversial, but. I really enjoyed the MK crossover with the Avengers, Age of Khonshu. It was pretty, it humanized Khonshu in really neat ways, and the connection between Marc and T'Challa was amazing. It's a divisive one, though - I know a lot of MK fans who absolutely hated it.)

[tiptapricot]

MK liveblog ep 2, Summon The Suit

The sudden pan up from sand FUCKS

The security footage scene is both so cute n sO embarrassing

Also I want JB n Steven to b bros they seem like they’d b rlly goofy n fun

“Larry in maintanence is going to absolutely shoot you”

MARC WALKING OUT ON THE TAPES WHAT A FUCKING SCENE

The Human Resources scene is rlly nice asmr

Steven having to give up his name n symbolically himself as he further journeys into his life falling apart makes me YELL

The guy at the storage locker place says he never forgets a face but isn’t put off by the accent, did Marc never talk to him?

Marc’s clothes being in the storage locker… gOd

Steven’s autistic interest blocking out any fear on a magical floating scarab

MARC STANDING INBTHE REFLECTION INBTHE LOCKER IS SO FUNNY

“Yeahr.”

“Idc how bloody handsome you are,” Steven that’s kinda gay :-/

Marc looks so worried n then Steven’s just like: lol you’re fuvking ridiculous lmao

Marc eyes on th gun

Khonshu walking down the hall w the lights is sO fucking creepy

The freeze frame my beloved💖

LAYLAAAAA

Layla’s intro is so good her character is like immediate

Layla don’t tap on the glass :-/

When Layla first sees the poetry book she probably thinks Marc was missing her but then Steven starts reciting a thing OiuhHhh

The music being soft n sweet but also unnerving n out of place

Marc’s already in the little door mirror in the background when the divorce papers come out lol

Layla baby I love you and you are so emotionally unstable this episode lmao

Also her jacket already kinda resembles the scarab stuff

Dialogue still hits clunky this ep idk why

This is why you never talk to cops Steven

Love that the Harrow goons that come after Steven r based off the Lemire orderlies

Steven head bonking on the car window for his life

Marc’s voice is so gentle but firm when he’s not angry, and he sounds so tired and I love him

Steven is just close to tears oh baby

Harrow stop touching him all caring like it’s creepy n I hate you

“KILL IM.”

“Wow beautiful 😌” (tomatoes)

God the cult is so…. Unnerving

Harrow as MK sounds so fucking creepy

The lil American man…

Confused and eating soup, the best way to be except in this case

Steven just slurpin soup n not listening. His lil “alright… 🤨” while he doesn’t listen to harrow n is so funny

“Gimmedabody”

I think you should actually kill Donna Steven. Get her ass.

Steven I love you so fucking much

“Then don’t”

Steven looks weird w his outer coat buttoned up

Layla walked into danger so confidently bc she was so used to always being able to trust Marc to b there n support her like breathing but Steven isn’t Marc n things r diff so they have to run

“Thatwasawesome”

Steven’s panic attack…. The overwhelm is done so well god being trapped between two ppl n the silence and the disorientation n Laylas distress n then her saying his name being what grounds him

The jackal hits on the door like a heartbeat

I love the mr knight suit being a real costume so bad the MCU has made me love cloth also it’s GORGEOUS

Marc ur accent ily

Layla seems so off her game this ep bc she’s being introduced to so much along w Steven n she doesn’t expect to fight monsters

ROLLIN UP HIS SLEEVES YEAH BABY YOU GO U ARE STEVEN W A VEE

Steven laying facedown in the middle of the street looks so goofy

“That was a hell of a punch back there” THIS SCENE MAKES ME BITE WOOD

MARCS MOON EYES AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HEAHHHHHH

oh I never realized bystanders actually got hurt in the background

THE CHASE SCENE MUSIC IM GONNA AHHHHHHHH

The vibes the vibes I’m I’m im normal

“Gotcha! >:-)”

Marc in Steven’s clothes looks so off

The way letting the suit off is like a release, like he can breathe

Then his paNIC

Harrow do u just judge that man to kill him for no reason I hate u

The shots of London r lovely

God Marc is so pathetic n tired n sad

SO THIS IS WHAT ITS LIKE BEING ON THE INSIDE YEAH ITS HORRIBLE ITS ALRIGHT YOURE ALRIGHT I FEEL LIKE INCAN SCARCELY MOVE ITS OK BREATHE THROUGH IT HOW LONG YOUVE B N DOUNG THIS I DUNNO LONG TIME I DONT LIKE IT I DONTBWANY IT

this scene is so

its so

its so

marc is still trying n his voyce is so fragile n steven is so angry n atbhis end point

oscar acts across fromnhimself so well

marcs growing anger n just just the arguneny n marc being so worn out and high strung

KHONSHUBI HATE UR BONY ASS LEAVE HIM ALONE

khonshu sounds so good in this scene tye VOICE ACTING HIS LAUGH

khonshu i hate you i hate you

Near and dear as she is to him indeed Jake lockley my beloved it’s what she deserves

STEVEN JN THE MIRROR THE LIGHTING THE WAY MARC IS TIRED N HAS TRASHED THE PLACE J LOOKS SO OUHGHHHUHHHHHNNN YELOW N ORANGE N THE MUSIC N YHE MUSIC N THE SWWELL N THE CURTAIN AHHHHHHH

I love the ending songs so much but this is probably one of my all time favs

Headbopping

The hallway flickers between Steven’s apartment, the storage locker hall, and the Duat asylum

[therealraewest]

I'll be honest, I've been curious about Moon Knight for a while, but (like with a lot of Marvel superheroes) have no clue where to start. You seem to be deep in the sauce - got any advice?

So if you have a tolerance for Old Comic Books (they read different than modern books for sure), the original 1980 run is quite good. If you want something more recent, the 2021 run is incredible and does a good job of taking everything that came before (good and bad) and contextualizing it into a thesis of redemption and second chances.

There's also the 2014 Ellis run, which is light on plot but has gorgeous visuals and introduces Mr. Knight, and the 2016 Lemire/Smallwood run which is just all around incredible. Both of those reference characters from earlier runs like Marlene, Frenchie, Gena and Crawley, but you can get by from context clues if needed.

I'd avoid the Bendis (2011) and Bemis (2016) runs as they're generally considered out of character and make some... Interesting story choices.

The 2006 run is generally considered Moon Knight's darkest period. That's where all the references to him ripping a guy's face off come from. Very edgy, basically watching Marc destroy all his relationships, then Jake comes in at the end and tries to fix things in the 2009 run, but some trauma in the Shadowland tie in put the system back on a downward spiral.

What I did was start at 2014, read the 2016 Lemire run, then jumped ahead to the 2021 MacKay run and once I caught up I went back to start from the very beginning.

Best of luck!

[kowbojki]

God ok dude ur MK art sLAPs I know I just said that in some tags but it’s so lovely and just your style n colors oiGHHHHHH

Have you read any of the comics yet? The Jake Lockley scenes in the Lemire run remind me of some of your stuff w like the rounded edges and strong colors (and the run also has an additional alter that I love w my whOle heart)

THANK YOU IM RLLY GLAD YOU LIKE IT T_T its always scary making art for new fandoms im scared im just throwing it into the void so it means a lot you enjoy it<3<3

AND YEAH I've read the Lemire run n I'm working through vol 7! I love the Lemire run so much, it was confusing at first till I learned what was going on but like. god the art is all so gorgeous. Especially Smallwood's .. AAND i love little spaceman moon knight so much he seemed really fun T_T

[davidmann95]

How'd you like the new Death Metal special (and, more broadly, this week's comics)?

pretenderoftheeast said: Comics this week (12/9/2020)?

Batman: Black and White #1: The first of a platter of anthologies today:

* The Tynion/Moore story is predictably fire.

* JHIII is JHIII. Also he does a really nice surprising story about how Batman’s relating to this moment of the time, but let’s be real, you’re here because JHIII, and be assured he is JHIII as helllll here and it’s great.

* Dini/Kubert plays as the former building a story around accommodating requests by the latter, but that’s not a bad thing, and glad to see Kubert’s kept up the pace since his DK3/Up In The Sky creative rejuvenation.

* Ok I’m a philistine who has no idea what that Emma Rios thing was about but it was certainly pretty.

* Wilson doing Batman is surprisingly disappointing, but Smallwood doing Batman definitely isn’t.

DC’s Very Merry Multiverse: Not a very merry time! I hate to say it given this should be so geared to my interests, but this is the weakest overall effort we’ve gotten from one of DC’s quarterly anthologies in a good long while, at least among those I’ve picked up. Not to say it’s a dud, there are several nifty little stories in here including the much-hyped first appearance of Kid Quick (destined to become the Flash of Future State) and really almost everything here reaches ‘pretty okay’. But for $10, and a creative space that should reach so much more than ‘pretty okay’, I don’t know that this is a justifiable recommendation unless you’re understandably desperate for all the President Superman content you can get your hands on.

Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint: I’m surprised I got it too, but the preview grabbed me and in practice it was a fun, mean little high-concept adventure of Reverse Flash being a total cock.

Wonder Woman #768: Credit where it is due, this has been getting a bit better in its closing stretch.

Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe: This ruled. Obviously there was the one story folks are most interested in, but almost all of the tales in here lived up to being a ‘final’ story of sorts for their leads.

* The Titans bookenders were pretty nice even if it’s hilarious that their big rallying cry basically amounts to “by god, our book may be shit, but we’re valuable IP so we’ll never be cancelled!”

* Green Lantern is basically an epilogue to Johns’ run sans the baggage of bringing back Johns (that we get in two weeks with Secret Origin and god forgive me I’m so looking forward to that), and definitely one of my favorite efforts from Lemire.

* Wonder Woman’s the stinker in what’s nominally her own event. I can parse the roots of most bad Superman stories one way or another, but I just can’t understand what’s behind most bad Wonder Woman stories beyond that the people handling it simply don’t give a shit.

* Astonishingly, the Green Arrow and Black Canary chapter in here might be my favorite of the bunch? Simone at her best, a really sweet slice of playful, sincere romance about two characters I’m not by default invested in but ended up quite caring for here.

* This Aquaman story is everything I generally hate in Aquaman stuff, a big long maudlin speech about the weight of the world as he swims through a black featureless ocean, except here between the real heart Sebela brings to the script and the mood artist Christopher Mooneyham manages to evoke, it all clicks together.

* The Batman Family story feels like it can’t quite make its pacing work, but it’s still a heartfelt little ode to the theoretical power of the concept.

* Hey, that Mark Waid guy? Turns out he can write him some Superman. It’s not perhaps the total barnburner you might have expected - I imagine he’s saving his biggest hits for later - but it’s a very solid execution of a gangbusters concept, and Manapul steals the show with absolutely sensational, gorgeous scenic Superman imagery. I’mma say 60/40 in favor of them doing a Superman project together on either a main book or Black Label (I know Manapul was supposed to be locked into a creator-owned thing with Scott Snyder but that was ages ago), because this is a paring that’s yielded some immediate results and I imagine everyone knows it. And given my upbringing, nice to see a big, iconic, beautiful Superman story with him rocking the mullet.

Anonymous said: Haha holy shit Crossover is literally Cates taking that page where Spawn meets all the corporate heroes locked up and spinning it out into a series

Anonymous said: Does Crossover #2 hold the crown for the funniest, dumbest, most baffling opening page ever?

Crossover #2: Readers I’m not too big to admit I laughed my ass off at the first page, and at least a little bit for the actual reasons intended. The sense of homaging that Spawn scene in the context of a book about “Gosh, isn’t IP the best folks?”, or Cates’ dialogue...(shall we say) proving why he likes the concept of ellipses enough to name a character after them aside though? That it’s already crossed the line with its central metaphor from “indefensibly insensitive in its ridiculous self-centeredness” to “out-and-out cartoonishly offensive” somehow actually makes it more rather than less palatable; there’s no longer the secondhand embarrassment of waiting to see how bad Cates is going to handle this, it simply is the worst it could possibly be and readers have to accept and perhaps revel in the sight of him stepping on rake after rake. I cannot wait for him to finally give an interview on this book where he explains what the hell he thinks this looks like, and I hope my dad keeps somehow enjoying it forever because I totally wanna see what pit this descends to next.

Penultiman #3: This is absolutely agonizing and probably the most relatable take on a ‘superman’ ever.

Home Sick Pilots #1: A new creator-owned book from Dan Watters (whose big two credits include the stupendous “Afraid of America” with John Paul Leon in the last Batman Secret Files, and the upcoming Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman) and Peter Cannon’s Caspar Wijngaard, this new book set against the backdrop of a Californian high school’s punk scene in 1994 describes itself as “Power Rangers meets The Shining (yes, really)”. The former influence isn’t much in play yet, but thus far this is a book that merges building tension and freewheeling dopey teen bullshit to an extent that’s subtly impressive as hell, and seems likely to proudly take a place among the current horror comic renaissance.

Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #3: Ok again I don’t have any experience with this franchise but you’d better believe that cultural osmosis was enough that I popped for BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

King in Black: Namor #1: Kurt Busiek’s return to Marvel...sucks? Such is the power of Knull I guess even if he doesn’t manifest within the actual story here, this is a complete nothing of a comic and I’m not tuning in for issue #2.

Avengers #39: Eh, I’m not liking Aaron Avengers when it gets remotely serious nearly as much as when he’s doing stuff like having them finally help Blade with all those vampires or Captain America assisting with the delivery of an exploding space-baby in the back of a muscle car.

Anonymous said: That new Guardians of the Galaxy was something else. What do you think the odds are that Comic Books, with a decade or two of hindsight, recognizes Ewing as one of the best to ever do it?

Guardians of the Galaxy #9: I lack much context here beyond recalling from an interview that this is Ewing’s way of grappling with the ideas from Steve Englehart’s original unrealized vision of Star-Lord’s character arc, but wherever it stems from this is a hell of a comic.

S.W.O.R.D. #1: This is everything I’ve wanted from the non-Hickman X-books since the moment HoXPoX ended, and so much more, and also it is basically hilarious that Ewing is all but explicitly using his clout to force Marvel to let him to Ultimates3 under a currently cancellation-proof banner. Most importantly of all, Ewing has already mastered the subtle art of writing not merely Magneto, but the infinitely superior Jonathan Hickman Magneto. And good lord Schiti and Gracia, I already knew they were top-tier but these pages’d make a grown man cry.

[projecttirnanog]

hey! so this has been a long time coming and something i’ve been too dumb and nervous to post so uhm! here you go, recommended moon knight reading from yours truly, in chronological order! bolded are my personal favourites!

 WEREWOLF BY NIGHT (1975) #32 onwards. take this run with a grain of salt, it’s not very in character, but it IS his origin!

MOON KNIGHT (1980) moench and sienkiewicz. the REAL origin of moon knight! 

MOON KNIGHT FIST OF KHONSHU (1985) zelenetz and warner.

WEST COAST AVENGERS (1985) #21 onwards.

MARC SPECTOR - MOON KNIGHT (1989) various writers and artists. just be warned this comic gets weird. like, real weird. 

PUNISHER (1989) annual #2. punisher and moon knight’s first interaction! it’s good because the rituals are intricate. 

MOON KNIGHT (1998) campanella and edwards.

MARVEL KNIGHTS (2000) #4 onwards.

MOON KNIGHT (2006) various writers and various artists. 

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT (2008) hurwitz and opeña.

SECRET AVENGERS (2011) brubaker and deodato.

MOON KNIGHT (2014) ellis and shalvey.

MOON KNIGHT (2016) lemire, smallwood and bellaire. + annual. if you don’t want to read chronologically, THIS is a really good starting point (or 2014 above). it really helps you to get a grasp of marc’s character, and its just. gorgeous overall. i love it a LOT. just don’t read the bemis section. please.

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (2019) #4. 

CONTAGION (2019) #3 onwards. [ EDIT. 14/01/20 ]

CONAN: SERPENT WAR (2019) this is the most recent comic he’s in as of updating.

ALSO ! these are separate, but part of the infinity warp arc involved a warping of two characters together. in this event, moon knight and spider-man warped into ARACHKNIGHT!

INFINITY WARS (2018) #3

ARACHKNIGHT (2019)

happy reading! feel free to hmu with questions or recommendations to add!

[outside-the-mailstrom]

GENERAL BACKGROUND

I've always been a fan of Marvel comics (or, Marvel Comics' properties, at least) I've fragmentary early memories of Batman The Animated Series, and some associated Batman and Superman comics (aimed at younger readers, in a 'Timmverse' style of the TV shows then airing - gorgeous, simple, iconic Art Deco inspired designs), but for the most part my early conception of superheroes came from what was called "Marvel Hour", a Saturday morning television timeslot ft. back-to-back episodes of cartoons from between the 60s and 90s, starring basically the big names you'd expect. I was quite wee, and don't rightly remember who did and didn't have their own show; obviously the big titles are easy enough for you to guess but I also feel (nebulously) that Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, and even the Silver Surfer had their own programs; the line-up jostled, there wasn't an Avengers or Defenders team-up show as there would be these days. There was always Spiderman, of course, and there were generally The X-Men.

X-Men The Animated Series, which was written and produced around the same era as Batman The Animated Series, does not (it has been noted) hold up near so well as its famed compatriot; it has its charms, and is a fascinating window into history, but it's not... strong on revisits. It's a little hard to say how much all this galvanized my interest in the subject matter, and how much it merely looks like it as an artefact of looking back through years of other things layering up (notably the early 00's onward movies, the X-Men Evolution tie-in cartoon [of which I was still, as a viewer, at quite a formative young age], a steadily developing interest in the concept of transition and transformation in all things, and ways that my own self-reinforcing creative projects drew from my standing experience of X-Men as a source material in ways that deepened my interest in, and sympathy for, it as a set of signifiers). Substantial engagement with actual X-Comics, however, comes later; primarily as a fan of the podcast Jay & Miles X-Plane The X-Men (which is pretty much as it sounds; a two-hander deep-dive through X-History & continuity, which settles early in its own run into a charisma and humour driven analytical recap of the major story arcs of the history of the franchise, starting at the Bronze Age [70s onward] and working forward practically issue by issue), aboard which bandwagon I found myself early in its days as a snowballing project (less than a dozen episodes as I recall? Certainly some time before it began to resemble a leading voice in intersectional leftist queer focal fandom, although it was always stridently those things, as well as advocating for a pro-soap opera, pro-minor characters, pro-Cyclops revision to popular understanding of what makes X-Men great).

Of course, if you sit two X-Fans down to talk comics for an hour a week for any length of time, really, under no x-ternal supervision or hard guideline parameters for what subjects are, and are not, on topic (amongst many other things more broad ranging and personal) they're going to get to discussing contemporary releases as well as ancient history. So, at the same time as learning, by glitzy guided tour, the history of The Hellfire Club, how the Phoenix Force actually works, why Scott Summers is autistic and Kitty Pryde is queer, I also got the nod-here-reference-there back ally tour of the contemporary X-Line, as it was shaping up; the early days of the Brian Michael Bendis run, the stuff that came out of Schism and Battle Of The Atom.

Consequently this particular period has always seemed, to me, beguiling.

I spent a period intrigued by it (not least because it’s intriguing, and this is a creative, perhaps even visionary author with strong, distinctive, and original ideas for stories that could be done with this premise and set of characters, and [by the accounts that I was receiving] was executing said ideas, if not flawlessly, at least with panaché). The podcast soon became somewhat of a bonding point between myself and my sister, who (being close in age to me) has always been very immediate in my life, but in such a way as can mean a lot of treading on one another's toes (less risk of that now). Like me she was a long time X-Fan, like me mostly from growing up on related media and finding them abstractly cool (we both had tween crushes on Evolution Nightcrawler - I remember printing out pictures of him from the school library, she now has a tattoo). My sister's completionist tendencies led her to track alongside the podcast, reading originally trade paperbacks and eventually Marvel Unlimited (with a cursory reading of revisionist takes on the Silver Age [60s] - X-Men Season One by Dennis Hopeless and Jamie Mckelvie, then hard-in with the real Bronze Age [70s onward], starting at All New Giant Size X-Men #1, and just working forward). I don't know quite where she's up to now.

I gave this a go, I certainly appreciated things about it, but in general it didn't grab me as my starting point - and while there are many other jumping on points between 1975 and 2013 (already three years in the rear-view by the time I decided to get around to this) the more-or-less present day just seemed the more-or-less obvious point to jump on, so I jumped.

Actually I read the first volume of G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel, up to the 2015/2016 Secret Wars event, then I backed up and read Bendis' entire runs on Uncanny and All New X-Men (which notably, themselves, conclude at the start of Secret Wars), I also read, to my knowledge, all accompanying X-Titles coming out concurrently with the Bendis run, comprising what I'll generally refer to as the wider Bendis Era; Storm by Greg Pak, Cyclops by Greg Rucka, Magneto by Cullen Bunn, X-Force by Si Spurrier (all of which were really quite good, to my mind), and All New X-Factor by Peter David (which wasn't really for me - by which I seem to imply that it's probably for someone... in practice I think perhaps it is simply not really that good). I then read all of the X-Related crossover material that tied in to the aforementioned Secret Wars event (as well as a few non-X-related Secret Wars titles on general recommendation from Jay & Miles' Patreon stretch-goal video reviews of contemporary [primarily X] comic publications). My general process was to read an issue or two at a time then cross-reference with video reviews, as a lot of my engagement with media involves parsing it through the lens of critical voices who represent known quantities relative to my tastes (although it would be erroneous to suggest that by this point I'm not in some way attached to somewhat of a cult of personality around the public personas of the hosts, albeit what seems quite a calm and good natured one).

After finishing the Secret Wars titles I faced a relaunch of the line, and, eager as I was to find out what this experience (and the itemized content within) was like, I'd been a diehard Bendis fan through the process so far and wanted to let my recent reading mellow somewhat; to ruminate, and take a beat to work on other projects - breathe, mourn, let my first formative era of fandom settle before steam-rolling on with a new age.

It’s been… a few years, and while I really do have plenty else I ought be on with I've decided to throw myself back in and read some damn X-Men.

As follows are broadly my thoughts on what I will, somewhat snarkily be calling the 'Ordinary Era' (that is, post Secret Wars, through to the end of Jeff Lemire's Extraordinary X-Men, concluding with the Inhumans vs X-Men event), and beyond.