Vengeance of the Moon Knight, Vol. 1: New Moon

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2024)

by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)

Marc Spector, als Moon Knight lange die Faust des Khonshu, ist tot. Superheldin Tigra, Khonshus anderer Avatar Hunter's Moon sowie die guten Vampire Soldier und Reese setzen Marcs Mission ohne ihn fort. Doch dann erscheint plötzlich ein in Schwarz gehüllter Mondritter – und erklärt Tigra und den anderen, dass sie ihm nicht im Weg stehen sollen, denn sonst würde er sie töten. Ist Marc zurück?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

112 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be about Hunter’s Moon taking up the mantle of Moon Knight after Marc Spector’s latest death but I was wrong. Hey, it happens!

Instead we got a tale of Marc’s supporting cast taking on an imposter Moon Knight, whose identity is not revealed until the final page. I quite enjoyed it, particularly the issue focusing on Tigra. The part where she spoke about her love for Hank Pym made my heart sore (in a good way).

The only thing I didn’t like was the identity of the imposter when it was finally revealed. It turned out to be a character I’ve been hoping would return to the heroic path for years now but, sadly, seems to be descending further into villainy. A shame.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes removing the main character is the perfect opportunity to let the supporting cast shine, as was the case here. Fantastic artwork and clever use of the "In Treatment" framing device made this volume a real winner for me.


Tigra, Tigra burning bright / in the Mission of Midnight

[Mattthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. I especially like the way that we got point of view chapters from the different members of the Midnight Mission. It really highlighted how great these side characters are. Hoping Jed MacKay keeps on writing Moon Knight for a while.
Recommend.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacKay explores the impact of MK's death on the members of the Midnight Mission as they track down an impostor claiming to be MK.

Apart from the revelation of the impostor, which is rather underwhelming it's a good arc. The members of the Midnight Mission come into their own and prove more endearing than expected as they break through their shells to face their grief. I didn't take them very seriously until now, but MacKay finally convinced me that he had them and that he knew how to make the most of them.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Knight is dead! So what story could the Vengeance of the Moon Knight series possibly tell? How about multiple stories, those of the heroes in the Midnight Mission? New Moon still features a lot of Jed MacKay's highlights: pacey storytelling, plenty of fisticuffs, quippy dialogue. Mercifully, though, it also features a strong dose of character-building through the framing narrative of each character discussing their lives and feelings with the Mission's in-house therapist.

Suffice it to say, we finally learn a thing or two about these people! Which immediately ups my interest in them as they work to honor Moon Knight's legacy...and also defeat this imposter Moon Knight who's riling up the small-time villains. The "who is this other Moon Knight?" plot ultimately fell flat for me (should I recognize The Shroud??), but New Moon is definitely an improvement on the previous Moon Knight books.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Knight is easily the best Marvel character/comic out at the moment. Live everything about this. The artwork, the concept, the story, and the characters are all awesome.

Marc Spector is dead, but the mission continues by those that he left behind. However, how long does a Moon Knight stay dead? Do they all come back crazier and more violent than before? What do the team do when a crazier Moon Knight appears threatening not only then but everything Marc/Moon Knight and the Midnight Mission team have built.

Having each issue/chapter focusing on each of the characters was great. Giving them each a therapy session was a great idea. I can't wait for the next volume/book. The book finishes with sort of reveal and a varient covers gallery.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art, great action, great story. I’ve only touched on Moon Knight comics here and there, mostly in tie ins. But I liked the show and it made me decide to read more of his comics. Granted he’s not in this one because I guess he died 🤷🏻‍♂️. Still a great read so far. I know this comic starts the Blood Hunt event so I’m excited to see where the story goes.

[Alex Sarll]

Well, this is awkward; read issue 5, wasn't sure if that was the end of the first collection, checked - and found out issue 4 was, a month ago. Also, that Vengeance Of The Moon Knight is a 9-issue run, which I've not seen mentioned anywhere else, and had better just mean we're going back to more of MacKay on Moon Knight proper, because I'm not ready for the fun to be over that soon. For now, though, like so many MacKay leads, Marc Spector is dead (and so is Steven, and Jake), but the team he'd assembled around him at the Midnight Mission are continuing his work of protecting those who travel by night. Except there's a new Moon Knight on the scene; is it the old one come back wrong, as can happen to Fists of Khonshu, or someone else? Either way, he has no time for his predecessor's friends, and when it comes to his enemies, well, if you thought the last guy was bad...
"We had an unspoken agreement. We didn't mess with him, didn't hurt any of his people, didn't pull shenanigans on his turf...then he wouldn't cut our faces off."
That very minimal detente is now over.

This isn't really a first volume in any meaningful sense, more another installment in an ongoing ultraviolent soap opera about feelings, friendship, and undead killer priests. But I'm cheating and crossposting anyway because with Krakoa nearly gone, it's my favourite current Marvel book, and for all that it's already doing surprisingly well, more readers certainly couldn't hurt the chances of its continuing.

[Sam Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for the single issues of 1-4

The way these issues were so good I literally recorded myself reading the therapy sessions of issues 2-4 and will probably go back to do 1 for the hell of it. This creative team deserves all of the awards. Someone break out the Eisners for these guys.

Tigra’s issue (2) was the star of this set, but honestly, every single one of them was incredible. MacKay and Cappuccio are an ALLSTAR team and the day they leave MK will be an incredibly sad one

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favourite in the series so far. I enjoyed the concept of each of the four remaining characters going through therapy, but I do feel like the larger storyline was a bit stilted and filler.

[Dan P · Rating 4 out of 5]

superheroes in therapy! nothing like a PTSD party 😊

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without Marc around, the midnight mission must continue. While Reece and the others try to hold down the fort, a imposter is slinking around sulling his good name.
Konshu bless MacKay and Cappuccino on this run man, cuz it always looks stunning and the characters are wrestling with life. It's not as bombastic as the earlier run so far, but it is curious who the new face is running around, and I assume setting up for bigger to come.

[ShamNoop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best series at Marvel right now. It deserves a longer run, MacKay is a beast of a writer.

[Scott Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

McKay, given the titles he's been handled and the events he's worked, seems to be one of Marvel's darlings at the moment. And I've read most of them. This one--and the Moon Knight run that preceded it--is my favorite title of the bunch. McKay's take on Moon Knight and the cast he built around Marc Spector in his run on the previous version of the title, and whom he places in the starring roles in this volume, are fantastic. Each has there own tie to the night in addition to their various ties to Moon Knight. And I love the idea of the Mission--both as a mission, and as a physical space/character in the text. McKay also nails the balance between the action in the various flashbacks and the tremendous character work in the framing psychiatric sessions that occur in the present of the text. And the character work always continues seamlessly into the action sequences, even if--in spots--only by reflection.

And Cappucio and work? It's beautiful throughout--clear, with a strong narrative line and brilliant use of shadow in the inking. Rosenberg's colors work wonderfully as well. I especially love how the team uses light through so many of the panels, it's gorgeous.

The story here is focused first on the grieving for Spector's death and secondarily for the arrival of new person in a variation on Moon Knight's outfit claiming to be Moon Knight. It begins with a reference from Reese's session to the members of the Mission sitting Shiva for Spector. One of my favorite panels of the entire volume appears in this issue depicting Captain America and Hawkeye filling in for the Mission team so that they could hold to their decision to sit Shiva, delivered in a near Sepia that is just gorgeous. The present portion of the plot continues through sessions with Greer (in issue two), Soldier (in issue three) and Yehya--Hunter's Moon (in issue four). Each captures a unique relationship, and a unique view of Spector, the mission, what they'd built there, etc. And it culminates with a flashback from Yehya's session to his and Greer's daytime assault on the "new Moon Knight," all wonderfully told and beautifully rendered.

Can't wait to see where McKay goes with this next.

[G Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the news that Cappuccio would not continue his INCREDIBLE art on Moon Knight and associated titles like Vengeance of the Moon Knight, I wept a single tear and lamented that this visual era of Moon Knight has come to an end. But, it prompted me to pick up Vengeance of the Moon Knight for a last hurrah.

This has been a fantastic team overall, though MacKay's stellar writing certainly fell off in the latter volumes of Moon Knight proper. He gets SOME of his mojo back here as the four issues that comprise this volume are told through the frame of each supporting character's grief therapy session with Dr. Sterdman. It's a brilliant way to get into the heads of this great cast of Moon Knight support characters and how they deal with the fallout of Marc's death, but the payoff - as with the mainline Moon Knight story - leaves something to be desired. I am sure that I will get more context for the big reveal, but given how the payoffs for those things in Moon Knight underwhelmed pretty thoroughly, it's hard to be excited about it.

Part of the setup-payoff suffers from the fact that Moon Knight has just always been a B-level or even C-level hero. When we take off the mask of his big bads, you're not gonna find a Doctor Octopus or Namor or even a Mandarin behind the scenes. You're gonna find... some street level guy whose name you think "uhh... yeah, I think I remember that!"

So what continues to set MacKay's writing apart is that he's just so damned good at it despite those constraints. He built Moon Knight back up almost literally from nothing, created a wonderful supporting cast, made it clear what Moon Knight means to these people and why they are so devoted to him, and now here he gets to revel in the foundation he's built by telling a fairly straightforward story through the lens of their thoughts and feelings: Reese's gratitude, Soldier's loyalty, Tigra's love, and Dr. Badr's sense of duty. Even if we once again fail to stick the landing (so far), the journey is a genuine delight.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perché così tanto? Perché nonostante possa sembrare la solita operazione di marketing mascherata da rilancio editoriale, questa nuova serie che segue la morte dell'originale Moon Knight è pura onestà intellettuale.

Non ci prova neanche per un secondo a presentare un nuovo protagonista e cacciarlo giù in gola come successo altre volte, anzi, spiattella proprio narrativamente il fatto che il manto del Cavaliere Lunare è rimasto vacante e che lo rimarrà: ma la sua missione continua, ed è forse questa la cosa più importante. Come non ci prova manco per sbaglio a presentare il nuovo MK come il successore ideale (ma bensì un impostore manco tanto bravo). Al contrario, cerca di rendere i comprimari
abbastanza accattivanti da rendere loro i veri successori della serie - "non ho ereditato il ruolo, ma un lavoro, ed è compito mio portarlo avanti" dice Reese.
La morte quindi di Marc Spector è l'occasione per lavorare sui protagonisti e farli progredire, che è molto meglio di quando gli autori si concentrano deliberatamente sui comprimari facendo apparire il personaggio principale come un imbecille e meno abile dei suoi collaboratori. E' stata creata l'occasione per far risplendere i personaggi giusti, al momento giusto. E poi la pantomima del nuovo MK si consuma davvero in poco, spostando l'interesse sul perché un nuovo personaggio (molto lontano dalle frequentazioni di Spector) abbia deciso di prenderne il manto.

E' così che si fa un rilancio.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good volume and I love how its so fast paced and all and practically a therapy session showing the different supporting members of MK cast now that he is dead and its awesome like from the go with Reese and her insecurities, Soldier and his undying commitment to Marc and how he has evolved also, Tigra and the complicated relations she has had and the price that those men had to pay and maybe this curse is why Marc won't come back and Hunter's Moon and what the legacy of Fist of Khonshu will be and its so well written, I kinda love how it gives such depth to each of those characters and shows how Marc will be remembered and how they're carrying on his mission!

Then the stuff with who the new MK is and I love the face-off that happens and there is a whole mystery around him and who it might be but the reveal was good and granted Idk much about who this character is, its kinda exciting how Jed is mining the deep history of marvel and bringing such characters to the fore front and giving them this spotlight that makes it intriguing!

Its a nice balance of remember the old but also move forward and show how MK has inspired this team to become new heroes and rise like a new moon!

[José · Rating 4 out of 5]

80/100.

Después de la muerte del Caballero Luna, nos encontramos a sus colaboradores habituales yendo al psicólogo para gestionar su pérdida. Desde Tigra, su pareja, hasta aquellas personas a las que inspiró. Me parece un concepto extraordinariamente eficaz para contar una historia, sobre todo, porque tienen que lidiar con un impostor que ha tomado la misión de Marc Spector. Me ha gustado muchísimo el dibujo y el entintado de Alessandro Capuccio.

Este volumen está situado justo antes de lo ocurrido en Caza Sangrienta, un evento que me reintrodujo en la actualidad de Marvel. Me gustó, aunque no me voló la cabeza. Venía algo spoileado, pero no me importó. Me parece que aquí Jed MacKay escribe muy, muy bien. Es verdad que es parte de su etapa de Moon Knight (que no había leído). Al ver que era un número 1, decidí echarle un vistazo y por eso no conocía a ninguno de los personajes que participaba en el volumen (aunque están tan bien dibujados que no me importó para nada debido al grandísimo guion de MacKay).

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Quién habría imaginado que la colección del Caballero Luna sería mejor sin el Caballero Luna? Pues es así: Jed MacKay se centra en el rico reparto de secundarios de la serie y logra no solo que nos olvidemos de Spector, sino que nos parezcan más interesantes las aventuras de Tigra y compañía, dedicados en cuerpo y alma a llevar a cabo la misión del Caballero, sin este dando por saco y siendo el mejor en lo que hace (que es estar pero que muy tarado). Bueno, hay un copycat dando por saco, el nuevo villano de la colección, cuya identidad... ¡oye, por una vez no se veía venir! Aquí todo el mundo aprende: MacKay, a sorprender a los lectores; Capuccio, a dibujar a otros personajes aparte de al bueno del Caballero, y nosotros, los lectores, a disfrutar de una cole cuyo prota está caput. Bueno, durante ocho números, que luego resucita (para sorpresa de nadie).

¡A mí no me deis Marvel! ¡Dadme Caballero Luna!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A relaunch, a new main character, and yet MacKay's Moon Knight continues to fire on all cylinders. It's a testament to the work he's been doing with the supporting cast that they can keep the book running while Marc's out of action and the new Moon Knight strikes from the shadows. Tigra, Soldier, even Eight-Ball, are great POV characters, and the therapist framing sequence that was used to good effect in the previous series remains just as effective here.

The final reveal of the new Moon Knight's identity is a surprise for certain, and yet it works really well in the fabric of the story MacKay's been telling. He's great at doing these continuity pulls - see Blood Hunt.

And Alessandro Cappuccio remains on art, so the book looks phenomenal too.

Slap as many NEWs on the front as you want, but as long as MacKay and his artistic companions are around, this book's gonna be great.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killing off the main character is, IMO, the laziest, most frustrating and clicheist (yes, that is a made up word) a plot development a super hero comic writer can do. Often I stopped reading (RIP Iron Fist - Danny Rand, Darkhawk - Chris Powell) until the development is 'undone' as it almost always is. In this case I didn't because a) I am aware that our hero is alive again already, b) it has been well written with consistently excellent art and c) the character briefly taking over the 'mantle' is the Shroud, one of my all time favourite almost never used characters .

Only collecting four issues of the comic series feels a bit short. Each issue focusses on one of Moon Knight's support cast and how they react to our protagonists death. It is done via discussions with the run's long term psychologist, reminiscent of the classic X-Factor #87. It is nearly as good.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc Spector is dead...
long live Moon Knight?

The Midnight Mission just lost their leader. They do the only thing they could think of, 'sitting shiva' for their friend. Ben Grimm even leads them through the 7 days of mourning. The rest of the collection gives everybody a chance to come to terms with their grief. They all give the reader a 'catching up' session and we end up with a refresher on just what they are and what they do.

They've got to come to terms with a new Moon Knight showing up and telling them all to leave him to his mission. Nobody believes it is Marc, back from the dead. If not him, then who??
---
Bonus: This dark Moon Knight is just lucky nobody caught on to who he was earlier. Darkness powers might give WAY too much away

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty deec. I’m not the biggest Moon Knight fan but since watching the Marvel series, I’ve been dipping in from time to time and was hoping for some more context about the character and his companions circa Blood Hunt, so here I am. In the same vein as Doctor Strange and Magneto of the last few years, I do get the sense of wheels spinning in a narrative just waiting for the return of its titular character. I enjoyed the opening bits with Ben Grimm and the idea of situating the Midnight Mission within a context against the Avengers and another Marvel hero groups. The stakes here just feel really tiny, overall. I’m also left scratching my head about Flying Tiger and Squid and Scorcher…I know I’ve encountered them somewhere in the last year or two, but I couldn’t say where currently…

[Mik Cope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone seems to be raving about this run, so I guess I just didn't "get" it. Maybe it's due to the proliferation of MK titles, so I have no idea how to follow the continuity. "Wait, Spector's dead again? Well, it figures." Or maybe it's just that I don't really enjoy superhero stuff that much any more and am familiar with MK as a very different character. The parts with the shrink were kind of funny, kind of reminded me of those bits in The Sopranos.

[London Heady · Rating 3 out of 5]

The therapy sessions with the Midnight Mission trying to grapple with their grief is genuinely an excellent idea, and I was hoping to love this series, but it just doesn't really land for me. This first volume was fine, and the art is still great, but it really unfortunately just feels like filler until they bring Marc back. An actual run of the Mission being led without Moon Knight and how his legacy means he is still with his friends would have been awesome, but unfortunately that is most certainly not what this is.

[Sam Whale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book works because of its framing device. I'm not super zazzed for the plot about a Moon Knight imposter and the reveal at the end unfortunately fell flat for me (I feel Ice read A LOT of Moon Knight at this point and I had no clue who the guy was).

However getting some therapy sessions with Reece, Soldier, Hunters Moon, Tigra and 8-Ball is delightful. A great opportunity to get in their heads while Marc was absent.

While not as good as MacKays main 30 issue run so far, I'm looking forward to seeing how this one ends.

[Gavin Peterman · Rating 1 out of 5]

REVIEW FOR THE WHOLE ARK:

This writing is very weak for MK. I have to admit that the current MK set up sort of sucks though. He has always been crafted as a mystery and the comic series that lean into the slight element of horror draws out his character the best. Other than that the original run with Marlene and Frenchie are peak MK, with interesting characters and villains that could be in a rouge gallery. MK doesn't have a rouges gallery and it shows in this installment. They still can't figure what to do with him after they threw him out by taking out the Avengers.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Knight is dead, so long live Moon Knight? There's a new Moon Knight out there and he's not a fan of what Moon Knight was doing over at the Midnight Mission. All of MK's cohorts over there get an issue to talk to the shrink about what happened to Marc Specter. I especially liked the Thing appearance in the first issue as he and Marc are both Jewish so I thought that was pretty neat. The new Moon Knight is revealed on the last page of issue #4 and it makes sense if you know MK's history. Otherwise, you'll probably say "Who?"

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the structure, with each issue focusing on a different member of Marc Spector's team talking to a therapist about what Spector's loss means to them. But not a whole lot happens in this first collection. There's a new, darker Moon Knight out there, beating up the bad guys and giving the Midnight Mission a bad name. But who could it be? Artwork continues to be sufficient, though not particularly stellar.

[Sesana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff. The framing device of having Marc's supporting cast narrate the action to his therapist is surprisingly effective. Even Hunter's Moon is refreshingly open when speaking to her. The best issue is Tigra's, because her narration is just so good. The way she talks about her own traumatic relationship history is filled with grief and anger and it's just so real. I'm really excited about the next volume, but I hope that this nine issue run doesn't mean the end of Mackay on Moon Knight.