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Moon Knight Epic Collection
Moon Knight Epic Collection, Vol. 4: Butcher's Moon
Moon Knight rises again! Marc Spector has exchanged his heroic mantle for the easy lifestyle of alter ego Steven Grant. But when a deadly foe arises in Egypt, Spector must embrace his destiny — and become the Fist of Khonshu once again! Moon Knight will face deadly threats from Morpheus to Bluebeard, but what will a return to vigilantism mean for his relationship with Marlene? When Bushman seizes control of his homeland, Marc must renew rivalries with his deadliest foe! And when the Midnight Man seeks to eclipse Moon Knight, Marc is eager to clean his clock! But whose side are Brother Voodoo and the Black Cat on?
Includes: Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1-6; Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1-7; Marvel Tram-Up #144; with material from Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) #1, Marvel Fanfare#30, 38, 39 & Solo Avengers #3
Includes: Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1-6; Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1-7; Marvel Tram-Up #144; with material from Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) #1, Marvel Fanfare#30, 38, 39 & Solo Avengers #3
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 24, 2022
Very nice collection covering the end of the 1st series. Some of the best stories of this character are contained here. Recommended
April 6, 2023
I already touched on the Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu storyline in my Moon Knight Omnibus Volume 2 review. It's decent, but overly wordy and Moon Knight has the worst costume. My main focus is the first 7 issues of Marc Spector series, which is actually pretty fun. Radically different vibe than previous series of Moon Knight. More action hero, teaming up with multiple heroes was actually kind of refreshing. Also the work on Marc being more confident and almost silly at times took a bit getting used to but once I did I really dug that.
A 3.5 out of 5.
A 3.5 out of 5.
November 13, 2022
Perhaps this would have better to be subtitled (or more accurately at least): Phases of the Moon Knight. There’s a lot going in this volume, not all of it good. This is definitely Moon Knight in transition. With co-creator Doug Moench off the title, the character floundered looking for direction and this volume illustrates some of that inconsistency of character, backstory and supporting cast. There are several sections of this volume that don’t necessarily fall chronologically where they should and some tales are clearly published out-of-sequence. While the volume starts off with an issue of Marvel Team-Up, I’m going to save that for later u til the middle section.
First up is Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1-6 - And to be generous, let’s label this a mini-series and ignore that this was technically the character’s second series. Alan Zelenetz had some really interning ideas for the character, unfortunately none of them were executed well. This series was not received well by the fans. This was the era when the character’s costume was altered with Egyptian motifs and iconography. The gold gauntlets and weapons were added. Not only did we lose the entire supporting cast, but the most interesting aspect of the character, his growing struggle with dissociative identity disorder (DID) was virtually eliminated and replaced with a kind of religious fanaticism instead. None of these stories are particularly well done and it was almost a relief when the “mini-series” ended (2/5). Unfortunately, this is also the version of the character that would hook up with the West Coast Avengers for awhile (see: Lost in Space-Time, Tales to Astonish & a bit of Vision Quest).
Next is a true period of transition, from a host of various writers and artists. This begins with where this volume actually begins, Marvel Team-Up #144. This is just a typical Spider-Man team-up story and while it ties up some dangling threads from Amazing Spider-Man it is also a kind of swan song for the Moench era Moon Knight (2/5). Marvel Fanfare #30 comes next, published just before Moon Knight would join the West Coast Avengers, it really has to occur some time before the end of the previous volume, certainly before the events of the Fist of Khonshu arc begins, instead of where it is placed here. It’s interesting, and the art is very nice, but it is really just a glorified filler story (3/5). The story from Solo Avengers #3 takes place while Moon Knight is with the West Coast Avengers, and it fills in a little bit of missed subplot that gets nicely tied-up here. Again, nothing special and it’s too short to be more than a curiosity (and it probably would have fit better in a volume of Avengers stories, than it does here)(2/5). Of the next two tales, from Marvel Fanfare #38 & #39, the first brings Moon Knight back to NYC (although he’s still sporting the gold gauntlets and Egyptian gear)(2/5), and the second is another that feels out-of-sequence, again it seems like a filler tale that would have taken place during the end of the Moench era, but we do get some appearances from a couple of the beloved supporting characters (2/5). Closing out the entire volume, after the reboot (see below), is a short tale from Marvel Super-Heroes #1, again there’s nothing spectacular here, but it does offer another closure for one of the supporting cast from the original series. Otherwise just another little filler story, that also feels a bit out of place (2/5). Most of these short tales chronologically fall between end of the first series the start of and the third series (up next), but don’t really have a lot to do with the Fist of Khonshu period or with Moon Knight’s tenure with the West Coast Avengers, and as such there’s not a lot to get excited about. But then the Fist of Khonshu detour and the time with the West Coast Avengers felt at odds with everything else Moon Knight had been. Chalk it up to another variation of DID I suppose. It was a rough period for fans of the character, and while some excellent stories would eventually come from that era, it sure didn’t resonate with fans at the time. But this was, as I said, a time of transition, so let’s move on.
The other big chunk of stories are from Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1-7. And these, it was hoped, might begin to bring us back to that classic Moench era of the character. Except … it doesn’t. Chuck Dixon does a great job reinvigorating Moon Knight with a new energy and a new direction. The book is faster paced and right out of the box he’s making it clear that this version of Moon Knight is part of the larger Marvel Universe with guest appearances by Spider-Man, the Black Cat and Brother Voodoo. But he’s also bringing some familiar characters back as well, like Bushman, Midnight, Frenchie and Marlene. So, no, this isn’t the return of the classic Moon Knight some readers may have been hoping for (myself included), but it is the start of a new version of Moon Knight that was in many ways more accessible to readers and would be around for quite some time, and was clearly much more comfortable fitting into the larger tapestry of Marvel (3/5).
First up is Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1-6 - And to be generous, let’s label this a mini-series and ignore that this was technically the character’s second series. Alan Zelenetz had some really interning ideas for the character, unfortunately none of them were executed well. This series was not received well by the fans. This was the era when the character’s costume was altered with Egyptian motifs and iconography. The gold gauntlets and weapons were added. Not only did we lose the entire supporting cast, but the most interesting aspect of the character, his growing struggle with dissociative identity disorder (DID) was virtually eliminated and replaced with a kind of religious fanaticism instead. None of these stories are particularly well done and it was almost a relief when the “mini-series” ended (2/5). Unfortunately, this is also the version of the character that would hook up with the West Coast Avengers for awhile (see: Lost in Space-Time, Tales to Astonish & a bit of Vision Quest).
Next is a true period of transition, from a host of various writers and artists. This begins with where this volume actually begins, Marvel Team-Up #144. This is just a typical Spider-Man team-up story and while it ties up some dangling threads from Amazing Spider-Man it is also a kind of swan song for the Moench era Moon Knight (2/5). Marvel Fanfare #30 comes next, published just before Moon Knight would join the West Coast Avengers, it really has to occur some time before the end of the previous volume, certainly before the events of the Fist of Khonshu arc begins, instead of where it is placed here. It’s interesting, and the art is very nice, but it is really just a glorified filler story (3/5). The story from Solo Avengers #3 takes place while Moon Knight is with the West Coast Avengers, and it fills in a little bit of missed subplot that gets nicely tied-up here. Again, nothing special and it’s too short to be more than a curiosity (and it probably would have fit better in a volume of Avengers stories, than it does here)(2/5). Of the next two tales, from Marvel Fanfare #38 & #39, the first brings Moon Knight back to NYC (although he’s still sporting the gold gauntlets and Egyptian gear)(2/5), and the second is another that feels out-of-sequence, again it seems like a filler tale that would have taken place during the end of the Moench era, but we do get some appearances from a couple of the beloved supporting characters (2/5). Closing out the entire volume, after the reboot (see below), is a short tale from Marvel Super-Heroes #1, again there’s nothing spectacular here, but it does offer another closure for one of the supporting cast from the original series. Otherwise just another little filler story, that also feels a bit out of place (2/5). Most of these short tales chronologically fall between end of the first series the start of and the third series (up next), but don’t really have a lot to do with the Fist of Khonshu period or with Moon Knight’s tenure with the West Coast Avengers, and as such there’s not a lot to get excited about. But then the Fist of Khonshu detour and the time with the West Coast Avengers felt at odds with everything else Moon Knight had been. Chalk it up to another variation of DID I suppose. It was a rough period for fans of the character, and while some excellent stories would eventually come from that era, it sure didn’t resonate with fans at the time. But this was, as I said, a time of transition, so let’s move on.
The other big chunk of stories are from Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1-7. And these, it was hoped, might begin to bring us back to that classic Moench era of the character. Except … it doesn’t. Chuck Dixon does a great job reinvigorating Moon Knight with a new energy and a new direction. The book is faster paced and right out of the box he’s making it clear that this version of Moon Knight is part of the larger Marvel Universe with guest appearances by Spider-Man, the Black Cat and Brother Voodoo. But he’s also bringing some familiar characters back as well, like Bushman, Midnight, Frenchie and Marlene. So, no, this isn’t the return of the classic Moon Knight some readers may have been hoping for (myself included), but it is the start of a new version of Moon Knight that was in many ways more accessible to readers and would be around for quite some time, and was clearly much more comfortable fitting into the larger tapestry of Marvel (3/5).
June 6, 2025
A lot happens in this volume, and not all of it is good.
The Fist of Konshu, for all of its flaws, it was quite fun. I feel like there were a lot of ideas that could have worked but were executed poorly. My main problem with the series is the complete character assassination of Marlene. That paired with her incredibly inconsistent motives changed multiple times over the course of only six issues ending with a cliffhanger that isn't resolved.
The complete abandonment of the supporting characters that made the Moon Knight team so interesting along with Mark's split personalities, which was a fundamental core trait of the character and the series, is mind-boggling to me.
The in-between period had some interesting issues. The one where he battles Mother Earth is kind of crazy.
The Marc Spector Moon Knight Series has a solid beginning. They change a lot about the character, and they continue the character assassination of marlene, changing her into basically just a whining girlfriend who can't decide if she wants to be with Marc or not. The use of disguises instead of split personalities is interesting and definitely something I had thought would be cool. The returning villains of Bushman and midnight are welcome. The returning villains in Fist of Khonshu is my favorite part. Moon Knight has a very interesting rogue's gallery even though they are few and far between. This series definitely reaches into the 90s comic tropes pretty heavily, but it's Chuck Dixon, so it's still done well.
Why does he need a sidekick? It's also interesting that in the 90s there are less explanations between issues (thank goodnes), yet some of the more fantastical elements need to be grounded such as the IRS auditing Mac because if a billionaire used his vast fortune to fight crime people would start asking questions of where the money is going
Overall very interesting volume, but I'm curious to see how the Marc Spector Moon Knight series continues because I am enjoying it even though I do have problems with it. I just have to reckon that the Moench Moon Knight is over, and we probably aren't getting a lot of those elements back.
The Fist of Konshu, for all of its flaws, it was quite fun. I feel like there were a lot of ideas that could have worked but were executed poorly. My main problem with the series is the complete character assassination of Marlene. That paired with her incredibly inconsistent motives changed multiple times over the course of only six issues ending with a cliffhanger that isn't resolved.
The complete abandonment of the supporting characters that made the Moon Knight team so interesting along with Mark's split personalities, which was a fundamental core trait of the character and the series, is mind-boggling to me.
The in-between period had some interesting issues. The one where he battles Mother Earth is kind of crazy.
The Marc Spector Moon Knight Series has a solid beginning. They change a lot about the character, and they continue the character assassination of marlene, changing her into basically just a whining girlfriend who can't decide if she wants to be with Marc or not. The use of disguises instead of split personalities is interesting and definitely something I had thought would be cool. The returning villains of Bushman and midnight are welcome. The returning villains in Fist of Khonshu is my favorite part. Moon Knight has a very interesting rogue's gallery even though they are few and far between. This series definitely reaches into the 90s comic tropes pretty heavily, but it's Chuck Dixon, so it's still done well.
Why does he need a sidekick? It's also interesting that in the 90s there are less explanations between issues (thank goodnes), yet some of the more fantastical elements need to be grounded such as the IRS auditing Mac because if a billionaire used his vast fortune to fight crime people would start asking questions of where the money is going
Overall very interesting volume, but I'm curious to see how the Marc Spector Moon Knight series continues because I am enjoying it even though I do have problems with it. I just have to reckon that the Moench Moon Knight is over, and we probably aren't getting a lot of those elements back.
June 14, 2024
After reading all the Moench series I was expecting this collection to be a step down, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was. The 6 issue Zelenetz were very good overall but most I felt ended rather abruptly. The first issue of the series I think was the best, but all of them were good and the art was fantastic. I also enjoyed the fanfare issues, and reading the first issues of the Marc Spector series by chuck dixon, the tone has clearly shifted, I felt they didn't have the kind of depth of Moench or zelenetz, but they were hugely entertaining reads, and I loved the sal velluto splash pages. As mentioned the tone was different and I know some don't like the new direction but I felt the continuity of it all was at least plausible and consistent. So overall a great collection and enjoyable read, and great visuals.
December 8, 2022
I did enjoy this collection of Moon Knight stories but it really does feel like exactly what it is, a mix of stories from different series that cover his history after the end of his brilliant first series, through his 6 issue very different interpretation and ending with the start of the Marc Spector series.
There is no expanation of how Moon Knight went back to his original MO after the change with the six part series, i assume it happened in the West Coast Avengers series but i have no idea, and that really does jar when reading this
There is no expanation of how Moon Knight went back to his original MO after the change with the six part series, i assume it happened in the West Coast Avengers series but i have no idea, and that really does jar when reading this
January 6, 2025
Okay... so I'm one of those silly sorts that got interested in Moon Knight thanks to the machinations of Moon Knight-Core. Who enticed me with silly images about Dracula owing Moon Knight money
No regrets though--as Moon Knight is a wonderful silly hero and a weird little fella who is fun to watch just do things. A very flawed person who does very flawed things... there is joy in watching him try to navigate the world of Marvel comics
Moon Knight is a wonderfully flawed character
I will note that some portions show their age... so just keep a heads up for that stuff
No regrets though--as Moon Knight is a wonderful silly hero and a weird little fella who is fun to watch just do things. A very flawed person who does very flawed things... there is joy in watching him try to navigate the world of Marvel comics
Moon Knight is a wonderfully flawed character
I will note that some portions show their age... so just keep a heads up for that stuff
January 9, 2025
An okay Moon Knight. Doesn’t nearly reach the highs of the previous volumes as different writers create different versions of the character. Didn’t care for the Zelenetz issues where Moon Knight is guided by three priests. The one off issues are fine but mostly unmemorable. The book finally started picking up for the Dixon issues but then the book was over. Art was all over the place in this book since there were so many different artists. All were fine but nothing stood out. If you’re Moon Knight curious this is not a great place to start. For Moon Knight completists only.
January 10, 2025
Not peak Moon Knight.
I am not against the idea of giving our hero magical weapons and a touch of gold on the uniform but there were some weird design choices for character that most artists make look cool - namely bare hands and a strangely visible nose!
The first few stories have Marc interacting with Marlene in a way I found strange.
The stories got better as they went along.
I am not against the idea of giving our hero magical weapons and a touch of gold on the uniform but there were some weird design choices for character that most artists make look cool - namely bare hands and a strangely visible nose!
The first few stories have Marc interacting with Marlene in a way I found strange.
The stories got better as they went along.
November 22, 2025
I can't tell if this was actually better than the last volumes or if I just needed a bit for things to click for me, but I really liked this volume. I thought the stories were consistent and good, and I really liked the artwork too. nothing super standout about it to be fair, but it was always enjoyable.
September 28, 2022
Chuck Dixon turns out some great stuff.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews