Shadowland: Moon Knight #1

I've always been allured to this story. When I was first getting into the character, this trade kept on popping up, but based on the cover, it didn't seem like anything more than a Moon Knight/ Daredevil crossover. What's the big deal? Eventually, I obviously got around to buying it...but I'm still allured to it, only for different reasons. This books delves heavily into the Moon Knight mythos and sets the character on a path that he hasn't really strayed from yet, and set up major plot threads that would be examined by later authors like Warren Ellis/ Declan Shavley or Brian Wood/ Greg Smallwood. And yet it's a tie-in to the Shadowland crossover? Confusing. 

Still, the first issue isn't all that bad. It's good and does rely on the reader to have a fairly hefty knowledge of the character's past, but the issue is a bit longer than normal and is able to squeeze in both his backstory and relationships as well as the backstory and relationship he has with the new villain of the miniseries, Shadow Knight (real original).

My biggest issue with the book, and series as a whole, is how gratuitous and dark it is. I get that it's a Moon Knight story and this was sort of the tone of the book, but people on the sidelines are getting killed and bludgeoned up left and right in an unnecessary fashion. It seems dark and ominous just because that's what Shadowland was trying to set up. There are some funny and light-hearted elements showcased in this issue, but it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. 

What doesn't leave a bad taste is this cover. It's fine if a cover is ominous, and this one takes the cake. Moon Knight is in the forefront as he should be, but Daredevil looms in the background as a crumbling Hell's Kitche stands around them, as if locking them in. Given the events of this book in particular, the cover is a tad misleading, but it's otherwise pretty darn awesome. 

Like I mentioned before, the first page of the book basically explains Moon Knight and who he is, as well as the confusing backstory he's had the past couple of years. For those unaware, let me shorten and explain it for you: 

Marc Spector died as a mercenary in Egpyt, but was resurrected by the God of Vengeance (later discovered to be the God of Justice) Khonshu to serve as his avatar in the human realm. Marc split his personality into several different entities: himself, cab driver and street-savvy Jake Lockley, billionare playboy Steve Grant, and then Moon Knight himself. As time passes, Khonshu begins to tell Marc he needs to become a killer again because...uh...because, and as a result Marc was driven mad and "died," allowing the Jake Lockley personality to take over. This personality was able to tend to other relationships Marc had shattered, like with his girlfriend Marlene and friend Gena, and was able to become the Moon Knight himself. He even joined the Secret Avengers. 

Oh and Daredevil took over the Hand because reasons and is super evil. There's your backstory. 

We open to a pair of newlyweds, assumedly, trying to purchase a mansion but get denied by the real estate agent, who claims that someone else has already purchased the mansion. And right out the starting gate we have a completely pointless scene. It's mean to be ironic for what follows but when you stop and think about it, this opening makes no sense. Steve Grant already lives in a mansion. If this isn't the one he live in, then why buy another one? And if it is the one he lives in, why would he be putting it on the market? Just to screw with rich people?

Our story really begins to skydiving!

Moon Knight! Now with paintable purple fingers. 

Yeah, this is a cool shot and all, but seriously: why the purple on the fingers? Between this and Vengeance of the Moon Knight #10 I'm beginning to wonder if people just don't like coloring Moon Knight silver and just wanted to test other dark colors. I've also got to tilt my head at his opponents. Moon Knight is flying down at them, but they all stop and swerve to shoot at him. Wouldn't it be better to just keep driving? Sure it's more inaccurate, but you've also got a better chance of losing him and you're not going to all be clumped together. One of the guys later claims that he's run into Moon Knight before, so he should know how he fights!

Stupid villains are stupid. 

Though, this is where we get to see some of that comedy, as Frenchie--Moon Knight's best pal in crimefighting--makes French jokes and Moon Knight has a light-hearted attitude about it. Thinking back, it does make it weird how similar the Marc Spector and Jake Lockley personalities are when they're fighting crime, though if you've read the books long enough, you'll notice the key difference. Marc would have just outright pummeled these guys and saved one more for all the jokes. Jake makes the jokes during the fighting and along with Frenchie. It's something we'll be able to examine again as we get into his backstory. 

Also: a splash page because the creative team forgot to insert the title of the book until now. Weird. 

However, since it's Moon Knight and great art, it'll be forgiven. He just looks awesome in this shot. His eyes glow that haunting bright blue and his armor is clearly shown. I've always appreciated how Moon Knight will actually go out and be equipped, like how Batman is in the "Arkham" series of video-games. The dude's a soldier, he's going to fight with armor on. And yeah, he's powered up by the moon, but why not go out with extra protection on? 

We cut over to a new, mysterious man in what is now Hell's Kitchen since Daredevil decided to do some Eastern redecorating. 

So were they all just hanging out there? Don't they have jobs, a family? Anything? 

This man is Profile, a former aid of the Committee (a longtime group of villains against Moon Knight ever since he screwed them over in his very first comic appearance). Profile has been summoned by none other than the Daredevil to his new lair to discuss how Profile can take down Moon Knight, something he's been attempting to do since his first appearance back in the early 2006-2009 run. Profile in this book basically serves to help new readers out, and I can't say I'm against it.

As I've stated many times in the past, I'm of the philosophy that one should be able to jump into any given comic series, or just issue, with some sort of context. Perhaps they can do the initial page of backstory, or they can plant a character in the narrative that helps out. Profile does that here, and it was a clever move by Gregg Hurwitz, the writer. Profile, as his name states, tries to know everything about his clients. Therefore, it is natural in the story for him to mull over these details while also providing exposition for the reader. Plus, the comic is longer than normal, so it also doesn't feel crammed into everything. 

However, I am curious why Matt Murdock thought building a giant tower in the middle of Hell's Kitchen would be a good idea. Sure the Kingpin lived in skyscrapers but there are dozens of those in neighboring areas that all look the same. It just doesn't scream "ninja" when I see that is all. But, hey, at least Daredevil is sporting a more ninja-like look: 

"I want Moon Knight. And I want my Mr. Fluffles bear. BRING THEM TO ME!" 

It's an obvious change that had to be made here. I mean, villains can't wear the same thing they wore as heroes. That would be silly. Though, the addition of the two wrist knives is pretty cool, and I like that he's sitting in his own throne. Despite the appearance, this does not at all feel like Matt Murdock sitting in the seat. I just have to supress a laugh at how blunt he is. I also have to tilt my head:

Why? Why does he want Moon Knight in particular? Sure he's a threat, but so far we haven't seen Moon Knight make any moves against Daredevil. Is it because he's an Avenger? Well that's a stupid rationale, because if you capture him, you'll get the rest of the Secret Avengers against you. While the Hand are strong, they're not match for a solid War Machine and Valkyrie combo. Plus you might make him a martyr to the other heroes of New York that are already banding together against you. Moon Knight is sort of the weakest link here, sadly. Profile even asks Daredevil why he wants him and Matt just sort of him gives him a strange look. That's not an answer to the question. 

But, whatever. We need to see how great life is for Jake Lockley! Like how he can skydive into pools, or make out with his girlfriend, or--

Or have a demonic God of Vengeance pop up in your dreams to creepily finish your thoughts, that's cool too. 

Yeah, Khonshu's taken a bit of a different form than what most people might be used to him as. He took a few different forms during the latest run of Moon Knight and I can't say I'm a fan. I get how they're trying to go for a more evil look, but it's something about the beak that throws me off. It's just too goofy. Khonshu is also insanely veiny--just look at his neck! That's disgusting! 

Khonshu spooks Jake back to sleep while also informing the reader about his four different personalities and we cut back over to Profile, who's hanging out in Egypt. Based off of a previous experience he's had with discovering Moon Knight's powers, he realizes that the soul of it all is Khonshu and that Moon Knight thinks he's the special avatar. However, if he can find another that can do what Khonshu wishes, he'll disable Moon Knight and make him vulnerable. Gotta admit, that's a pretty clever plan, and the person he picks is just as good a choice. 

Here we get some glimpses into Marc's life, and how he had a younger brother named Randall that would often play war with him. 

We learn that his father is big into Jewish customs and that he isn't the biggest fan of the two boys playing games like this, that nothing good can come of it. Something interesting that I noticed is Marc's behavior during war, and it's something that did spell his ultimate doom. He's always so focused on what's before him, on the task ahead, that Randall getting the jump on his doesn't really come as a surprise. 

Nor does Jake Lockley doing the same later in life. 

Marc Spector, during a fight, was focused on the mission and would snap at anyone for not following orders. However, his scrambled mind often tripped up his enemies, from someone as simple as Bushman to someone as strong as the Punisher. Marc knew a variety of fighting styles and would use them to his advantage, but as we see, since he was a child he was always too focused to really let himself loose and do his best. 

Jake Lockley, on the other hand, is more open. He knows what he has to do, and because his personality is more casual, he'll swing his fists around with a smile because he just loves what he does; whereas Marc did it because he had to. Marc Spector never really belonged anywhere outside the warzone as we see in some comics, but Jake Lockley belongs in the suit helping people. This is what Khonshu is preying at: he wants the soldier back, not the hero. It's an interesting crux to this series that I feel isn't really examined because of the other story threads going on. 

Because this is a Shadowland tie-in, the story feels pretty restrained. We've seen Daredevil once and his reason for being in the story was because we're tied to his story. Otherwise? I'm sure Profile was already thinking of how he could use someone to fight against Moon Knight, and in a limited twelve-issue series we could really dig into Moon Knight's psyche and watch as he tortures himself over his identity, which was something shown in the "Death of Marc Spector" story-arc. Instead, we have a three-issue mini that has to devote time to Shadowland despite the main plot focusing on Jake Lockley's struggle to grapple Khonshu. 

But I'm rambling. The rest of Marc's backstory is essentially that he was a soldier through and through, and never tolerated anyone's crap as he would get into tons of fights throughout school. This, Khonshu points out, is the problem (and it's also clever foreshadowing). Jake Lockley is only a mindset, but is not the whole soul. There is a war raging, and Khonshu is breaking Jake down bit by bit not even with taunts but more like facts. 

This page alone highlights what this book should have been. Marlene begging for her lover to come back to her safe, but even she isn't sure who that is. Moon Knight is now a haunting precaution that he could slip back to what he was, and Khonshu is just telling him how it is: Khonshu revived him, and he has not been the best avatar for him of late. the artwork by Bong Dazo and Jose Pilmento here is at the book's finest as we see Jake stand tall, but is broken down by the two most important people in his life. 

So let's just undercut all of that right now! For the sake of good taste I won't show it, but the very next panel is Randall Spector about to shoot himself in the mouth before Profile arrives and stops him. Jeez, comic, talk about a seriously rough transition. But don't worry, this introduction of Randall is only a sign of things to come. 

Profile, this time in a rather forced manner, exposits Randall's backstory to the reader and..oh come on. Seriously comic? 

So is everyone in Moon Knight going to have glowing eyes, too? 

Look I know this is comics and things are goofy, but how the heck do uranium bullets give someone super-laser vision? If it were altering his DNA, I don't think that would change anything, and I don't think uranium changes you at the genetic level. Randall isn't a mutant, he was just a normal guy. I don't even understand why Randall had to have these super-powers. To one up his brother? He was a strong enough person as is, and if you wanted a doppelganger for Moon Knight, you don't pick the guy with freaking lasers shooting out of his eyes! 

Profile offers Randall a shot at Moon Knight, lying about how Khonshu wants Randall to become his next avatar and this quick change can only be rivaled by Anakin's in "Revenge of the Sith." 

"Good. Gooooooooood. Henceforth, you shall be known as Shadow...Knight." 

After he kills some prostitutes and somehow gets bandages all over his face despite having no marks on them in the previous page, he leaves Moon Knight a message that Khonshu shall forsake him.

Oh, please, Khonshu does that every other Tuesday, it's really no big deal anymore. 

That night, Jake returns home to find Marlene running around the house in a skimpy purple dress and after nearly falling off the roof in a fake-out moment, we learn this happy little fact: 

Just to add some juxtaposition, though, we see that Shadow Knight been terrorizing Hell's Kitchen in search of Moon Knight, killing more and more people as he does so while Jake just kind of sits around. Why he isn't doing anything about it is my question, unless it has something to do with the fact that he's afraid to become Moon Knight again...which isn't really brought up. Khonshu even pays him a visit and tells him that at this rate, he might just replace Jake with Shadow Knight, threatening him, even. 

After meeting up with his friends to make his final decision whether or not to go after Shadow Knight, Jake gets an unexpected return to the events of Shadowland. 

Yup, Steve Rogers is in the building! Again, I really like how Gregg Hurwitz is bringing in a lot of recent Moon Knight mythology, since Steve led the group of Avengers that Moon Knight was a part of. It only makes sense that he would go to him before anyone else, and I like that Steve is showing his trust of the guy despite how messed up he can be. Captain America is a class act. 

Also Jake says goodbye to Marlene, since he has to kind of go fight thousands of ninjas right now, and everything is always okay in a comic book after a touching embrace. Did you mention you were in love? Oh, perfect. 

Thus, the comic comes to an end as Jake tries to beat the crap outta ninjas with a baseball bat, however Marlene is attacked by Randall. 

In the interest of good taste again, I avoided showing the imagery of Randall attacking Marlene because, really, it's gruesome and unnecessary. It could have been implied that she was attacked and while that would still suck, it would leave a better taste than seen her getting thrown around. Let me repeat: watching a pregnant woman get beaten up nearly to death. 

The better parts of this comic are with the internal struggle of Jake Lockley and Khonshu as well as getting to see how his battle against his brother will turn up. Everything else? It's decent. For a first issue it does a good job of establishing tone and where the main story is meant to be headed, but the callbacks to Shadowland bog the book down from what it could be and retrospectively seem to take up space as a means of padding rather than telling a story. The artwork is fine, though could use some touching up in the action scenes. 

We won't be coming back to this one for a little while though, for next time, we say goodbye to one of the best creative teams in comics right now as the Batman returns to Gotham in Batman #51, the finale for Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. 

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