DOUGLAS: That said, I’m impressed by what Alex Maleev is doing here. He’s been talking about how he’s drawing Moon Knight without photo-reference, which means that this is a pretty significant shift away from his familiar style (and the style he’s been using for Scarlet); I can actually see a little bit of Sienkiewicz in his line, especially in bits like the big double-page spread early in the story. In the first scene with Spider-Man and Wolverine and Captain America, I thought “uh-oh, he’s actually not using reference of any kind–all of them look way off-model, Wolverine’s much taller than he’s supposed to be… oh I get it now.” And, if I’m not mistaken, this is the first Marvel superhero title since… maybe the Jonathan Lethem/Farel Dalrymple Omega the Unknown?… to have freehand panel borders. It’s a very small gesture, but a meaningful one: Maleev really is trying to make this look different from his Daredevil and Scarlet and Spider-Woman and Halo.
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GRAEME: I have to admit, I liked this much more than I was expecting to. It’s very much Bendis by numbers in terms of writing – You’re right, Douglas, it’s VERY light on dialogue and plot – and the LA scenes are completely unconvincing. But I surprised myself by warming to Maleev’s art more than I would’ve expected based on previous encounters. (There’s something less static and sterile in it; somehow it seemed warmer and with more life than he’s had in a while). And, dammit, there’s something weirdly charming about Spector’s “Wait, LA is my territory purely because I live here?” schtick, even more when you realize that it’s all essentially internal dialogue. I don’t know if I’ll be back next issue – there’s not enough meat here to guarantee that for me – but, considering I was expecting this to be a book I really wouldn’t enjoy, even the possibility should be considered a win.
EVAN: My big problem is that this feels way too divergent from Moon Knight books of the past. In every book he’s headlined, Marc Spector’s carried the weight of conscience. He was a merc, someone with questionable morals, and the Moon Knight identity was a way to atone for that. Instead, Bendis dismisses that in the first few pages and sets off on what he wants this book to be. Now, writers can and should do what they want. But a C-list character like Moon Knight only has fans because of what came before, and honestly, it feels like there’s not enough here to win new ones over. I’m not talking new comic-book readers. I’m talking people who are Batman fans but never picked up a Moon Knight story. Would they stick around for more of this? I’m inclined to say no.
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But the thing that gets under my skin is how Bendis is going to play with Moon Knight’s, let’s just be honest, mental illness. You get the feeling he sees it as part of the ethos of the character, and that it’ll be like Matt Murdock’s Catholic guilt and self-destructiveness was in Daredevil. The issue with that is that it ultimately leads to a dead end. Either other heroes in the Marvel Universe intervene, or they decide that Moon Knight’s useful enough to let roam free. I’m thinking of Moon Knight like jazz legend Thelonious Monk here (stay with me here): He’s functionally dysfunctional, yet still a genius. Do you risk messing with his unique brain chemistry to try to help him, or stand aside and reap the benefits of what he brings to the world? (Also, I decree that there must now be a story arc called “‘Round About Moon Knight.”)
Spector’s likely to go off the rails at some point, but Bendis has to make that journey interesting enough to want to follow. This beginning doesn’t do that for me.