Moon Knight #1 Review

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Alessandro Cappuccio, Jed MacKay, Moon Knight, Moon Knight #1, Moon Knight #1 Review, Moon Knight 2021, Moon Knight TV series, NCBD, Rachelle Rosenberg

Moon Knight #1

Review by Paul Bowler.

Moon Knight returns to protect those who travel at night with the launch of Moon Knight #1, Marvel’s brand new ongoing series from writer Jed MacKay (Black Cat) and artist Alessandro Cappuccio (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers). As the first Khonshu Moon Knight has a sworn duty to uphold, this time with a slightly revised mission, and even some creatures of the night will earn protection in the Moon Knight’s dominion.

Marc Spector’s night time crusade continues apace as people seek out help for the horrors lurking in the twilight hours of their neighbourhoods from the mysterious Mr Knight at his Midnight Mission HQ. The Moon Knight prowls the rooftops and alleyways marked with his crescent moon symbol, dealing out violence and retribution to anyone, or anything, foolish enough to harm those under his protection. 

Moon Knight #1 hits the ground running and doesn’t let up for a moment as writer Jed MacKay deftly establishers a fresh take on Marvel’s most uncompromisingly complex hero. The focus on Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder and the numerous guises he uses to carry out his righteous mission are refreshingly underplayed, instead MacKay skilfully utilises the fascinating therapy sessions between Moon Knight and his therapist to meld exposition and narrative into a cohesive whole. Along with his therapist, Marc also shares a close bond with Reese who helps run the Midnight Mission, there are villains like 8-Ball and Vermin to contend with as well, and a strange new Doctor running the free clinic. Events also see Moon Knight inadvertently end up saving creatures of the night in this issue as well. This is the key factor that ends up putting Moon Knight at odds with other followers of Khonshu who hold an even darker interpretation of their god – Khonshu. 

The dark, noirish look of Moon Knight #1 is beautiful rendered by artist Alessandro Cappuccio, every scene is rich with atmosphere and dynamic page layouts, and color artist Rachelle Rosenberg uses a subtle mix of moody tones and swarthy shadows to heighten the books visuals even further. Action sequences are bold and in-your-face, with Moon Knight crashing through car windscreens, going toe-to-toe with adversaries in dark streets and corridors, and gliding down over the city to champion those in need. It is the conversations between Moon Knight and his therapist that really steal the show, however. There’s a distinct ‘Hannibal’ like vibe to these sequences, they draw you deeper into the story, and form many of the most compelling moments in the issue.

While all the familiar tropes we’ve come to expect from the character are apparent in Moon Knight #1, Jed MacKay does put a very clever spin on everything, and we can only hope what follows lives up to the potential set up in this first issue. There’s a lot here for longterm Moon Knight fans to enjoy, and the brief flashback to the characters origin ensures newcomers are also catered for as well. Marvel has also churned out a plethora of variant covers for Moon Knight #1 so I’m sure fans and variant cover collectors alike will be over the moon about that. A Hunter’s Moon is rising in this new Moon Knight comic book series and I’m excited to see where MacKay takes the story and the character of Marc Spector next. With all the hype around Moon Knight and the new TV series starring Oscar Isaac coming to Disney Plus in 2021, this new Moon Knight comic series is sure get spark a lot of interest in the character, and this issue certainly gets everything off to a great start.

Publisher Marvel Comics

Writer Jed MacKay / Artist Alessandro Cappuccio

Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg / Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Artists Steve McNiven & Frank D’Armata

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook

Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1 Review

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Action Comics, Brandon Kent, DC Comics, Future State, House of El, Philip Kennedy Johnson, Superman, Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1, Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1 review, Superwoman, The Phantom Zone

Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1

Review by Paul Bowler.

Legacies of the past and the future entwine as one in DC Comics Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1, as writer Philip Kennedy Johnson revisits Future State’s House of El as   Superman’s descendants of tomorrow face a threat established during the yesteryear of the present.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Future State for me was Philip Kennedy Johnson’s one-shot that explored the distant future of the House of El, where the legacy of the Man of Steel had merged with numerous other heroes and legacies of DC universe, and the despot villain  Prythos (Kal El’s fallen son) wished to tear down everything that his family’s heroic dynasty stands for. This special Action Comics Annual ties-in broadly with Johnson’s current “Warworld Rising” arc in Action Comics, the issue opens in the near future where a mysterious old man is telling a group of children a tale of heroes from their own future. Events then flash forward to a time of great prosperity and hope for the House of El, where Superwoman, Lady Kara Zor El, is presiding over a wedding in the House of El, but before the nuptials can be completed Prythos gatecrashes the ceremony. It falls to Brandon Kent, the Superman of this era, to protect his family and save the next generation of the House of El from the menace of Prythos – killer of Darksied and the new Highfather of Apokolips!

Philip Kennedy Johnson delivers a welcome return to the empire of the House of El which he established in Future State, and this Annual sets up a wealth of possibilities for the both the future and the present of the DCU. Tales of the House of El takes the wedding backdrop and turns it into a thrilling all-out action adventure, one laced with heartfelt emotion, a perilous voyage through the Phantom Zone, the surprise return of an old Superman villain, and there’s even a hint of redemption in the air as the story races to get to the church on time for its joyous final act.

The artwork by Siya Oum and Scott Godlewski provides us with dynamic realisation of the richly textured narrative. From the gleaming opulence of the Sanctuary to the chilling vistas of the Phantom Zone, the characters are stylishly defined, and the action sequences impressively rendered throughout. Hi-Fi’s colours are, as always, of a high standard, and every scene is awash with vibrant hues that perfectly accentuates the fine detail of Oum and Godlewski’s work.

I throughly enjoyed this exciting sojourn back to the Future State era of the House of El portrayed in Superman Action Comics Annual 2021. Whether the open-ended nature of much of what transpires in this issue will actually impact or influence Philip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics run, of course, remains to be seen. I for one sincerely hope these plot threads and characters are revisited again at some point. Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1 is a beautifully crafted story, one where a child’s toy becomes a treasured relic and the future personification of the fundamental  legacy of the House of El itself… hope.

Writer Philip Kennedy Johnson

Artist Siya Oum & Scott Godlewski

Colorist Hi-Fi / Letterer Dave Sharpe

Cover Scott Godlewski & Gabe Eltaeb

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook